Rio de Janeiro - Iguazu Falls - Salvador de Bahia
Iguazu Falls, Southern Brazil.
Photo:
Ideia Tours. Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Land Price (8 days/7 nights)
De Luxe US$ 3,965 per person
The land price includes escorted transfers, private excursions with professional guides and chauffeurs, entrance fees, specified accommodations, gourmet cuisine, all land and water transportation, and travel insurance for guests through the age of 59 years (over that age, there is a supplementary fee). All prices are per person based on two people sharing a guest room. For a detailed description of our services, see Opulent Itineraries.
Intra-Tour Flights & Fares
Air fares are in addition to the land price and will be provided by guest.
It truly was a fantastic experience...
-- Isa Hetzel
Celebrate a New World...
This exploration is ideally suited to those who have little time available but still want to get a taste of some of Brazil’s natural and cultural highlights. An exciting program leads you from some of the world’s most famous cities: Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, to one of the world’s natural wonders: the Iguassu Falls. Brazil is full of great contrasts and this seven day roundtrip gives you just enough time to get an idea of Brazil’s tremendous size and beauty.
Inka's Empire Tours returns guests to the "gracious, golden age of travel" with five-star accommodations aptly described as "regal". Our ultraluxurious De Luxe category features Orient-Express hotels: the Copacabana Palace, on Rio's Copacabana Beach, and Hotel das Cataratas, overlooking Iguazu Falls. Where Orient-Express hotels do not exist, we have chosen other unique properties, such as the Convento do Carmo, a 16th century convent in the colonial quarter of Salvador da Bahia, a World Heritage Site.
Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Corcovado Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil.
Photo: Ideia Tours. Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Highlights
Night on Board Aircraft
Day 1: Night on Board Aircraft. Flight to Rio de Janeiro. Overnight on board the aircraft.
Rio de Janeiro
International arrival in Rio de Janeiro, Morning of Day 2
Day 2: Rio de Janeiro. Morning arrival in Rio. Reception by a local English-speaking guide at the airport and transfer to your hotel. Breakfast. Morning free to rest. Lunch at the hotel. Afternoon tour of Brazil's most impressive botanical garden, the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, laid out in the 19th century. Located right in the heart of the city, these lush, spacious gardens are an oasis of calm in the middle of a buzzing metropolis. Visitors are met with an astounding array of native and foreign plant species (about 6,200 in all), some of which grow to gigantic proportions in this ecological paradise. Tonight, a taste of Carnival, with Samba school drummers and dancers in lavish costume, presenting the best of Brazil in an alluring, glittering dinner show at Plataforma. Breakfast, lunch and overnight in the Copacabana Palace by Orient-Express -- Beach View Room -- King Bed.
Copacabana Palace ***** by Orient-Express
Avenida Atlântica 1702, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 22021 001, Brazil
Tel: +(55) (21) 2548 7070, Fax: +55 21 2235 7330Iguazu Falls
Intra-tour flight Rio de Janeiro - Iguazu Falls, Day 3, 5:05 pm - 7:10 pm, JJ 3187
Day 3: Rio de Janeiro - Iguazu Falls. The morning tour proceeds through the old Urca neighborhood towards the Sugarloaf, where a cable-car starts the steep, exhilarating 215-meter climb up Morro da Urca. From here, the cable-car travels high above the rugged, vegetated terrain to the Sugarloaf's 395-meter summit. Visitors can enjoy wonderful panoramic views over Rio de Janeiro from the top. Traditional BBQ lunch. Rio is one of the world's most historically and culturally significant cities, its rich heritage being reflected in the countless monuments within the metropolitan area. Among those included in the afternoon tour is the Mosteiro de São Bento, a World Heritage Monument and probably the most beautiful example of Brazilian Baroque and Rococo architecture. Transfer to the airport. Flight to Iguazu Falls, reception and transfer to your hotel. Dinner and overnight in Hotel das Cataratas -- De Luxe Room with Falls View -- King Bed.
Hotel das Cataratas ***** by Orient-Express
Rodovia Br. 469, Km. 32, Iguaçu National Park, Foz do Iguaçu, Brasil
Tel: +(55) (45) 2102 7000, Toll free USA: 1-800-837-9051, Fax: +(55) (45) 3574 1688Day 4: Iguazu Falls. Your guide will meet you for a walking and boating excursion on the Brazilian and Argentine sides of Iguazu Falls, including the upper and lower trails, San Martin Island and Devil's Throat. Lunch at the hotel. Iguazu Falls is considered by many the most spectacular waterfall in the world, perhaps because of the more than 200 streams that suddenly appear from the rainforest to form a myriad of cataracts, large and small, which mingle and blend so graciously with the surrounding vegetation. For this reason, Iguazu Falls have been declared a World Heritage Site. Lunch, dinner and overnight in the Hotel das Cataratas -- De Luxe Room with Falls View -- King Bed.
Hotel das Cataratas ***** by Orient-Express
Rodovia Br. 469, Km. 32, Iguaçu National Park, Foz do Iguaçu, Brasil
Tel: +(55) (45) 2102 7000, Toll free USA: 1-800-837-9051, Fax: +(55) (45) 3574 1688Salvador da Bahia
Intra-tour flight Iguazu Falls - Sao Paolo, Day 5, 1:15 pm - 2:45 pm, JJ 3558
Intra tour flight Sao Paolo - Salvador da Bahia, Day 5, 3:55 pm - 6:24 pm, JJ 3894
Day 5: Iguazu Falls - Salvador da Bahia. Morning visit to Parque das Aves (Bird Park), where rare and colorful birds fly in huge aviaries. Visitors are able to enter these aviaries and view the birds at close quarters. They will also see alligators, anacondas, pythons, marmosets and butterflies. Lunch at the hotel before a transfer to the airport for the flight to Salvador de Bahia. Reception and transfer to the hotel. Tonight, an impressive folkloric show by the renowned Balé Folclórico da Bahia followed by dinner. In Salvador, the dances and musical styles are more traditional, religious, mystical and African, in contrast to the show in Rio, which is focused on the Samba. Overnight in the Convento do Carmo -- De Luxe Room -- King Bed.
Convento do Carmo ***** by Pestana
Rua do Carmo 1, Pelourinho, 40301-330 Salvador BA, Brasil
Tel: +(55) (71) 3327 8400, Fax:+(55) (71) 3327 8401Day 6: Salvador da Bahia (Island Boating Excursion). At the harbor, depart with other passengers on a schooner for an all-day tropical island excursion. At Ilha dos Frades, we drop anchor at Praia de Ponta de Nossa Senhora and spend two hours relaxing and swimming. Afterward, we arrive at Ponta de Areia on Ilha de Itaparica, the largest island in the bay, to taste delicious Bahian cuisine at the Canto da Praia restaurant, watch a Capoeira show and enjoy the beach. As the sun sets, passengers return to the schooner for the trip back to the port of Salvador. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in the Convento do Carmo -- De Luxe Room -- King Bed.
Convento do Carmo ***** by Pestana
Rua do Carmo 1, Pelourinho, 40301-330 Salvador BA, Brasil
Tel: +(55) (71) 3327 8400, Fax:+(55) (71) 3327 8401Home
Intra-tour flight Salvador da Bahia - Rio de Janeiro, Day 7, 6:00 pm - 8:10 pm, JJ 8002
International departure from Rio de Janeiro, Night of Day 7
Day 7: Salvador da Bahia - Rio de Janeiro. Morning walking tour of the cobblestoned Pelourinho district -- the heart of Salvador’s Old Town. This World Heritage Site is considered by Unesco a highlight of XVII and XVIII century colonial architecture. Lunch at the hotel. Depart the hotel for an afternoon historic city tour and continue to the airport for your flight to Rio de Janeiro and connection home.
Day 8: Home. Flight and arrival home.
Details
Corcovado Mountain (left) and Sugarloaf (right), Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil.
Photo: Ideia Tours. Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Rio de Janeiro
With a dreamlike beauty that exceeds even the greatest of expectations, Rio is a city that has to be seen to be believed. Take the train up the Corcovado to see the breathtaking view beneath Christ's outstretched arms or the cable car to the top of the famous Sugarloaf to see the "Wondrous City's" spectacular landforms that embrace sandy beaches, glittering bays, fine residential districts and towering forest-covered mountains. The landscape is so dramatic that even the largest areas of modern high-rises are still dwarfed by the overwhelming grandeur of numerous peaks and the largest urban tropical forest in the world, itself a monument to environmental preservation.
From the city center, where the history of imperial Brazil began, through the classic elegance of Copacabana and contemporary sophistication of Ipanema and Leblon to the ultra-modern development of Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro has many faces that include Rocinha, the world's largest shanty settlement and Santa Teresa, where streetcars still climb the winding, cobblestone streets through this mountainside artists' district.
The natives of Rio, or cariocas, are famous for proudly mirroring the city's qualities in their daily pursuit of health, beauty and elegance: the seafront, lakeside and Tijuca Forest Park are always favorite destinations for exercising or simply enjoying the natural delights that their extraordinary city has to offer.
The cradle of the Brazilian empire, independence and republic; Rio de Janeiro's immense historical wealth of fine buildings, palaces, theaters and museums complements her natural splendor. The arts, folklore and popular music reflect Rio's cultural abundance in the form of leading galleries, the internationally famous Carnival and Samba schools, and Bossa Nova, immortalized by the most famous cariocas, Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes.
Day 1: Night on Board Aircraft
Flight to Rio de Janeiro. Overnight on board the aircraft.
Lagoon of the Jardím Botánico de Río de Janeiro, Brazil.
Photo: Jorge Morales Piderit. Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Day 2: Rio de Janeiro
Arrival in Rio de Janeiro. Reception and transfer to the country's (and South America's) finest and most famous hotel: Orient-Express' Copacabana Palace, overlooking Copacabana Beach. Breakfast. Morning free to rest. Lunch at the hotel. Afternoon tour of Brazil's most impressive botanical garden, the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, laid out in the 19th century. Located right in the heart of the city, these lush, spacious gardens are an oasis of calm in the middle of a buzzing metropolis. Visitors are met with an astounding array of native and foreign plant species (about 6,200 in all), some of which grow to gigantic proportions in this ecological paradise. Tamarins (small omnivores related to monkeys) and a myriad of colorful bird species thrive amongst the flamboyant vegetation.
Plataforma Samba show, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Video: Plataforma. Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
The tour proceeds on foot to appreciate the sights around the park, revealing some rich historical and cultural heritage such as the old gunpowder factory and the Solar da Imperatriz, home to the National School of Tropical Botany, the first of its kind in Latin America. The tour ends in the Sao Cristovão district, where the Quinta da Boa Vista, once the residence of the Portuguese Royal family, is located. Within its compound, the "Quinta" houses the National Museum of Natural History, once called "The Tropical Versailles" because of its architecture. Although a visit to the museum is not included, one can be arranged on request. Return to the hotel.
The beauty of this wonderful city doesn't fade when night falls – on the contrary, the Rio nightlife is ideal for sumptuous dining and spectacular shows. Tonight, a taste of Carnival, with Samba school drummers and dancers in lavish costume, presenting the best of Brazil in an alluring, glittering dinner show at Plataforma. Breakfast, lunch and overnight in the Copacabana Palace by Orient-Express -- Beach View Room -- King Bed.
Cable car to the top of Sugarloaf, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Day 3: Rio de Janeiro - Iguazu Falls
Breakfast. The first stage of the tour takes in a number of sites of interest in downtown Rio de Janeiro, namely the contemporary Metropolitan Cathedral, with its vast stained-glass windows and Aterro do Flamengo, a calm, spacious park with lawns and blossoming trees, offering lovely views of Rio and the Sugarloaf. The tour then proceeds through the old Urca neighborhood towards the Sugarloaf, where a cable-car starts the steep, exhilarating 215-meter climb up Morro da Urca. From here, the cable-car travels high above the rugged, vegetated terrain to the Sugarloaf's 395-meter summit. Visitors can enjoy wonderful panoramic views over Rio de Janeiro from the top, sunsets being particularly spectacular. Traditional BBQ lunch at Porcao Rio (a vegetarian alternative is available upon advance request).
Sugarloaf, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel. Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Currently under consideration as a World Heritage Site, Rio de Janeiro is one of the world's most historically and culturally significant cities, its rich heritage being reflected in the countless monuments within the metropolitan area. This afternoon, visit the Mosteiro de São Bento, a World Heritage Monument and probably the most beautiful example of Brazilian Baroque and Rococo architecture. With a simple, sober façade and magnificent carvings and paintings within, the monastery is still in operation, holding traditional services each Sunday with monks performing Gregorian chants. Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Candelária (1775) is the biggest colonial church in Rio, founded in 1609 by Portuguese immigrants. The interior of the church is in Neoclassical style, the cupola having been finished only in 1898. The Centro Cultural do Banco do Brasil is an imposing domed building that dates back to the late 19th century. It has a cinema with high-quality art films, contemporary theatre and a large exhibition of fine arts and photography.
Built in 1743, the modest Paço Imperial was the headquarters of the Portuguese government. It was here that Dom João VI established his court in 1808; Dom Pedro I announced his refusal to join his father back in Portugal in 1822 and Princess Isabel proclaimed the end of slavery in Brazil in 1888. The building still retains its original colonial structure after numerous restorations, the most recent being its conversion into an arts center. The tour proceeds to the Confeitaria Colombo, the oldest coffee shop in Rio de Janeiro, opened as a meeting point for intellectuals and aristocrats. Built in 1894 and refurbished in 1914, it is a living portrait of Rio's Belle Époque, retaining much of its Art Nouveau charm, with famous Belgian mirrors in hardwood frames and lovingly-preserved Italian marble benches. The tour ends at the marvellous Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (The National Museum of Fine Arts), where the works of Brazil's greatest artists are on display. Transfer to the airport. Flight to Iguazu Falls, arrival, reception and transfer to your hotel. Orient-Express is restoring the beautiful colonial-style architecture of Hotel das Cataratas. Dine on the veranda of the hotel's Itaipu restaurant. Dinner and overnight in Hotel das Cataratas -- De Luxe Room with Falls View -- King Bed.
Iguazu Falls, Argentina.
Video: blueplanetvideos.com. Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Day 4: Iguazu Falls
Breakfast. Your guide will meet you for a walking and boating excursion on the Brazilian and Argentine sides of Iguazu Falls, including the upper and lower trails, San Martin Island and Devil's Throat. Lunch at the hotel. The Amazon jungle reaches into Argentina along the banks of the major rivers (Parana, Uruguay, Paraguay and others). As we travel north from Buenos Aires, the network of jungle-bordered rivers constitutes a biological corridor through which fauna moves. The highlight of the region is Iguazu Falls, considered by many the most spectacular waterfall in the world, perhaps because of the more than 200 streams that suddenly appear from the rainforest to form a myriad of cataracts, large and small, which mingle and blend so graciously with the surrounding vegetation. For this reason, Iguazu Falls have been declared a World Heritage Site. Lunch, dinner and overnight in Hotel das Cataratas -- De Luxe Room with Falls View -- King Bed.
Parque das Aves, Iguazu Falls, Brazil.
Video: Parque das Aves. Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Day 5: Iguazu Falls - Salvador da Bahia
Breakfast. Morning visit to Parque das Aves (Bird Park), where rare and colorful birds fly in huge aviaries that have been built to blend in with the humid subtropical florest. Visitors are able to enter these aviaries and view the birds at close quarters. They will also see alligators, anacondas, pythons, marmosets and butterflies. Lunch at the hotel before a transfer to the airport for the flight to Salvador de Bahia, originally called São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos, in English: "Holy Savior of All Saints' Bay"). Reception and transfer to the historic Convento do Carmo, a former convent that dates back to 1586 and is now the city's most luxurious hotel. Within the convent’s whitewashed stone walls, tranquility awaits. Graceful cloisters are atwitter with birds. Pitched-beam ceilings and 19th-century antiques evoke Salvador’s past. The front-desk staff and concierges are fluent in English -- a rarity in Salvador, a small spa offers an impressive range of treatments, and the central courtyard, with its lovely stone fountain transformed into a wading pool, is an ideal place to relax over a caipirinha with lime and maracujá (passion fruit). Tonight, an impressive folkloric show by the renowned Balé Folclórico da Bahia at the Teatro Miguel Santana followed by dinner. In Salvador, the dances and musical styles are more traditional, religious, mystical and African, in contrast to the show in Rio, which is focused on the Samba. Return to your hotel. Overnight in the Convento do Carmo -- De Luxe Room -- King Bed.
Balé Folclórico da Bahia at Teatro Miguel Santana, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil.
Video: Balé Folclórico da Bahia. Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Day 6: Salvador da Bahia (Island Boating Excursion)
Breakfast. At the harbor, depart with other passengers on a schooner for an all-day tropical island excursion with exotic fruit, live music and a bar on board (drinks not included). Bahia de Todos os Santos (Bay of All Saints) is one of the most beautiful bays in Brazil and certainly the largest. It has many tropical islands with paradisial beaches and vegetation. At Ilha dos Frades, which has the shape of a 15-point star, we drop anchor at Praia de Ponta de Nossa Senhora and spend two hours relaxing and swimming in the warm, clear waters of one of the pristine beaches. On this island, slaves coming from Africa were placed in quarantine to gain weight before being sold in the city. Afterward, we arrive at Ponta de Areia on Ilha de Itaparica, the largest island in the bay, to taste delicious Bahian cuisine at the Canto da Praia restaurant, watch a Capoeira show and enjoy the beach. As the sun sets, passengers return to the schooner for the trip back to the port of Salvador. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in the Convento do Carmo -- De Luxe Room -- King Bed.
Salvador da Bahia, Northeastern Brazil.
Photo: Ideia Tours. Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Day 7: Salvador da Bahia - Rio de Janeiro
Breakfast. Morning walking tour of the cobblestoned Pelourinho district -- the heart of Salvador’s Old Town -- during which the visitor gets to know the characteristics of the earliest streets and architectural structures. This World Heritage Site is considered by Unesco a highlight of XVII and XVIII century colonial architecture. Clinging to steep terrain, the picturesque colonial houses and churches, such as the Igreja do São Francisco, artistically decorated in a myriad of colors, make this enchanting part of town a must for anyone visiting Bahia.
As Pelourinho is situated on an elevated point of the city, visitors are rewarded with stunning views over the surrounding city and harbor. The tour subsequently proceeds through other traditional neighborhoods, such as Vitoria and Campo Grande, with a brief stop at the park and fountain of Piedade. Lunch at the hotel. Depart the hotel for an afternoon historic city tour and continue to the airport for your flight to Rio de Janeiro and connection home.
Day 8: Home
Overnight flight and arrival home.
Extraordinary explorations.
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