All Brazil with Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

Arrive to Rio de Janeiro and transfer to your hotel. One of Brazil's main tourist destinations, Rio de Janeiro offers a wide variety of attractions, including popular beaches, famous landmarks such as the Christ the Redeemer statue atop Corcovado mountain, the Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) cable car, and world-recognized cultural traditions including the musical genre samba and the Carnival festival. A city shaped by historical events, a diversity of cultures, and a dramatically beautiful landscape, part of Rio is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Spend the day exploring the iconic sites and landscapes of Rio de Janeiro. Take the train through Parque Nacional de Tijuca up to the Christ the Redeemer/Cristo Redentor statue, elected as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Located 710 meters above sea level on Corcovado Mountain, this must-see monument offers spectacular views of the city. The statue is 30 meters (98 ft) tall, with an 8-meter (26 foot) base and arms outstretched 28 meters (92 feet). Next head to the Sugarloaf Mountain viewpoint, reaching the 396 m/1299 ft summit with dramatic panoramic views via a cable railway. Rising straight from the water's edge, the mountain is said to resemble the shape of the conical molds that were used for ocean transportation of sugar in the 16th century. Return to your hotel this evening.

Today you have the opportunity to learn about and experience the lifestyle of the cariocas, the name for the natives of Rio. Begin the day with a walk to the subway station for a 15-minute ride to the historic and commercial center of Rio. Visit the Metropolitan Cathedral of São Sebastião, a modern Catholic cathedral built in a cone shape inspired by Mayan pyramids and with beautiful 60-meter-high stained glass windows. Stroll the streets of the busy SAARA neighborhood, a popular market district in the old downtown with narrow streets, more than 600 shops, and vibrant culture. Sample a delicious juice made from tropical fruits and enjoy lunch at the Confeitaria Colombo, one of Brazil's oldest and most historic restaurants. Return to the subway station and disembark within walking distance of your hotel.

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Manaus, the largest city in Brazil's Amazon and main access point for rainforest excursions. Check into your hotel and enjoy free time or an optional tour of city highlights. Attractions of this city of more than 2 million people include the Amazon Theatre, built in a Renaissance Revival style; the Mercado Adolpho Lisboa - the city's oldest marketplace, founded in 1882; and the Port of Manaus on the Negro River.

Boat Option: Board a private boat at the Port of Manaus for your three-day Amazon River expedition. Arrive at the "encontro das águas", a confluence of the Negro River and the Solimões River which eventually merge to form the Amazonas River. Remarkably, the warmer, slower waters of the Negro River and the muddy brown waters of the Solimões flow adjacent to each other for about 6 km/3.7 miles before mixing. Fish for piranhas and search for the giant Victoria régia, the largest water lily in the world with leaves up to 2m in diameter. Experience a different side of the Amazon through nocturnal spotting of caimans, watching for the reflection of flashlight beams on the eyes of the animals. Tonight sleep aboard in a hammock or cabin (for an added fee).

Lodge Option: After breakfast transfer along the river to your rainforest lodge. Upon arrival you are welcomed with a natural juice made with fruit from the Amazon. After lunch you can participate in a variety of Amazon experiences. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Boat Option: Continue along the Rio Negro to arrive to Acajatuba. First visit a traditional manioc house and then visit the Acajatuba community. Learn about the culture and traditions of this village, whose locals make their livelihoods from fishing and production of manioc flour and handicrafts. A highlight of your journey is the opportunity to swim with river dolphins! Travel by canoe to a beach (contigent on water levels) for a moonlight barbecue dinner before settling into your hammock for the night.

Lodge Option: Your lodge provides a launching point for Amazon experiences and activities. Visit a riverside community, trek through the jungle and discover medicinal plants and hunting techniques, canoe the river during the day and night in search of wildlife, and fish for pirahnas. You can also visit the "encontro das águas", the confluence of the Negro River and the Solimões River which flow adjacent to each other for about 6 km/3.7 miles before mixing their waters.

Boat Option: After breakfast take a jungle trek to learn about hunting techniques, medicinal plants, and search for wildlife. Next travel downriver to the Rubber Museum where you can discover the role and importance of rubber for the region. Reach the Port of Manaus, disembark, and transfer to your hotel.

Lodge Option: Today you can continue to participate in a variety of lodge activities before transferring back to the city of Manaus. After lunch, your transfer ends at your hotel.

This morning transfer to the Manaus airport for your national flight to São Luís de Maranhão, capital of the state of Maranhão. Transfer to the Hotel Luzeiros (or similar) for your overnight accommodations. 

This morning depart for Barreirinhas, a small town in the northeast state of Maranhão, stopping to rest in either Rosário or Morros. Upon arrival at Barreirinhas meet with your local guide for your tour of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, known as the "bedsheets of Maranhão" due to its vast white-sand dunes. Despite the desert-like landscape, the park receives over 40 inches of annual rainfall. Tranquil blue and green lagoons are created after the January-June rains fill the valleys between the dunes, creating ephemeral habitat for fish. Explore the park in a 4WD vehicle with your guide. Trek across the dunes, swim in the tranquil ponds, and marvel at the surreal landscape. Don't forget your sunscreen!

Return to Barreirinhas for your overnight accommodation at the Pousada do Riacho (or similar).

After breakfast take a speedboat up the calm Preguiças River, the main waterway of the region. Pass by the Preguiças Environmental Protection Area and the towns of Mandacaru (Farol Preguiças), with its lighthouse built more than 100 years ago, and Caburé, close to where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean. Relax and enjoy the beautiful views of the river's beaches, small fishing communities, mangroves, monkeys, and bird life.

Transfer to the São Luís de Maranhão airport for your flight to Salvador. Salvador is the capital city of Bahia and was founded as the first capital of Brazil by the Portuguese in 1549. Its important historical center is known as the Pelourinho (pillory) neighborhood, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring 17th- and 18th-century churches and old mansions. From the airport transfer to your accommodation for two nights located near the Pelourinho.

An authentic cultural melting pot, Salvador is particularly celebrated for its African cultural influences resulting from its history as the first slave port in the Americas. Visitors can feel the pulsating energy of the city, known for its dance-like martial art form of capoeira, huge Carnival celebration, art, and cuisine using African ingredients such as palm oil and coconut milk. Its gorgeous coastline is one of the longest in Brazil.

In the morning set out on a walking tour of the historic downtown. Free time is scheduled for the afternoon, allowing you to take part in optional activities such as a panoramic city tour. This evening a special treat is in store - a performance by the Companhia de Balé Folclórico da Bahia at the Miguel Santana Theatre in Pelourinho. This folk dance company celebrates Afro-Brazilian traditions, with a decidedly New World influence. Among the performances you see, watch the aerial acrobatics of the capoeira artists, the gaiety of the samba de roda dancers demonstrating a version of Brazil's national dance, and the rhythms of the maculelê circle as its performers strike their sticks together in mock combat. At the end of the show enjoy an included farewell dinner with your fellow travelers.

Transfer to the Salvador airport for your flight on to your next destination.