Begin your explorations in Rio de Janeiro, a city shaped by historical events, a diversity of cultures, and a dramatically beautiful landscape. From there fly to the entrance of the Amazon, Manaus, where you spend a day exploring local markets with your guide. Next, set off to discover the Amazon from the comfort of the floating Eco-lodge, Uakari. Select from a variety of activities, such as canoeing, hiking through the forest, or visiting local villages.
Highlights
Enjoy marvelous views of Rio de Janeiro from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain
Visit Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain
Look for Amazonian wildlife such as jaguars, scarlet macaws and emerald tree boas
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Arrive in Rio de Janeiro and transfer to your hotel in the famous Copacabana neighborhood. A short stroll takes you to Copacabana's iconic beach. The day is free to explore the beachfront plazas.
Meet your guide at the hotel for a half-day visit to Rio de Janeiro’s most popular attraction – the 125 foot statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain that stands over Rio de Janeiro. Begin the ascent of the mountain in a cogwheel train through the lush Tijuca Forest, a national park and the world's largest urban forest. Arrive to the base of the statue where you can truly appreciate the size of one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The views from the observation platforms are spectacular and provide insight of how the city of Rio has grown around and up the seemingly inhospitable natural rock features along the coast. Rio spreads out below you, revealing Sugarloaf Mountain, Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches, the famous Maracana Stadium, and the luxurious Botafoga Bay. It is impossible to ignore the favelas, Rio's hillside communities.
Return by train and explore the coast with your guide as you drive along Sao Conrado, Ipanema & Copacabana Beaches. Your afternoon is free to relax on the beach, shop in Copacabana's boutiques, or enjoy caipirinha, Brazil's national drink, at a beachfront cafe. Additional activities such as boat or helicopter tours, a visit to a favela, samba lessons, or a trip to the coastal hotspot of Buzios can be arranged.
Sugarloaf Mountain got its name from Portuguese sailors who felt the granite monolith's resembled a traditional block of sugar. Today's tour gives a different perspective of Rio, as you and your guide take a cable car that climbs to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. From the peak, the entire cidade maravilhosa (marvelous city), coastline, and Atlantic Ocean spread out below you. Descend by cable car and do a driving tour of Rio de Janeiro's city center to see the famous Sambadrome, the Teatro Municipal, and the modern-styled Cathedral. Please note that this half-day excursion can be arranged on any day and is a good option in the evenings to enjoy the sunset over Copacabana Beach. The remainder of your day is free to relax, take in the sights of Rio's beaches, or choose an optional excursion during this custom Brazil tour.
Day 4: Fly to Manaus | City Tour
1 Breakfast
Take a morning stroll on the beach or go for a swim before transferring to the airport for your flight to Manaus.
Manaus is the starting point for exciting tours that unveil the Amazon forest. Meet your guide and explore the Amazonas state capital, which is the main financial, corporate and economic center of northern Brazil. It is a historical and port city, located in the middle of the world's largest rainforest. Stroll through the typical neighborhoods to the Manaus floating dock, located in the city center. Make a short stop in the municipal market, watching the banana fair, and fish market before ending in the municipal market.. Visit one of the main tourist attractions of Manaus, the Amazon Theatre, opened on December 31, 1896, being the main Cultural Artistic Heritage of Amazonas state before returning to your hotel.
Day 5: Fly to Tefe | Transfer to Uakari Floating Lodge
Fly to Tefe where you will be met and transferred to Uakari Floating lodge. The lodge floats on top of the waters of a canal of the River Japurá, in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve. Settle in and prepare for your next few days, full of activities.
Programs include daily activities that vary according to the time of the year. Morning tours begin at 7AM and afternoon tours begin at 3:30PM. There are also presentations in the evenings, after dinner.
Samples of what you’ll be able to do in each season:
Flood Season (April to August)
During this season hiking is not possible so the majority of trips are by boat. — boats travel through the flooded forest at the height of the treetops. Explore Mamirauá lake, paddle canoes through freshwater swamps, look for animals at night from a motorized canoe. Visit a local riverine community and learn about the indigenous way of life.
Drought Season (September to March)
Walk through the forest during the day or at night, paddle canoes through freshwater swamps, look for animals at night from a motorized canoes. Visit a local riverine community and learn about the indigenous way of life.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Initial deposit is 25% ($400 minimum), and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days (10 weeks) prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
The trip might have been the absolute best of our lifetime (thus far). We particularly want to commend our guide Peter in the Guilin area-he was so incredibly attentive, energetic, enthusiastic-and absolutely dedicated to ensuring that our meals were 100% vegetarian.
Cruse ship was great. Fantastic food and service. Cruise itinary got changed so not what we expected, but not an major issue. Japan portion was great. Drivers/guides arranged by 80 Days were great. Hotels were mostly ok. Did not know that most hotels outside of major cities do not allow shoes to be worn in the hotel. again a minor inconvenience. Overall a great trip. Adventure Life communications were timely and much appreciated as far as changes/requests.
Peter Goff
1 day ago
We were a group of three that initiated our research by independently searching for the best agency to help us in the somewhat complex experience of traveling to the Galapagos. We chose adventure life because they were the most responsive in the website provided the most comprehensive overview of the trip. Their reviews were also very good.
Adventure, life splits up its booking process in two parts. First Jeff, the booking agent helped us decide which experience best suited are interests. We chose a small 14 to 16 group sized yacht. Once the booking was made with Jeff, we were handed off to Coleene, who oversaw the complex process of assembling all of the necessary documents and making sure we had everything we needed to make the trip go smoothly. The adventure, life website, then becomes your personal place of reference for all things related to your trip from door to door. It’s a lot of information to assemble, especially for three travelers, but the website makes it easy and Colleen‘s gentle reminders kept us on track. In all, from the beginning, we had four months from the time we started our research till the time we departed. We felt that was, a good amount of preparation time and don’t think it would be wise to do it in less than four months. Mostly because I think you have more options with that amount of time. There were others on our trip that took six months and more from the time they started planning.
The trip itself was outstanding. We ended up on an excellent yacht (Galapagos Angel II) with a great group of guests that we were able to connect with and put together a really nice google photos album to share.
Jed
1 week ago
Mary was very helpful. Quick to reply with helpful information and closure on arrangements.
Nicola Maxwell
1 week ago
Mary Curry and Elma are always so responsive and nice to deal with.
Michael
1 week ago
I enjoyed working with Jess to put together a private N.Z. trip. Jess has been my go-to person at Adventure Life over the past several years. She listens to what my husband and I want in a trip, and is always responsive to questions. Nothing seems to be too much of a bother for Jess.
