Visiting the city of Rio de Janeiro, its beautiful beaches, Iguazú Falls and its National Park is an ideal combination of two famous destinations.
This is an ideal itinerary to get to know this time the beautiful city of Río de Janeiro at the starting of the program. Here we will stroll around the most representative buildings, exclusive neighborhoods and learn about their history.
We will visit the place to see -like each year during South American summer- the Carnival, which makes this city famous for its happiness, spirit, color and diversity.
This is the Sambódromo, an outstanding site of Río de Janeiro.
Also as part of the program, we will climb Mount Corcovado up to Christ the Redeemer, the symbol of Rio de Janeiro people, and from where we could see extraordinary views of its beaches and the surroundings, such as Guanabara Bay, Copacabana and Ipanema. Another excursion that you cannot miss is to Pan de Azúcar, where we will go up via cable railway while enjoying lasting panoramic views.
Once we have spent our days in Rio de Janeiro, we will head for Iguazú to do the traditional ride to the Argentine and Brazilian Falls, its National Park together with its flora and fauna and of course the not-to-be-missed tour to the Devil's Gorge.
7 days - 6 nights
Accommodation and breakfast - Double Room
Transfer
IN OUT APT/HTL/APT
Regular Tours with Spanish & English Guide
Tickets to National Parks included
Río de Janeiro - Corcovado, Floresta and some Beaches
Reception and transfer from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão (Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport) to the hotel. Our tour will start in Botafogo and Laranjeiras neighborhoods, located in the Center-South of the city. The former is known for the big houses that date from the 19th century and the latter is known for the residences and universities surrounded by bars. We will go to Guanabara Palace which was built in 1853 by a Portuguese person. The street from where one gets in is decorated by hundreds of imperial palms and, nowadays is the office of the state government.
We will arrive at Fluminense Football Club, the typical stadium of the city, and we will stop by the Sambódromo. Later we will pass by the Maracanã Stadium, regarded by many soccer fans as the "Temple of Gods." We will visit the old neighborhood of Santa Teresa, noted for the Yellow Tram that circulates this area thoroughly, and the old houses and colonial churches, among others.
We will go into Floresta da Tijuca National Park, the largest natural reserve of the urban area, up to Mount Corcovado, 710 meters high, with the momument of Christ the Redeemer standing at its summit, representative monument of Rio de Janeiro. For Brazilian people this is an image of faith and sympathy.
We will ascend by train starting from Cosme Velho neighborhood, an enchanting place full of green areas and colonial houses. We will see spectacular sights of the lovely Guanabara Bay, regarded as the most important one in Brazil owing to the port, though it is rather polluted. We will enjoy the landscapes of the southern beaches such as Ipanema, Copacabana and Leblon, Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon surrounded by the most representative Rio de Janeiro neighborhoods (Lagoa, Ipanema, Leblon, Gávea and the Botanical Garden) framed by mountains and the statue of Christ the Redeemer.
City tour & Pan de Azúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain)
Breakfast at the hotel. We will do a city tour going around the main resorts of Rio de Janeiro city. We will visit the Maracaná Stadium, regarded by many people as the "Temple of Gods." It is one of the largest stadiums in the world; it was built in 1950 with the aim of hosting the Soccer World Cup. Then we will pass by the Sambódromo, where the carnivals take place in February; the Municipal Theater that draws the attention of visitors not only for its architecture but also for the imposing facade, its beautiful décor and inner structure, and its capacity of 2,220 people.
Then we will visit the Modern Art Museum with a privileged location and 4,000 works of art that depict its history, apart from the gardens illustrated by the well-known Burle Marx. Later, we will go to the National Library, the largest one of Latin America, of neoclassic style with staircases and marble columns. At last, we will visit the Metropolitan Cathedral, a wonderful conic building from where we could have a lovely view of the financial city center.
Later we will go to Pan de Azúcar, one of the most important symbols of Rio de Janeiro. It is situated in Guanabara Bay, 396 meters above sea level. This is the only granite hill above sea level in the city. We will arrive there by the so-called "Bondinho" (cable railway) of Pan de Azúcar, with a capacity of 75 people covering 1,400 meters. It shows a spectacular view of the bay, the city, and the hills of Babilonia and Urca.
Río de Janeiro - Beach Day
Breakfast at the hotel. Free day.
Optional - Tropical Islands
The whole day will be devoted to visiting and enjoying the tropical Islands. We will head for Itacuruca to get on a saveiro, a ship that will be waiting for us to start this marvelous journey. Once in the saveiro, we will cross Sepetiba Bay, an enchanting sector where we will be amazed by natural beauty, and have the opportunity to see dolphins, turtles, skate fish, birds such as giant king fishers, parrots, among others.
An area of green and warm waters and dense vegetation. We can descend to step on the sandy beaches and calm waters.
While sailing, we will taste a dish of tropical fruits and have free access to the bar. We will return to Itacuruca and take the bus via Barra, an area of rather attractive residences; we will pass by modern shops and shopping centers, avenues like Ayrton Senna (in honor of the Brazilian Formula 1 pilot who died in a competition).
Río de Janeiro - Iguazu
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão (Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport). Reception and transfer from Iguazú Airport to the hotel.
Iguazú Falls & Big Adventure
Breakfast at the hotel. We will do one of the most interesting excursions through the hanging bridges, which will lead us to visit the stunning Falls from the Argentine side. Then we will get to the Devil's Gorge and be dazzled by its rough waters, a nature spectacles at a height of 80 meters. In the Lower Area (Circuito Inferior) we will enjoy the rich wildlife around us, as we go down the flight of steps where we can watch the spectacle offered by this water curtain surrounded by thick vegetation.
We will pass by Álvar Núñez Fall, from where we will enjoy the first views of the Devil's Gorge. Following the path, we will find San Martín Island and the homonymous Fall. Finally, at the end of trip we will find Bosetti and Dos Hermanas Falls. We can stay and appreciate this spectacle of waters and get refreshed since the steam from the waves breaking on the rocks will spray us completely.
We will continue our trip, this time in the Upper Area (Circuito Superior), where we will go around the same falls but from a different point of view of the Falls and their surroundings. Besides, we will get close to our next destination, the most stunning, which will guide us through the roaring of the water currents. We will get to the Devil's Gorge's station by train, and start our trip around the islands, and thus, have a wider view of this great nature "mistake" in the middle of the forest created, according to a legend, by the angry God of Iguazú River.
Big Adventure
This activity is an extra walk through the hanging bridges, and with this we will start our adventure in which we will sail up to the Canyon of Iguazú River. Then we will sail for about 2 km along the rapids enjoying a beautiful view from San Martín Island.
We will go round the island up to the homonymous fall to enjoy a great deal and get sprayed from a close distance. We will get back on off-road vehicles through the thick forest surrounding the National Park.
Iguazú Falls - Brazil
Breakfast at the hotel. Here we will have a very beautiful trip through the only hanging bridge of 1 km to enjoy the view of Iguazú Falls from the other side, the Brazilian region. During this trip we can also learn more about the fauna and flora, enjoy a unique landscape of the falls since the area is more open regarding falls because most of them are on the Argentine side and form a water curtain of 2,700 meters wide.
So from this side we will be dazzled by the beauty of the Devil's Gorge to the full.
Besides, this place is home to rare wildlife species, some of them in danger of extinction such as giant otters, anteaters, jaguars, red deer and yellow alligators. We will also see native flowers such as orchids, bromelias and thousands of butterflies.
Buenos Aires
Breakfast at the Hotel. Transfer to Iguazu Airport. Reception and transfer from domestic airport (Buenos Aires) to Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires. End of our services.
