Natural paradise in Brazil

You will be picked up from the airport and taken to your guest house. The guest house is in a very central location. All the town's highlights can be accessed on foot: the famous Amazon Theatre, the dock with its market halls, and the Indian Museum (Museo dos Indios) are just a 10-minute walk away.

The Palacio Rio Negro Culture Museum is located directly on the other side of the street. Venture into the heart of the Amazon area on your own feet and discover the metropolis there. The person in charge of the guest house is a German-speaking Brazilian woman. The atmosphere is a very personal and friendly one.

(If the simple, family-run Rio Negro Guesthouse isn't your style and you prefer a more comfortable accommodation for an additional price of 45 euros per person, you can book both nights to stay in the Hotel Go Inn, depending on availability).

Today you will be picked up at the guest house in the morning. The car journey to the Ceasa sea port lasts around twenty minutes. A speedboat will take you from there to the Careiro da Varzea village. This is where you will cross the river - you will see that it is here where the Negro and the Solimões meet and form the Amazon. It is from here that that it extends its way into the Atlantic Ocean.

After a stop in the fruit market you will take a bus, which will take you to the Araça river via the Manaus-Porto Velho Highway. Then you will get on a boat. Local villages lie along on this route; we also pass bays that offer a sight of water lillies, with their enormous fins. It is an ideal opportunity to see all kinds of wild birds, alligators, fish, snakes and monkeys.

As midday approaches, you will reach the Turtle Lodge, where lunch will be awaiting you: consisting of freshwater fish, different kinds of meat, chicken, salads and exotic fruits from the Amazon region. After refreshments there will be a boat tour, offering you an overview of the region. While on this trip you will be able to watch for animals and if you are lucky you will get to see some monkeys, sloths, iguanas, spiders and many different kinds of birds. However, keep in mind that is it more difficult to find animals in the Amazon forest than in the Pantanal region for example. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. 

Rise and shine before daybreak and experience a sunrise that you cannot experience outside of the Amazon. Interesting animals active in the early morning are more likely to be spotted during these early hours.

You will then proceed to go on a jungle survival tour, where your experienced leader will teach you how to survive in the jungle: showing tree-climbing techniques and how to find drinking water and food. Experience the full range of the flora and fauna and the biodiversity of the region. You will head back to the lodge around noon.

After lunch, a rowing boat adventure is the next plan on the program - it will allow you to further discover the area. These light boats are excellent for moving through the water inconspicuously in order to look out for animals.

We will conclude the adventure of the day in the evening with a trip in motorized canoes, where you will hopefully get to discover caimans. Equipped with torches, you will go on the hunt for the sight of caimans in the water. We will take you there with nothing but our bare hands. You will even get the chance to hold a caiman, if you want. You can of course take photos here. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are inlcuded. 

In the morning you will visit a Caboclo house and get to learn about local customs and culture. You will visit rubber and cassava plantations up close and personal. This is a good opportunity to take photos of the local areas and to see how fruits, Brazil nuts, herbs, vegetables and spices are gathered in the jungle. Also see first-hand how the Caboclos prepare their meals and how they make use of such ingredients. You will also get to try some!

Then you will head back to the Turtle Lodge for lunch. In the evening you will able to enjoy the moon and the stars in the heart of the jungle. Soak up the soul of it all and relax in hammocks. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. 

Today is the day you will get to learn about the medicinal plants of the region. A jungle tour follows breakfast - the guide will explain things worth knowing about these plants: where you can find them and which diseases they can be used to treat. All of these things are snippets of information passed on from local Indian tribes. You will also get to see how rubber is produced. It involves a process whereby latex is tapped from the tree trunk without having even having to cut the tree down.

Then you will go back to the Turtle Lodge for lunch at noon. During the afternoon and the evening you will have the chance to watch for animals in the river. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. 

After breakfast in the morning you will get to experience the Brazilian natural paradise during a canoe trip. You will cross flooded areas (or igapós, as they are formally known) and row through igrapés (small canals).

You will get the chance to see fresh water dolphins here if you are lucky. You will also get to visit a school in a local village or the local municipality. After lunch, around 1 pm, you wil take the transfer back to Manaus and arrive around 5  pm at your guesthoues. Breakfast and lunch are included. 

After breakfast you will take your transfer to the airport and fly to Cuiaba. Due to the very early flight from Manaus-Cuiaba, no breakfast will be arranged. Your guesthouse does however offer guests to prepare a lunch packet the night before, that they can eat for breakfast. The guesthouse makes sure that coffee and juice is available as well.

Upon arrival at the Cuiaba airport your tour guide will be waiting for you and will travel with you to the plateau of the Chapada dos Guiamaraes. The stretch from the airport to Chapada dos Guiamares is around 70km. Once you arrive you will check into your hotel and then we will have lunch in a local restaurant. Afterwards we will visit the geographic center of South America, where we can enjoy a panorma view over the valley.

Since the operating hours of the local attractions often vary - for example visitng the Waterfall of Veu de Noiva - your guide will plan the rest of the program on site. During the evening we will head back to the hotel and have dinner. The rest of the night is yours to enjoy. Lunch and dinner are included. 

After breakfast you will travel 170 km to the remote town of Bom Jardim. The last part of the route is on dirt road. Once you arrive in your accommodation, you will get ready equipped with diving goggles, snorkel and diving gear to explore the transparent rivers of the region. You will dive in the slow-flowing river and enjoy the flora and fauna of the stunning landscape. Numerous fish will swim by you. With some luck you might even get to see some dourados and freshwater stingrays. Later after about an hour you will head back to the pousada and have lunch.

After lunch you will take a small hike near the pousada and visit some more crystal-clear rivers in this unique ecosystem. Later, another highlight will await you: the Lagoa das Araras. In the late afternoon dozens of yellow-breasted macaws, parakeets and other parrots, meet here and sleep in the in the Lagoa trees. It is a fascinating spectacle of nature, which you cannot afford to miss out on. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. 

Whoever wants to can get up early (around 5:00 am) and drive back to the Lagoa das Araras. There you will be impressed by the awakening soundscape and parrots flying out and around over the lagoon.

After breakfast in the pousada you will make the journey from Bom Jardim and head to the city of Poconè. It is the last city of the Pantanal. Here you will take a break and visit a typical Brazilian family. After that you will go on the famous dirt road “Transpantaneira” and make stops to watch for animals on the way to our accommodation. Your accommodation is located directly on a river and near a riparian forest where you will take a little hike before dinner. After dinner, your next highlight will be a night safari in order to watch for animals. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. 

Before breakfast around 5 am you will take a sunrise tour to explore the awakening Pantanal. After breakfast you will explore the flora and fauna near the lodge by boat. With some luck you might be able to spot some different kingfisher, heron, hyacinth macaws and Jabiru Stork - the heraldic animal of the Pantanal.

After lunch and a short break you will head out on an exploration tour on the river. With some luck you might encounter giant otters, which are most present during this time of the day. After dinner you will go on another night safari to look for caiman and other nocturnal animals. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. 

If requested, there is the possibility to take another sunrise tour. After breakfast you will leave the pousada and head towards another. Along the Transpantaneira you will take various stops to enjoy the flora and fauna and look out for animals. Depending on your arrival time at the lodge you might go on a short hike in the area before lunch.

After lunch you will go on a horseback ride in the area around the lodge. With some luck you might encounter various species of herons, hyacinth macaws, caimans and giant otters. After dinner there will also be the possibility to go on another night safari. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included.

After breakfast you will head to Cuiaba airport. You will take a domestic flight to the next natural paradise in Brazil: Foz do Iguazu. This is followed by a transfer from the airport to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy. Breakfast is included.

The Iguaçu waterfall - or "Big Water" in the Guarani language - is one of the natural wonders of Brazil. There are 275 waterfalls in total over a 3km range, and they are 80m high. They are broader than Victoria Falls, higher than Niagara Falls and more beautiful than both of them combined.

Before they were discovered by the white man, these waterfalls were regarded as a kind of sacred grave site used by the Tupi-Guarani and Paraguas tribes for thousands of years. The area encompasses one of the best kept jungles in the land – rich in bramble areas, apple trees, cedars and monkey-puzzle trees. In the Iguaçu National Park there are also interesting birds: sparrowhawks, woodpeckers, owls, "macucos" and herons; as well as rare mammals, such as "Quatis", apes, tapirs, otters and "ariranhas".

Today's destination is the National Park and waterfalls of Foz do Iguaçu. These falls are among the eight most attractive waterfalls in the world. The amount of water involved is enormous and the vapor produced by these falls extend through the whole area. This is why the surrounding woods are always humid and lush.

From the falls, a further 1000m of ascent brings us to Ganta do Diablo: the Devil's Throat, so to speak. The day is concluded with a visit to the Foz do Iguaçu bird park: you can see more than 150 kinds. There are giant avaries in which you can experience and observe macaws, parrots, toucans etc. close-up. Breakfast is inlcuded.

Today you will enjoy a digressive trip to Argentina. The Argentinian side of the Foz do Iguaçu waterfalls allows one to observe these falls and the surrounding woods close-up. The views offered by the abysses are hypnotizing; all the better for creating an influential experience.

Thundering waterfalls, giant rainbows and soaking dew, all to the sounds of parrots and falcons in the distance, in the deep green jungle. You have the option of booking an unforgettable boat tour direct to the falls. Then it's back to the hotel to relax and spend the night. Breakfast is included. 

Today your tour ends and you'll catch your flight back home.