All 23 photos
Brazil's three greatest icons in one extraordinary journey — the city spectacle of Rio de Janeiro, the thundering curtain of Iguazu Falls (the largest waterfalls system on earth) and the depths of the Amazon rainforest from a river lodge near Manaus. Eleven days that cover a continent.
Arrive in Rio. Welcome dinner in Santa Teresa — Rio's most atmospheric hilltop neighbourhood.
Morning on the cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain. Afternoon at the Tijuca Forest — the world's largest urban rainforest, right in the heart of Rio, home to toucans, monkeys and extraordinary viewpoints. Evening on Ipanema beach for the sunset caipirinha tradition.
Morning in Santa Teresa and La Lapa — Rio's cultural and bohemian heart. Afternoon at leisure: Copacabana or Ipanema beach, the markets of Feira de São Cristóvão or a samba school rehearsal.
Fly to Foz do Iguaçu. Afternoon on the Brazilian side of the falls — the panoramic walkway along the canyon edge gives the full scale of the 275 falls stretching across the horizon. At the Devil's Throat, the world's largest single waterfall, you can feel the spray and roar from 200 metres away.
Morning on the Argentine side — the opposite perspective, where you walk through the forest and emerge on walkways directly over the tops of the falls, looking down into the gorge. Afternoon boat ride under the falls (get wet). Optional helicopter flight.
Fly to Manaus — the improbable city of 2 million people in the heart of the Amazon, 1,700km from the coast. Afternoon tour of the extraordinary Teatro Amazonas opera house, built in 1896 at the height of the rubber boom. Evening boat transfer to the jungle lodge.
Dawn canoe through the flooded forest. The Amazon at sunrise — mist on the water, birds calling and the life of the river beginning. Morning piranha fishing. Afternoon jungle walk with an Amazon guide identifying medicinal plants, insects and wildlife.
Visit to a local riverside community — see how life is lived on the Amazon, with no road access and the river as the highway. Afternoon: caiman spotting by canoe at dusk.
Final morning on the river — the Meeting of the Waters, where the black Rio Negro meets the brown Amazon River and flows side by side for 6km without mixing. Return to Manaus. Farewell dinner.
Transfer to Eduardo Gomes International Airport for your onward flight.
Our team has led small-group adventures across Asia, East Africa, the Caucasus and South America since 2006. We know the routes we run inside out — and we run them personally.
Never more than 10 people on this tour. Small groups move differently — you get into places larger groups can't, spend more time in the moment and actually get to know the people you're travelling with.
You book your own flights, so you have full flexibility over your dates, airline and route. We're always happy to advise on the best connections — just ask when you enquire.
No booking engine. Enquire and our team will be in touch within 24 hours to discuss everything personally — and to tailor the trip around your schedule and what matters most to you.
