A thirteen-day journey linking Brazil's southeast with the beaches of the northeast by domestic flight.
The circuit opens with three nights in Rio de Janeiro, with half-day tours to Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar) by cable car and to Corcovado, where the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooks the city. It continues with two nights at the Iguaçu Falls, visited from the Brazilian side within the national park. Two nights in Recife include a full-day tour of Recife and the UNESCO-listed town of Olinda, followed by two nights on the beaches of Porto de Galinhas, known for their natural tidal pools. It closes with three nights on the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, a nature reserve, with a full-day 4x4 island tour taking in Sancho beach and the Baía dos Golfinhos. Accommodation is in 4-star hotels with breakfast.
Highlights
Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar) by cable car via Morro da Urca
Corcovado and the Christ the Redeemer statue by cog train
Iguaçu Falls from the Brazilian side, with the Garganta do Diabo
Full-day tour of Recife and UNESCO-listed Olinda
Beaches and natural pools of Porto de Galinhas
4x4 island tour of Fernando de Noronha with Sancho beach
Day-by-day itinerary
Day1
Day 1: Arrival in Rio de Janeiro
Arrival at Rio de Janeiro airport, where a driver with a name sign meets you and transfers you to the hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure.
Day2
Day 2: Sugarloaf and central Rio
After breakfast, a guide meets you in the hotel lobby for a half-day tour (about 4 hours) to Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar). From Praia Vermelha a cable car rises first to Morro da Urca, with its wide viewing terrace, and then to the summit of Sugarloaf, with views over Rio, Copacabana beach, the bay, the surrounding mountains and the Rio–Niterói Bridge. The tour continues by car through central old Rio, past historic churches and monasteries, the city's main cathedral and colonial-era buildings.
Day3
Day 3: Corcovado and Christ the Redeemer
After breakfast, half-day tour (about 4 hours) to Corcovado. An open cog train climbs through the Tijuca forest to the top of the hill at 700 m, where the 38 m statue of Christ the Redeemer, erected in 1931, rises over the city. From the summit a panorama opens over the Rio–Niterói Bridge, Guanabara Bay, the Botanical Garden, the Maracanã stadium and Sugarloaf.
Day4
Day 4: Rio de Janeiro – Iguaçu
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the flight to Iguaçu. On arrival you are met and transferred to the hotel. The Argentine side of the falls can be added as an optional excursion.
Day5
Day 5: Iguaçu Falls — Brazilian side
After breakfast, excursion to the Brazilian side of the Foz do Iguaçu falls, set within a national park along the Iguaçu River canyon. Walkways lead past a series of cascades to the Garganta do Diabo gorge. The Bird Park and the Macuco Safari can be added as optional excursions.
Day6
Day 6: Iguaçu – Recife
Flight to Recife, where you are met and transferred to the hotel. Time to rest. Recife, capital of Pernambuco, lies at the mouth of the Capibaribe River and is known for its canals and bridges, its Portuguese and Dutch colonial heritage and its nearby beaches.
Day7
Day 7: Recife and Olinda
After breakfast, full-day sightseeing tour of Recife and Olinda. In Recife you visit the sectors of Recife, Santo Antônio and Boa Vista, seeing the Mauricio de Nassau Bridge, the Praça da República — surrounded by the Governor's Palace, the Santa Isabel Theatre and the law courts — and the Casa da Cultura, a 19th-century former prison now a centre for regional crafts. The tour continues to Olinda, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with the Church of Mercy, the Monastery of São Bento, the church at the top of Alto da Sé hill and views over the two cities.
Day8
Day 8: Recife – Porto de Galinhas
After breakfast, transfer to the hotel in Porto de Galinhas, about 60 km south of Recife. Time to rest. This old colonial town is known for its beaches of clear water, white sand and palm-lined shore.
Day9
Day 9: Porto de Galinhas
After breakfast, free day. The Pernambuco coast is known for the natural pools that form among the reefs at low tide, good for swimming and viewing corals and fish, and for beaches suited to surfing and windsurfing, among them Maracaípe and Muro Alto.
Day10
Day 10: Porto de Galinhas – Fernando de Noronha
Transfer to Recife airport for the flight to the Fernando de Noronha archipelago. On arrival you are met and transferred to the hotel. Time to rest.
Day11
Day 11: Fernando de Noronha 4x4 island tour
After breakfast, full-day 4x4 tour of the archipelago, visiting its best beaches and viewpoints. It begins at the historic Vila dos Remédios — the Governor's House, the church of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios and the Forte dos Remédios — then continues to Baía do Sancho, voted the world's most beautiful beach, the Baía dos Golfinhos, Praia do Leão and the Morro dos Irmãos viewpoint, the Porto de Santo Antônio area with the chapel of São Pedro and the old Air France building, and beaches such as Cacimba do Padre and Baía dos Porcos before returning to the hotel.
Day12
Day 12: Free day in Fernando de Noronha
Free day to enjoy the beaches or to choose optional diving, boat trips or trekking tours.
Day13
Day 13: Fernando de Noronha – Recife
After breakfast, at the appointed time transfer to the airport for the flight to Recife.
Suggested hotels
Arena Leme
Superior
Rio de Janeiro
4-star option in Rio de Janeiro (3 nights).
Vivaz Cataratas
Superior
Foz do Iguaçu
4-star option in Foz do Iguaçu (2 nights).
Hotel Atlante Plaza
Superior
Boa Viagem
4-star option in Recife (2 nights).
Rooftop pool with bar
Children's pool
Spa with massage room
Sauna
Gym
Brasserie restaurant
Boa Viagem Beach (in front of the hotel)
Recife / Guararapes International Airport (8 km)
Recife Antigo (12 km)
Praia de Boa Viagem
Solar Porto de Galinhas
Superior
Porto de Galinhas
4-star option in Porto de Galinhas (2 nights).
Pousada Maravilha Fernando de Noronha
Superior
Fernando de Noronha
4-star option in Fernando de Noronha (3 nights).
Essential, Premium and Luxury categories available. Final accommodation is confirmed by date and availability.
What's included
Included: Accommodation in the listed 4-star hotels or similar (12 nights: 3 in Rio de Janeiro, 2 in Foz do Iguaçu, 2 in Recife, 2 in Porto de Galinhas, 3 in Fernando de Noronha)
Included: Breakfast at the hotel
Included: Airport–hotel–airport transfers with driver
Included: Half-day Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar) and central Rio tour with guide
Included: Half-day Corcovado and Christ the Redeemer tour with guide
Included: Iguaçu Falls, Brazilian side, with guide
Included: Full-day Recife and Olinda city tour with guide
Included: Full-day Fernando de Noronha 4x4 island tour with guide
What's not included
Not included: International airfare
Not included: Domestic flights (Rio de Janeiro – Foz do Iguaçu – Recife – Fernando de Noronha – Recife)
Not included: Airport and tourism taxes and visa fees
Not included: Meals not mentioned in the programme, and food and drinks during transfers
Not included: Drinks unless explicitly stated
Not included: Tips and gratuities
Not included: Personal expenses and optional excursions
Not included: Travel insurance
Not included: Anything not expressly mentioned as included
Optional services
Optional, at extra cost:
Iguazú Falls — Argentine side — Visit to the Argentine side of the falls with an English-speaking guide. Walkways over the Argentine part, an ecological train and a short walk lead to the Garganta del Diablo viewpoint, amid the orchids, birds and butterflies of the tropical rainforest.
Optional, at extra cost:
Bird Park — Visit to the bird park next to the Iguaçu National Park, with large aviaries where tropical birds fly and walk freely among the forest.
Optional, at extra cost:
Macuco Safari — Open-jeep ride of about 3 km through the jungle with a guide, followed by a walk to the Iguaçu River and a motorboat trip to the foot of the falls.
Optional, at extra cost:
Fernando de Noronha activities — Optional excursions on the archipelago: diving, boat trips or trekking tours.