Duration
12 days / 11 nights
Brazil Wildlife Journey, 12 Days
Where the wild things still are
Twelve privately guided days through Brazil's four great natural worlds: the Atlantic Forest above Rio, the thunder of Iguaçu, the crystal springs of the Pantanal and the deep Amazon.
Book a callStart / End
Rio de Janeiro → Manaus
Accommodation
Boutique hotels, pousadas & Amazon lodge
Highlights
Tijuca rainforest · Both sides of Iguaçu · Crystal springs · Amazon lodge
Brazil is one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth: home to the Amazon, to the world's largest wetland in the Pantanal, and to the Atlantic Forest. No single park or lodge can show you all of it, which is why our nature route doesn't stay in one place: it moves with the wildlife, from biome to biome.
Our signature Wildlife & Nature journey covers four of those worlds in twelve days: the rainforest-wrapped bay of Rio de Janeiro, the 275 waterfalls of Iguaçu, the crystal-clear spring rivers and indigenous lands of Mato Grosso, and finally a lodge deep in the Amazon. Every leg is privately guided, every transfer is arranged. You never wait, and you never carry the logistics.
Take the route below as your starting point. It's a real, tested itinerary and like everything we plan, it bends to your dates, your pace and your wish list.
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Hiking the Tijuca rainforest without leaving Rio
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Both sides of the Iguaçu Falls, privately guided
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Snorkeling crystal-clear spring rivers in Nobres
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A respectful day with an indigenous community on the Rio Paraguai
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Three nights in an Amazon lodge on Lake Mamori
Four biomes, one seamless journey
Twelve days across Brazil's greatest natural stages: city rainforest, waterfalls, crystal springs and the Amazon. With a private guide waiting at every airport, picking you up at your Hotel for every day-trip and transfer in all destinations.
- 1 Rio de Janeiro 2 nights
- 2 Foz do Iguaçu 2 nights
- 3 Springs of the Pantanal 3 nights
- 4 Manaus & the Amazon 4 nights · Manaus + jungle lodge
This is just one example of how your days could unfold, every itinerary is private and fully tailored, so we gladly reshape it around your pace, interests and travel dates.
01
2 nights Rio de Janeiro
Day 1-3
No city introduces Brazil like Rio. One of the country's two international gateways, and the only metropolis on Earth wrapped around a rainforest, its granite peaks rising straight out of the Atlantic. Two nights ease you into the country and put you face to face with the Atlantic Forest before you've even left the city limits.
- Day 1
Welcome to the Cidade Maravilhosa
Your guide meets you at Rio's international airport and brings you to your hotel by the beach. Depending on your arrival time, the rest of the day is yours. A first caipirinha on Copacabana, toes in the sand, jet lag melting into the sunset.
- Private transfer
- Arrival day
- Day 2
Tijuca, rainforest inside the city
With your private guide you spend the day in Tijuca National Park, the world's largest urban rainforest and a living piece of the Atlantic Forest. Trails wind past waterfalls and viewpoints while capuchin monkeys, toucans and coatis move through the canopy: a first, gentle immersion into wild Brazil.
- Private guide
- Atlantic Forest
- Day 3
Corcovado, Sugarloaf & flight to the falls
In the morning the cog train climbs through the forest up Corcovado to Christ the Redeemer; in the afternoon the cable car floats you to the top of Sugarloaf, with the whole bay at your feet. In the evening, a short flight carries you south-west to Foz do Iguaçu.
- Corcovado
- Sugarloaf
- Evening flight
Flight Rio → Foz do Iguaçu
02
2 nights Foz do Iguaçu
Day 4-5
275 waterfalls thunder over a nearly three-kilometre cliff where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet. You'll stand on both sides: the sweeping Brazilian panorama and the Argentine walkways that lead right over the Devil's Throat. Each day with your private guide. He will pick you up at your Hotel and after the day-trips get you back there.
- Day 4
The Brazilian side, the grand panorama
The Brazilian trail is the postcard: a walkway along the gorge with the full sweep of the falls in view, ending on the platform where the spray of the Devil's Throat hangs in the air. Coatis and great dusky swifts keep you company; your guide knows when the light is best.
- Brazilian side
- Private guide
- Day 5
The Argentine side & on to Mato Grosso
With your guide you cross the border for the Argentine park, where walkways lead through the forest to the very lip of the Devil's Throat, the falls no longer in front of you but all around you. In the evening you fly on to Cuiabá, the gateway to Mato Grosso, where your driver is already waiting.
- Devil's Throat
- Evening flight
Flight Foz do Iguaçu → Cuiabá
03
3 nights Springs of the Pantanal
Day 6-8
North of Cuiabá, the little-visited Serra das Araras rises at the ecological crossroads of the Amazon, the Pantanal and the Brazilian highlands: one of the most biodiverse corners of the country. Three days take you snorkeling through crystal-clear spring rivers, to hidden waterfalls in primary forest, and into an officially recognized indigenous reserve on the Rio Paraguai.
- Day 6
Nobres, snorkeling the crystal rivers
After a night in Cuiabá, your guide picks you up for the two-hour drive to Nobres. Here you drift down spring-fed rivers so clear it feels like floating through an aquarium, shoals of fish beneath you in the gallery forest. At dusk, dozens of macaws return to their roosts over Lagoa das Araras: an unforgettable spectacle. Dinner and overnight at Pousada Reino Encantado.
- Snorkeling
- Lagoa das Araras
- Day 7
Deeper into the Serra das Araras
After breakfast the journey leads deeper into the mountains, with a regional lunch on the way. In the afternoon, a short hike through primary forest ends at a hidden waterfall. A paradisiacal spot for a swim in crystal-clear water, with a second cascade nearby if time allows. In the evening, a homemade dinner awaits at Pousada Curupira, in the heart of the Serra.
- Waterfall hike
- Primary forest
- Day 8
A day with the indigenous Umutina
The cultural highlight: a respectful visit to an officially recognized indigenous reserve on the Rio Paraguai, home of the Balatiponé-Umutina. You experience traditional dances and festival dress, hear the community's myths and stories, try your hand at archery or take a small boat out on the river, and share a traditional lunch of regional ingredients. Late afternoon return to Cuiabá and evening flight to Manaus.
- Indigenous culture
- Rio Paraguai
- Evening flight
Flight Cuiabá → Manaus
04
4 nights · Manaus + jungle lodge Manaus & the Amazon
Day 9-12
The grand finale. From Manaus you travel by boat and road to a comfortable lodge about 70 kilometres southeast of the city, deep in the rainforest on Lake Mamori: exclusive bungalows, daily excursions with an experienced guide, and the forest's soundtrack all night long. The Amazon at a relaxed pace, far from the urban bustle.
- Day 9
Meeting of the Waters & into the forest
Around 8 am your English-speaking guide collects you in Manaus. By speedboat you pass the Meeting of the Waters, where the dark Rio Negro and the sandy Rio Solimões flow side by side, with luck, river dolphins surface alongside. Via fruit market, minibus and the Araçá and Mamori rivers, past giant Vitória Régia water lilies, you reach the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon: your first motorized-canoe outing on Lake Mamori: capuchin monkeys, sloths, iguanas.
- Meeting of the Waters
- First canoe safari
- Day 10
Sunrise, jungle survival & caimans by night
At 5:30 the sunrise tour catches the Amazon's birdlife waking over the water. After breakfast, a guided jungle hike: survival techniques, medicinal plants, and what the forest offers to eat. After dark, the spotlight goes on: a night river expedition in search of the glowing eyes of caimans.
- Sunrise tour
- Night safari
- Day 11
Life on the river, communities & cassava
A morning with a family on the riverbank: the customs, cooking and everyday life of the river dwellers, plus a visit to a cassava and rubber plantation, the staples of Amazonian life. The afternoon is yours: canoe, swim, explore further with your guide, or simply enjoy the pool and a drink at the lodge bar as the forest sings.
- River community
- Free afternoon
- Day 12 · Finale
Farewell to the rainforest
A last morning walk to the sounds of the forest birds, a final breakfast full of Amazonian flavors, then, depending on your departure time, the return to Manaus in the morning or after lunch. Your transfer brings you to the airport for the journey home, or onward: Many guests extend their stay to spend a few more days relaxing on the beaches of Bahia or Rio. Rio is a particularly good option for avoiding the extra costs of an open-jaw flight. Just ask us.
- Return to Manaus
- Departure
Four biomes. Twelve days. One Brazil you'll never forget.
Tell us your dates. We'll tailor this route to your pace, add jaguar days in the Pantanal, or extend your stay with the Umutina.
Plan My TripIncluded in this journey
Expert guides at every stop
Private English- or German-speaking guides in Rio, Iguaçu and Mato Grosso, and experienced naturalist guides for every lodge excursion in the Amazon.
Every transfer, door to door
Airport pickup and drop-off at every destination, plus all overland and river transfers in between. You are met the moment you land.
Hand-picked accommodations
Boutique hotels in the cities, authentic pousadas in the Serra das Araras and a deluxe bungalow at the Amazon lodge on Lake Mamori.
Meals as itemized
Daily breakfast throughout, and full board during the Springs of the Pantanal days and at the Amazon lodge: including regional cuisine you'll want the recipes for.
All excursions & entrances
Both sides of the Iguaçu Falls, Tijuca, Corcovado and Sugarloaf, river snorkeling, the indigenous reserve visit and the full Amazon lodge program: as described, no surprises.
Seamless planning
We time and coordinate every domestic connection, booking and pickup so the whole route runs as one journey. You just travel.
Destinations on this journey
Frequently asked questions
I am travelling on my own. Does the trip still run, and what does it cost me? +
It runs. Everything we plan is private, so there is no minimum group size and no fixed departure date, which means a solo booking is never cancelled for lack of other travellers. What it costs you extra is the single-room supplement, and we itemise it in the proposal rather than hiding it in the total, so you can see exactly what travelling alone adds before you decide. One thing worth saying: a guide who reads the terrain is worth more to one traveller than to four, because the whole day bends to what you are trying to see.
How fit do I need to be for this journey? +
Comfortably active is enough. The hikes in Tijuca and the Serra das Araras are short and taken at your pace, the river snorkeling is a gentle drift with the current, and there is always the option to sit an activity out. If you can walk two to three easy hours, you'll enjoy every day.
When is the best time of year for this route? +
The route works year-round. The dry season from June to October brings the clearest spring water in Nobres and the easiest wildlife viewing; December to February means the fullest, most thunderous falls at Iguaçu and lush high-water landscapes in the Amazon. We'll advise you honestly for your dates.
Is the visit to the indigenous community respectful? +
Yes, this is central to us. The reserve is officially recognized, the visit happens at the community's invitation and on their terms, and the income supports their villages directly. If you'd like to go deeper, an overnight stay in the village or visits to remote Quilombola communities can be arranged.
Can we change or extend the route? +
Absolutely! every journey we plan is private and modular. Popular add-ons: jaguar tracking in the northern Pantanal (a natural fit after Cuiabá), extra nights at the Amazon lodge, or a beach finale in Rio or Bahia before you fly home.
What does this wildlife route cost? +
This route starts from US$4,000 per person for the twelve days on the ground, which puts it near the top of our general planning range of US$200 to US$400 per person per day rather than in the middle of it. The reason is the two regions themselves: the Pantanal and the Amazon are the most expensive places we sell, because of the boat days, the remote lodges and the fuel it takes to reach them. Domestic and international flights are not included. All four segments have published starting prices: four days in Rio from US$800, three at Iguaçu from US$800, five in the northern Pantanal from US$1,800 and four on the Amazon from US$950 per person, privately guided with accommodation and transfers. The written proposal states the exact total before anything is confirmed.
Who is this trip right for, and who is it not for? +
It is right for travellers who will get up at five for a better chance of an animal and who understand that a wild sighting is never a guarantee. Binoculars matter more than a swimsuit here. It is not right for anyone who needs air conditioning between activities, and not for travellers who want jaguars specifically but can only come in the wet season. The cats come to the riverbanks from roughly June to October, and outside that window we will say so rather than sell you the trip.
Bookable experiences on this route
Individually bookable, fixed-departure experiences in the regions this journey passes through.
Experience Rota das Emoções
The Route of Emotions, São Luís to Jericoacoara
View
Experience Crossing the Lençóis
Three days on foot across Brazil's white-sand sea
View
Experience Through the Heart of the Pantanal
An expedition cruise through the land of the jaguar
View
Experience Rhythms of the Western Pantanal
Jaguars and cowboys along the Rio Paraguai
View
Experience Springs of the Pantanal
Clear rivers, forest falls and living traditions
View
Experience Fazenda Days in the Southern Pantanal
Two outings a day, and the hours in between
ViewWhat travelling with us was actually like
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My wife and I have always been thrilled by Brazil, but we had never dared to organise the trip ourselves. Authentic Brazil Travel planned the whole journey for us, including some destinations we did not know. The trip was superbly organised, the guides were great, the accommodations lovely and the transfers punctual. Thanks to the wonderful guides and their tips we felt safe the entire time and got to discover a lot of new things. Gladly again!
A little Brazilian sunshine
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