Welcome to Brazil! Upon arrival at the Cuiabá International Airport, you will be greeted at the airport by your driver and transferred to the Pantanal lowlands via the Transpantaneira highway. The transfer from Cuiabá to Pousada Rio Claro is 142 km, along 100km of paved highway plus 42km of dirt road. Along the way there will be stops to take photos, admire the views and, hopefully, see some animals!(This service is on a private basis.)

After arriving at the Pousada, you will be welcomed with a glass of fresh fruit juice and then be shown around. Later, you will have a chance to fish for piranhas from the lodge deck.

North Pantanal

The Pantanal is the world’s largest continental wetland. The area covers approximately a vast 210,000 km2, which is divided into north and south over territories of Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil. Most of this flat land lies in Brazil. The North Pantanal is a privileged region, concentrating a massive variety of landscapes that make up its ecosystem. The natural beauty and the rich biodiversity of this part of the Pantanal provides a unique, but incredible setting. It's scenery offers picturesque views formed by the hills, savannas, rivers, corixos, and huge flooded areas, some temporary and others permanent.

Pousada Rio Claro Activities

Throughout your stay at Pousada Rio Claro, you will have the opportunity to take part in various activities within the Pantanal region. Make the most of your days immersing in nature and embracing the adventure. The resident wildlife and the unique characteristics of the landscapes are the perfect platforms for exploration. From sunrise, until after dark, you will have the chance to truly understand and make contact with the nature around you.

For your time at Pousada Rio Claro you will enjoy observing the Pantanal’s flora & fauna, horseback rides through the grazing fields, woods, and food lands, as well as boat rides to view the exotic wildlife. You begin your days early in the morning to late evening, participating in various activities that will place you in real contact with nature, making the most of this adventure. Among them you will enjoy a jeep photo safari on the Transpantaneira, go watching the caimans, canoe down the river and ride horses, the region’s typical transportation, to see the spectacular sunset of the Pantanal. When night has fallen, you will go out on a 4WD to observe animals with a long-range focus. That's the best time to watch them as they go out to search for food.(This service is on a group basis.)

*One private horseback riding excursion has been included with your stay (David & Bonnie only).

Following a delicious breakfast and relaxing morning at the lodge, it will be time to say goodbye to the North Pantanal and make your way back to Cuiabá. You will be taken in a private vehicle with a driver and English speaking guide along the Transpantaneira highway to your hotel in Cuiabá. The drive is approximately 2.5 hours.

Early this morning you will be transfer from your hotel in Cuiabá to the Cuiabá Airport. Upon arrival in Salvador, you will be met by your English speaking guide, who will take you to your hotel.

Salvador

Salvador is the cradle of the Afro-Brazilian culture and offers travelers many popular amusements, through its cuisine, music, enchantment and cheerfulness. The evident mixture of Portuguese, African and indigenous influences translate into a unique cultural fusion. You are invited to experience this for yourself through gastronomy, festivals, religions and the Salvadorian way of life. The city's historic past left behind a priceless legacy of 17th and 18th century buildings in Pelourinho, the historic downtown area of Salvador, which was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's easy to lose yourself among the cobbled alleyways and colonial buildings of this vibrant neighborhood.

Pelourinho & Percussion Full Day Tour

Today you will visit one of the main attractions of Salvador’s historic downtown: the famous Pelourinho, which is the largest collection of colonial building in Latin America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will walk (and drive, if necessary) the streets with their colonial neighborhood cobbled sidewalks surrounded by houses in pastel colors. Then you will visit the exuberant São Francisco Church, the Cathedral, where you will see the imposing baroque tropical progression with its first trends of the Rococo refinement. You continue to the Praça Municipal where we will be above the Cidade Baixa, with wonderful views of the Baía de Todos los Santos. Lunch on your own account.

This afternoon is full of fun self expression! Bahia is the percussive heart of Brazil, its rhythmic soul is African, with a dizzying myriad of rhythms that has attracted many international musicians to its shores. You leave towards the studio where you will be under the professional guidance of a local percussion expert to learn and put into context various aspects of the percussive jungle that is Bahia, focusing on the most important and accessible rhythms in a workshop that is instructive, interactive, interesting and fun. This is a great option for families where participants who feel comfortable may handle various instruments. (This service is on a private basis.)

Full Day Cachoeira Cultural Tour

Today you leave the city behind to explore the agricultural hinterland on the western side of the Baía de Todos os Santos. This is the land of sugarcane plantations, peaceful colonial towns and their markets. You go north out of the city and then west, stopping in the bustling country market town of Santo Amaro. You will continue going west through some hills to Cachoeira. After lunch, you will make a walking tour of the city. We cross the west bank of the river and visit the Cultural Center Danemann where we can also see the preparation of world-class cigars. A journey through time back to the Brazil of the past. (This service is on a private basis.)

Panoramic City Tour & Salvador by Night

Today's tour offers you another perspective of the city`s expansion, taking us to the quiet waters of Itapagipe Peninsula, where life moves at a slower pace than the bustling Cidade Alta (upper city). You will see fishermen in their canoes “escavadas”, locals collecting shellfish at low tide, anchored schooners, all protected by the famous Bonfim Church, one of the most important churches of pilgrimage in Brazil and deeply related to Candomblé. You will continue in the Monserrat district with its panoramic view of the city and the Mercado Modelo, a thriving market for local artifacts and souvenirs. This is also where you can test your trading skills!

In the evening, you depart for the Miguel Santana Theatre to watch the presentation of the Companhia de Balé Folclórico da Bahia. The company performs in the intimacy of Miguel Santana Theatre in the Pelourinho in a seamless presentation of the multiple African traditions that shape Bahian culture. You will see the sacred dances of Candomblé; “puxada de rede” a song by fishermen in honor of Yemanja, the goddess of the sea; maculelê, a stick and sword dance acrobatics with its origins in the cane fields; capoeira, a martial art / dance of Angolan origin and the samba de roda, a spinning, a version of this exuberant national dance. At the end of the show, time for dinner and return to your hotel. (This service is on a private basis.)

Although your adventure must come to an end today, you will be leaving with new friends, amazing experiences and memories to cherish for the rest of your life. Once you have checked out of your lodge, you will be met by your driver and transferred to the airport in good time to board your international departure flight via Sao Paulo.

We wish you safe and happy travels home! (This service is on a private basis.)