Itinerary:

Day 1 : Arrive in Rio de Janeiro
Welcome to Rio de Janeiro. You are transferred to your hotel for check in. Depending on your time of arrival start sightseeing or rest of the day at your own leisure.
Overnight at Santa Teresa Hotel or on Copacabana or Ipanema beach neighborhoods.

Day 2 : Rio de Janeiro
After breakfast in your hotel begin Historical Rio tour, starting with a short drive through downtown Rio de Janeiro, passing by the Sambodrome and the Metropolitan, the traditional Cinelândia Square with its historical buildings, the Municipal Theatre, the National Library and the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Next proceed to catch the cog railway train to Corcovado, the peak of 2400 feet above sea level crowned by the majestic statue of Christ standing 120 feet high. The Redeemer’s outstretched arms welcome you to a breathtaking panorama of Rio and the Guanabara Bay. From Corcovado proceed to the artsy and hip Santa Teresa neighborhood where you will visit the Chacara do Ceu Museum, perhaps the best small museum in Brazil.
Overnight in Rio (B)

Day 3 : Rio de Janeiro / Petropolis, the Imperial city
Full day visit to Petrópolis including lunch at Chalé Manaká. The city of Petrópolis became the summer retreat of the Portuguese imperial family. Today a fine mountain resort town, Petrópolis is reached after a 90-minute drive from Rio, passing through the Atlantic forest and allowing for grand sweeping vistas of the coastal state of Rio de Janeiro.

After visiting the Cathedral and other historic sites dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries the tour will stop for lunch at Chale Manaka restaurant. This restaurant is a private residence, a historical building constructed in baroque style. You will be received by the owners of the house and enjoy buffet lunch of Brazilian regional food. After lunch, continue to the Imperial Museum displaying the crown jewels as well as
antiques and documents from Emperor Pedro II period. Overnight at Petropolis (B, L).

Day 4 : Petropolis / Sao Joao del Rei
Located in the south of Minas Gerais at the beginning of the "Espinhaço" Mountain Range, one of the oldest geological formations of Brazil, São João Del Rei evolved from a mining village to an important commercial town in the Campo das Vertentes region of today. The city’s historical center contains number of significant baroque churches and colonial buildings. It is also here that is found the historical railway station built in 1881 that connects Sao Joao del Rei to nearby Tiradentes. To stroll down São João Del Rei’s streets is a glance at the history of Minas Gerais and Brazil. The Minas Gerais Inconfidência (Conspiracy) leaders, who fought against abusive tax collection by Portuguese authorities, used to meet in the city. The buildings dating to this period, including the bank, the hospital, the library, the theater along along with the cemetery are part of the rich history of this region.  If arriving on Friday, Saturday or Sunday take a scenic train to Tiradentes, the Maria Fumaça ("Smoke Mary") steam train.

Overnight in Sao Joa del Rei, at Solar da Ponte or Pequena Tiradentes (B)

Day 5 : Tiradentes

Tiradentes is a charming small town, known for its cobblestone streets, priceless churches, arts and craft shops and fine dining. With a number of magnificent baroque churches that dominate the skyline and peaceful atmosphere, Tiradentes can easily lure one wanting to stay much longer than planned. Enjoy leisurely walks through the old streets of Tiradentes or do some shopping.

Overnight in Tiradentes.

Day 6 : Tiradentes / Congonhas / Ouro Preto
Continuing along the Royal Road we make a stop at Congonhas to visit the pilgrimage Church of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, built in 1757. An important monument from the Golden Age of Brazil, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO already in 1985, the main points of interest are Aleijadinho´s sculptural masterpieces of the Twelve Prophets and the Via Crucies (Calvary or Stations of the Cross). The set of life-sized sculptures is one of Brazil's greatest artistic treasures. After an ample time spent admiring the sculptures and the church proceed another couple hours to Ouro Preto, the most picturesque and remarkable of all the Minas  Gerais historical towns from the Golden Age era.

Overnight at Pousada do Mondego or Solar do Rosario in Ouro Preto (B)

Day 7 : Ouro Preto

Today is devoted to a full day tour of Ouro Preto. The highlights of the tour are the Church of St. Francis of Assissi, a masterpiece of Brazilian baroque architecture, designed and sculpted in wood and soapstone by Aleijadinho; Museum of the School of Mines; the Church of Our Lady of Pilar, representing the peak of Golden Age baroque architecture, with carved relief painted entirely in gold. Tour includes lunch of a typical Mineira dishes of the regions, namely Feijão Tropeiro and Tutu à Mineira (two different dishes of specially prepared beans). Overnight at Nossa Senhora do Rosário or Pousada do Mondego (B, L)

Day 8: Ouro Preto / Mariana / Belo Horizonte
Today we head to a small town of Mariana only half an hour from Ouro Preto and another depository of priceless baroque and colonial architecture. Also explore an old flooded gold mine. After lunch, transfer to Belo Horizonte and check into your hotel, then take a tour of the Pampulha district, famous for the opportunity to admire the creations of three world renowned designers and artists: Oscar Niemeyer, Burle Marx and Candido Portinari. It is here that stands Oscar Niemeyer's first public buildings, where Roberto Burle Marx designed his integrated gardens and Candido Portinari painted the interior of the Saint Francis of Assisi church. Besides these works the Pampulha area also houses the Art Museum, Yacht Club, Mineirão Soccer Stadium and the Minas Gerais University Campus. Tour also include a visit to Palace of the Arts and Culture and Edificio Niemeyer, a luxury apartment building designed by Oscar Niemeyer.
Overnight at Belo Horizonte (B)

Day 9: Belo Horizonte / Diamantina
A scenic road through fascinating mountain formations will take us to Diamantina, the historical town where diamonds were mined in quantities unrivaled until modern era of the minerals extraction in South Africa. On the way to Diamantina we'll stop and enjoy the scenery as well as visit fine waterfalls.

Overnight in Diamantina.

Day 10: Diamantina
Today you will have a full day to explore Diamantina. You will learn about the aspects of the diamond mining and its history in this picturesque town. You will also have a chance to admire local arts and crafts, from rug weaving to ceramics, and enjoy walking around Diamantina's peaceful cobbled streets and lanes and have dinner at one of its fine restaurants. As the northern outpost of the Royal Road of Minas towns Diamantina sports its share of fine baroque churches, one of Oscar Niemeyer's modern hotels, similar in style to that in Ouro Preto, and a wonderful scenery of mountain ranges surrounding the town. You will also visit the Juscelino Kubitschek's house of his childhood as that is where the visionary of Brasilia and perhaps Brazil's most admired presidents was born and grew up.

Day 11: Diamantina / Belo Horizonte
After breakfast return to Belo Horizonte and board a flight to Brasilia, the 1950s Oscar Niemeyer's and Lucio Costa's masterpiece of modernist architecture and urban design, and an UNESCO listed town. Upon arrival transfer to hotel and spend rest of the day at your own leisure.

Overnight in Brasilia.

Day 12: Brasilia

In the morning commence Brasilia City Tour. Hailed as marvel of futuristic urban planning and architecture Brasilia’s urban design contains two major axis, to where the city layout when viewed from an airplane resembles a body of a bird in flight. Clearly separating business from residential areas, Brasilia is known for masterpieces of Niemeyer's architecture. Tour will visit namely the landmarks of the southern zone, including the National Theater, the Cathedral, Itamaraty Palace, the Square of the Three Powers (Praça dos Três Poderes) surrounded by the Presidential Palace, Supreme Court and the National Congress complex, as well as other sites such as the TV Tower, the Juscelino Kubitschek  Memorial, Embassy Row and more. In the 1950's Brasilia was simply an experimental site for the town designers and today the city is one of the best in Brazil when it comes to infrastructure. On the other hand with growing population and extensive network of slum satellite cities that mushroomed around Brasilia and wide boulevards and avenues often ravaged by wind-swirled trash and the homeless, the architectural dream has somehow lost its old charm, though to Brazilians, as Washington DC to the Americans, the city lures visitors to admire its monumental edifices and symbols of Brazilian democracy. Despite its problems associated with poverty in surrounding slums converging upon the monumental core, Brasilia is worth a visit if for no other reason than that it stands en route to our next destination.

**Optional tour: add two nights in Pirenopolis, a pleasant and scenic small colonial town west of Brasilia in the State of Goias,  surrounded by stunning landscape of waterfalls and gently rolling hills. Pirenopolis is also an ideal stop if you will want to add an extension to visit the Pantanal Wetlands in Mato Grosso, Brazil’s amazing wetlands and another UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.

Day 13: Brasilia / Sao Luis

Fly to Sao Luis in the far north, the capital of Maranhao.

The only city in Brazil founded actually by the French, and a fascinating treasure house of countless jewels of colonial architecture. While only relatively small part of the city has been restored, Sao Luis and its across the bay neighbor of Alcantara should not be missed if you're eager to explore the cultural riches of Brazil. Tour the historical center with its enchanting buildings famous for the flaunting decorative tiles on their external walls.

Overnight in Sao Luis.

Day 14: Day trip to Alcantara

Located across the bay from Sao Luis, some 90 minutes by boat, is found a relic town of the once rich merchants that profited from the slave labor in the region. Following the abolition of slavery, the town was abandoned and its mansions fell in decay and disrepair, retaining only handful of the free slaves to stay behind in the after mass of the glory. Once magnificent mansions and splendid churches can be toured in this part ghost town, while stunning vistas of the open sea below the equator are everywhere, a wonderful day trip.

Overnight in Sao Luis.

**Optional tour: add three nights minimum to visit the

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, the Brazilian slice of Sahara Desert, an incredible scenario of an ocean on one side and seemingly endless horizon of tall white sand dunes that harbor hundreds of sparkling blue lakes formed during rains, looking especially surreal when viewed from the air (sightseeing flights available).
 

Day 15: Sao Luis / Salvador

Fly to Salvador, where Brazil was born and her early history remains, both in colonial monuments and African folklore, a cornerstone of Brazilian culture. Arrival and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight at Convento do Carmo or Casa do Amarelindo (B, L)

Day 16 : Salvador
Tour of Salvador treasures from the colonial-era Pelourinho (Whipping Post) square to the grandiose baroque Sao Francisco Church, to the chick neighborhood of Santo Antonio. In the evening be taken to the Miguel Santana Theatre for a folkloric show presenting the key manifestations of the African-
Bahian culture. For more see Essential Brazil tour or Best of Brazil tour.

Overnight in Salvador.

Day 17 : Salvador - Cachoeira
Today take a full day tour to Cachoeira, a colonial town only some 60 miles from Salvador. Situated in the Recôncavo Baiano area, by the Paraguaçu river, Cachoeira was built in the mid 17th and 18th centuries at the peak of the sugarcane cultivation and trade boom. Cachoeira has fine examples of baroque residences with Portuguese tile covered façades and wrought iron grilled balconies of intricate beauty. Cachoeira also contains the cultural heritage of andomblé (voodoo), brought to Brazil by African slaves. On Saturdays visit a typical market fair in town, and en route back to Salvador pass through sugarcane, cassava root, tobacco and cocoa plantations.

Overnight in Salvador.
 

Day 18 : Salvador / Rio de Janeiro / Paraty
Fly to Rio de Janeiro. Upon arrival transfer by road along the very scenic Gold Coast of the State of Rio de Janeiro to the historical colonial town of Paraty, an UNESCO heritage site. Located some180 miles south of Rio, mere three and half hours by road, Paraty is the gem of Portuguese colonial grid town design and marvelous architecture. Aside the cobblestone streets, pleasant atmosphere, fashionable pousadas and fine restaurants, Paraty is surrounded by some of the most outstanding beaches and hundreds of pristine islands on one side and dense coastal jungles on the other, a paradise of nature and relaxed way of life.

Overnight at Pousada do Sandi, Pousada da Marquesa or similar (B)

Day 19 : Paraty
Tour through the historical center of Paraty, learn about its history, the pirates that used to attack it when through its port passed countless loads of gold en route to Portugal. In the afternoon visit the Pontal Beach, the fort that guarded the entrance to the port, the Forte Defensor Perpetuo, from which you can enjoy a beautiful view of the city and of the Bay of Paraty. Later continue to Jabaquara Beach (about twenty minute walk) for a swim.

Overnight in Paraty (B)

Day 20 : Paraty

Full day at the beach at a remote village of Trinidade surrounded by some of Paraty's most stunning nature, a coastline of meandering peaceful coves and pristine islands dotting the horizon.

Overnight in Paraty.

Day 21 : Paraty / Rio /departure

Enjoy morning at your own leisure. Early afternoon transfer to the Rio de Janeiro International Airport for a flight to your next destination.

Add the Best of Argentina Tour to your Brazil itinerary - tour Buenos Aires, El Calafate, El Chaltén and Ushuaia! Tango, marvel at glaciers, hike Fitz Roy National Park and sail the Beagle Channel!