Rio, Rainforests and Rivers An fantastic holiday for solo travellers who wish to travel with others like them and in relative comfort, this trip has a wildlife theme but you'll also discover the culture and diversity of the different people in Brazil, see the sights and sounds of Rio and swim in crystal-clear water. You will also be escorted throughout by an award-winning travel photographer so if you are that way inclined, he will give you tips on making the most of your digital camera (strictly optional!). No Single Supplement. You get your own room throughout. You'll kick your trip off in lively Rio de Janeiro. A day to recover from the journey then you'll hit the town and have a meal in one of the city's fun restaurants. Sightseeing includes the main sites such as the Christ statue but you'll also explore the Atlantic rainforest to see both some of the smallest and largest monkeys in the world. Then you'll leave for the Southern Pantanal of which you're exploring two parts. The Pantanal is literally a high plane and is half the size of France. As it's flooded out half the year, the other it's packed full of animals and you can see them in a way that isn't possible in the thick jungle of the Amazon (added bonus it's not usually advised to take antimalarials to visit the Pantanal, unlike the Amazon). You'll explore the area by foot and jeeps as well as on boats (just day trips, you'll be sleeping in comfortable lodges throughout). You'll see animals from bright colourful macaws to giant anteaters and most elusive of all the jaguar, the Pantanal is home to more than any elsewhere. The last few days of your trip will be in and around Bonito, famed throughout Brazil for its caves and grottos and is crystal clear freshwater snorkelling. The waterfalls are simply amazing. You'll learn some skills from the real experts too, how to call a jaguar? How to tie a lasso like a cowboy? All in a day's work for some of our friends including indigenous people who will show you their traditional customs..including how to call a jaguar with a drum. Other highlights are how to tie a lasso like a cowboy. You'll even learn how to whip up a dish of manioc (tapioca), you'd be amazed at how many ways there are. How hands on you get with these activities is strictly up to you. Sunday Day 1: Meet your tour escort and the group at approx 6pm at London Heathrow for a flight around 9:30 pm with TAM Airlines to Rio de Janeiro international airport. Day 2: You'll arrive in Rio de Janeiro where your driver will meet you and drive you to a boutique hotel set in the hills of Rio. You will have day to recover from the flight and enjoy the pool in the tranquillity of the hills, although those that want to have the option of visiting one of Rio's famous bustling beaches. In the evening, you're hitting the town, you'll have a welcome dinner in one of Rio's lively restaurants. Day 3: The sights of Rio, Sugar Loaf mountain, the Christ statue and the famous botanical gardens, home to flora from the Amazon and monkeys and sloths. Evening out in the bohemian area of Santa Teresa. Day 4: From one of the smallest monkeys in the world to the large woolly spider monkeys, hopefully you'll spot both in nature reserve set in the Atlantic coastal rainforest which you're visiting today. Day 5: Time to move on. You will be driven to the airport then fly to Campo Grande in the Pantanal. Here the group will be met and driven to a lodge set on a vast working ranch. Settle in and have a swim in the pool. Welcome dinner with the owners. The food is certainly delicious, they have a wood-fired stove and the homemade puddings and desserts are to die for. Day 6: A tour of the ranch highlights include learning how to make a lasso before a walk through the savannahs where you may see Giant Anteaters and rheas (South American ostriches). It is also possible to go horseriding through the area for those that want to, we can split the group. In the evening, you'll have a night safari to look for nocturnal animals like kinkajous honey bears, and olingos another type of procyonids. Day 7: More skills today, you're spending the day with the Kadiweu people and learn how to prepare and cook with manioc (tapioca - not just boring puddings!) and learn about their crafts and traditional customs like singing. A highlight will certainly be learning how to call a jaguar with a drum. Better do it properly if you want them to turn up..perhaps you don't.. Day 8: Today, you'll be packed up and on a boat, hard to miss the 2 metre long giant otters along the Rio Salobra, but keep your eyes peeled for jaguars along the upper reaches of the river. Plenty of other wildlife though. You'll reach your next lodge at the end of the day. Welcome dinner. Day 9: Enjoy the pool this morning (although you are welcome to go off for a walk if you prefer). A homecooked lunch then in the afternoon it's off in jeeps to look for armadillos, ocelots and the world's largest parrots, metre-long hyacinth macaws. After dinner, you'll have a night safari. Watch out for those caiman eyes.. Day 10: Today you're heading out on the huge lake, best to stay on the boat, you never know when there may be jaguars around! You'll certainly see the eagles soaring overhead big groups of capybara a sort of giant guinea pig. If you fancy catching your own, you can do a bit of fishing..piranha! Tonight, you'll have a traditional wood-fired barbecue back at the ranch. Day 11: Time to head off but you'll have time to pack at leisure. Then it's time for a drive to Bonito, it's still in the Pantanal but lower down. It is famed for its caves and grottos and waterfalls and crystal clear freshwater snorkelling. You'll check into your centrally-located hotel. In the early evening, you'll go for a stroll around the small town, there's always something going on. Day 12: Guided birdwatching and a forest walk in the Buraco das Araras. It is a huge sink hole in the forest, home to hundreds of species including Aracaris (tiny toucans) and the big brightly-coloured Red and Green Macaws. After stopping for lunch, you'll spend the afternoon relaxing. Lie on the rocks or snorkel in a warm, glassy clear stream filled with thousands of tropical fish. It's easy snorkelling and amongst the best freshwater snorkelling in the world. Day 13: Day at leisure for those who want to laze by the pool or explore Bonito at your leisure to buy some local handicrafts and other souvenirs. At the end of the day, you'll be driven to Campo Grande airport to take a short flight to Sao Paulo. You'll have an official connection to your late night direct flight to London Heathrow. Day 14: Arrival at London Heathrow at approximately 4pm on Saturday. This special trip for solo travellers costs £3,500 per person. No Single Supplement. The tour price includes a dedicated tour escort from the UK, international and internal flights from the UK with TAM airlines, all accommodation (in your own room throughout), most meals, activities/excursions with guides and all transport. Departures Sunday 2nd September to Saturday 15th September 2012
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