mali22

I am planning a vacation for my family (5 adults) during the first week of September, for about 11 days total. We are interested in seeing Rio, Iguazu Falls, and some part of the Amazon - Manaus? We are all nature lovers. What is the best way to allocate the days and arrange the itinerary and sights? Thanks!

qwovadis

www.brazilforless.com has good custom packages

probably would do Rio mostly 2-3 days Manaus

2-3 days Iguazu...have fun,

mali22

Thanks. Is it recommendable to go with a package tour or to plan out and travel on our own?

Marija

I don't see any reason to go on an organized tour. We're leaving next month for a week in Rio (meetings), 4 days at Anavilhanas Lodge which is four hours out of Manaus,
http://www.anavilhanaslodge.com and then 5 days at Embiara lodge in the Pantanal, http://www.embiara.com. We didn't buy an airpass since we could get domestic flights cheaper by buying them individually. Open door tours arranged both the air and accomodations for us and were a delight to work with http://www.opendoortur.com.br/braziltours.asp

I was going to book the pieces myself but their rate was actually better than what I could do by booking at the lodges myself and it is nice to have someone who is actually on the ground there do the bookings in case there are any issues. Of course we haven't gone yet so I can't tell you how well it worked! Have a great trip.

mali22

Thanks! Any recommendations on what airlines to use for the domestic flights?

christabir

Have you considered the Panatanal instead of the Amazon? I am planning a similar trip but chose the Pantanal due to the mammal and bird sightings. I agree with Marija - open door tur has been great. They will suggest a Brizil Pass. I think it's with TAM.

Marija

We're booked on GOL and TAM. Individual tickets were cheaper than the TAM pass which now counts every plane change as a coupon. For example, if you want to go from Rio to Manaus the TAM pass requires two coupons, one from Rio to Sao Paulo and one from Sao Paulo to Manaus. Open door did all of the air bookings for us.

cgromann

In Rio the best area to stay is in the South Zone (zonal sul in portuguese), mainly in Copacabana, Ipanema or Leblon. This will get you close to the most famous beaches, restaurants and shopping areas.

For nature inside town you should visit Tijuca's Forest (Floresta da Tijuca) plus other beaches that are a little distant from the city center like Joatinga, Reserva, Prainha or Grumari.

You could do hiking/trecking to several mountains inside the city like Pedra da Gavea, Pedra Bonita, Pico da Tijuca, or visit a couple of water falls but for that I would recommend hiring an experienced guide.

If you have a couple of extra days, a nice weekend side trip from Rio is Ilha Grande (Big Island). 100% nature, beaches and waterfalls. Other nice side trips could be Buzios and Paraty + Trindade, all on the coast.

cgromann

About the airlines, TAM and Gol (www.voegol.com.br) are the main ones. I think www.oceanair.com.br also flies to Manaus.

enjoy your trip!!

Carrabella

We (Aussie couple, in our 60s) visited Rio, the Amazon and Iguacu in April, and enjoyed it all. Stayed three nights at the quirky, all inclusive Ariau Towers, expensive, but fun, and we loved the Opera House in Manaus.You need one extra night for this, and to see the Meeting of the Waters and the giant Victoria Regens lillies. Iguacu Falls (four nights) are only a tenth of their former glory due to drought, but even so, we enjoyed our time in Foz do Iguacu, managing to get around by ourselves on public buses, meeting the locals on the way, with two trips to the Brazilian side and the Bird Park, and one to the Argentinian side and an adventurous day trip to Ciudad del Este in Paraguay.

That said, when we spoke to others we met on the way, I rather wish we had included the Pantanal instead of Iguacu. It's a long long way from anywhere, at least a four hour drive when you get there, but animal and bird sightings in the wild are said to be second to none. Probably an organised tour here would be a good idea.Internally, we travelled TAM, wonderful airline, especially compared with United. We bought our ticket in conjunction with flights from Australia,via USA.

We stayed in Rio at the beginning and at the end, once in Leme and once further along Copacobana. Both were fine. Don't forget the great Bondio (Tram) trip up to St Therese, both for the excitement of the Disney-like ride, and the fabulous view along the way. You'll enjoy wherever you are - it's a wonderful city. We also used public tramsport to get to Corcovado and Sugarloaf. No problems except overcrowding coming back from the latter after watching the sunset there. Take a bus there, get a taxi back, I suggest, if you want to do this. The Botanic Gardens are lovely too.

atravelynn

"We are all nature lovers." Then please give the Pantanal a look. I just returned from my second trip there and it is fantastic with wildlife much more visible than in the Amazon.

mali22

Thanks, all! Will definitely look at Pantanal.

mali22

What are the main differences between Pantanal and Manaus? What would I see given 2-3 days in each place? We are not big into bird watching but love other animals. We also thought seeing the Amazon rainforests would be very interesting.

christabir

Mali-

I am "a bit" one-sided on this. I'm just in the planning stages of my trip but I want to financially support the farmers who are trying to change to or coexist with tourism to keep the Pantanal jaguars and other wildlife from going the way of the dodo. Many more birds in both Amazon and Pantanal than mammals. I felt that way about birds too until we went to Pafuri in the northern part of Kruger NP (S Africa) and Mashatu in Botswana. Both places really opened my eyes to the birds. There is a jaguar refuge at one of the lodges, but you'd have to look into it.

In the Pantanal you can go out in a boat, on a horse or in a truck to explore. Sounds like the Amazon is really boat only and the forest is so thick there is not much to see. The Pantanal is like the Okavango Delta in Botswana - a river empties out not into the ocean but spreads out in the Pantanal to create a huge swamp. It's only practical to go in May - October. I am using opendoortur.com. They answer my e-mails quickly and completely, and prices seem fair. Very informative website, too.

We were going to do a boat trip on the Amazon. We considered the Amazon Clipper and the Iberostar. We did not consider a lodge stay. I wanted to see the market in Manaus - it is a replica of the now destroyed Les Halles in Paris.

sari80

We went to Brazil last year and did the same itinerary. We went with 3 nights Rio, 2 nights Iguazu, 1 night Manaus and 3 nights at an Amazon lodge. Although we enjoyed our time in the Amazon, I really wish we had gone to the Pantanal, especially after I read atravelynn's excellent trip report. My research before our trip had indicated that we would not see much wildlife in the Amazon and that did end up to be true. We had decided not to include the Pantanal due to the additional cost and time involved in reaching the more remote location. I guess we live and learn! I really do recommend that you read atravelynn's trip report here on the Fodor's website. If you love nature, you will be ready to pack your bags for the Pantanal.

Sara