Itinerary

Arrive in Rio de Janeiro, and your Tofino Expeditions guide will meet you at the airport. Transfer to our hotel located in Arpoador, the point separating the city’s two great beaches, Copacabana and Ipanema, the later made famous by the Bossa Nova hit song, “Girl from Ipanema.” After freshening up, we’ll head out on a walking tour of the beaches and surrounding neighborhoods. As the sun sets, we’ll enjoy our first chilled Caipirinha (Brazil’s national drink made from Cachaca, sugar cane rum, and fresh limes) and discuss trip details before heading out to a local restaurant for dinner.

Overnight: Hotel Sol Ipanema Beach

Meals: Dinner

We meet our local guide, an art history professor, avid paddler, and lifelong Carioca (resident of Rio). She’ll show us some of the best Rio has to offer, starting with an assent of Corcovado Mountain, going to the iconic Cristo Redentor statue, and the panoramic views of this sprawling metropolis from the summit. Before lunch, we’ll tour the winding streets of the Bohemian hillside neighborhood of Santa Teresa. After dining in one of the district’s best restaurants, we’ll venture into Tijuca National Park for a walk in this remarkable 32 km² urban forest, which is home to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife, many threatened by extinction. Dinner this evening is a classic Churrascaria - Brazilian barbeque at a famous restaurant in Ipanema.

Overnight: Hotel Sol Ipanema Beach

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After breakfast we board an air conditioned minibus for the three and a half hour drive from Rio to Paraty. The road meanders down the lush green coastline and offers views of the sea as well as glimpses of rural life in this part of Brazil. Arriving in Paraty we check into a boutique hotel in the old town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Located at the end of the Caminho do Ouro (Gold Road) that linked the coast with the mineral wealth of the interior Paraty has an unrivaled range of preserved and restored 18th and 19th century architecture. After settling in we’ll do a walking tour of the old town with a local guide to learn more about Paraty’s unique place in the history of the “New World”. Dinner tonight is at “locals” restaurant in the old town.

Overnight: Pousada Pardieiro

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Once the luggage is loaded onto our support boat, a short drive takes us to our launch beach. After an orientation and safety demo, we start our Brazil sea kayaking trip on the warm waters of Bahia Paraty. We’ll enjoy views of the town’s white colonial facades set against a backdrop of green mountains lit by the morning sun. We cruise the coastline, pausing to survey the view from an old fort and to swim at some of the numerous sandy beaches before entering the natural splendor of Saco de Mamanguá, Brazil’s tropical fjord. Tonight, we stay at an ecolodge set on the edge of the fjord offering views of Mamangua’s Sugarloaf Peak.

Overnight: Mamanguá Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Today, we continue to explore the Mamangua by paddling to the beach at its head and then into an ecologically rich mangrove forest there. Returning back along the opposite shore, we stop for lunch at a small village located at the base of the Sugarloaf and visit the workshop of a local canoe builder. The later part of the day affords time to relax in a hammock and contemplate the view. After dark, the walls of the Fjord frame a night sky sparkling with the stars of the southern hemisphere. (B, L, D)

Overnight: Mamanguá Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Kayaking out of the mouth of Saco de Mamangua, we pass Ilha Zeze and head south into the Bahia Cajaiba, defined on the south by Ponta da Joatinga. The waters here are less protected by Ilha Grande, so a light swell spices up the paddling. Our destination is the picturesque fishing village of Pouso da Cajaiba. Once there, our nicely appointed beachfront guest house puts us in the heart of village life and furnishes us with meals of the freshest seafood imaginable.

Overnight: Pouso da Cajaiba Guest House

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Today’s paddle is to Praia Grande, literally Big Beach, a picture-perfect arch of sand – the sort of place that dreams are made of. We’ll relax, swim, and snorkel before hiking a short way inland for a dip in a tropical pool at the base of a jungle waterfall.

Overnight: Pouso da Cajaiba Guest House

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

This morning, we use our support boat to leapfrog back along our route to explore Parati Mirim, a lake-like bay of islands and part of the Caicuru Ecological Reserve. The route back to Paraty takes us past an island inhabited by rare golden lion tamarins, a small monkey native to the Atlantic Rainforest. It is extremely endangered, with a wild population thought to number less than 1500 individuals. For our final evening in Paraty, we have a special invitation to dine with a local chef at her elegantly restored colonial home in Paraty. The evening is a lively and memorable blend of cuisine and culture as she relates the unique history of Brazil to each of the evening’s dishes.

Overnight: Pousada Pardieiro

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

We have a relaxed morning Paraty to stroll the waterfront or browse some of the many shops. After packing up before noon, we’ll board our minibus, say goodbye to Paraty, and return to Rio. After arriving at our hotel in the mid to late afternoon, there will be time to relax and freshen up before heading out for an evening in the city.

Overnight: Hotel Sol Ipanema Beach

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Flights out are typically in the evening, so we will arrange for luggage to be stored at the hotel after check out, and the day is free for last-minute shopping or relaxing on the beach until the late afternoon when transport to the airport will depart.

Overnight: N/A

Meals: Breakfast