• Day 1 - 4 The first few days of this tour will be spent in Rio to sample the hedonistic delights of Carnival. The party goes on around the clock for 5 days, with local carnivals in the streets and the main extravaganza at the Sambadrome, where the top samba schools compete to be champion. There are also the white sandy Copacabana and Ipanema beaches to relax on or a visit to Sugarloaf Mountain by cablecar to consider, and of course the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer towers over Rio giving the best vantagepoint to see the whole city beneath.
• Day 5 - 12 We head north from Rio, climbing steeply away from the coast, to Ouro Preto ,a beautifully preserved colonial town with cobbled streets and many baroque churches. This was the Capital of the 18th century gold mining boom and still is an important centre for gemstones. There is a mining school and museum to visit and many examples of the work of Brazil's most famous sculptor, Aleijadinho, adorn the facades of the churches.
  Descending to the coast again at Vitoria, we start to amble up the coastline visiting the beaches and port towns of Porto Seguro, llheus, and Itacare. The latter is a centre for water-based adventure sports such as rafting and canoeing.
• Day 13 - 15 Located on the mouth of the Bay of Todos os Santos, Salvador is in a magnificent setting with pristine sandy beaches stretching north and south. Founded in 1549, this was Portugal's first permanent foothold in Brazil and heavily influenced by African culture in its music, religion, dance and cuisine because of imported slaves from other Portuguese colonies. Here you can observe a performance of the graceful Capoeira, a cross between martial arts and dancing or you can go to a Candomble ceremony, which is a popular local religious cult. The nightlife is vibrant with samba bands roaming the cobbled streets and after a few Caipirinhas, Brazils national drink, you might like to join them.
• Day 16 - 21 The next few days are spent exploring Chapada Diamantina National Park from the small colonial town of Lencois. The area is a spectacular region of mountains, waterfalls, grottos and streams where you can hike to remote caves and swim in natural pools. Brazil's highest waterfall is here, the Cachoeira Glass, a small stream that tumbles 384 metres to become a fine mist resembling swirling smoke.
  Brasilia, a world cultural heritage site is next. This was the 20th Centuries first newly built Capital City forged into the centre of Brazil from nothing and a monument to modern planning and architecture.
• Day 22 -28 After a drive through the Soya bean farm belt we arrive at a vast swamp bigger than France, The Pantanal. Here we can go horseriding or take boat trips through the swampland to view the wildlife including, Caiman, Anacondas, Iguanas, and Cappiburras, a giant guinea pig like creature. There are also cats such as, Ocelot, Jaguars, and Cougars. There are also over 250 species of birds including Macaws, Toucans, Parrots, Herons, and Storks.
• Day 29 - 35 A good road skirts the Amazon up to Porto Velho where the road runs out as the Trans Amazon Highway is no longer passable. We have to take a riverboat for several days up the Rio Madeira, a tributary of the Amazon River to our destination Manaus. This is no luxury cruise and we need to carry all our supplies and purchase a Hammock to sleep in on deck. There is plenty of time to watch the Amazon Jungle drift by.
• Day 36 - 40 We disembark at Manaus, once the centre of the rubber boom with an Opera House to Symbolise its wealth. It is now an energetic Duty Free Zone manufacturing electronics and other consumer goodies. It is at the hub of the Amazon Tributaries and a starting point for Amazon jungle tours. There is the option to take a tour for 3 days into the jungle accompanied by local guides to explain the local fauna and flora, as well as fishing for Piranha.
• Day 41 -43 The next stage from Manaus could be the toughest, depending on how much rain there has been. Part of the way is dirt road, which can turn into mudholes and trenches but there is no alternative but to battle through. This area up to Boa Vista and onwards to the Venezuelan border is the frontier of the struggle between progress, the destruction of the rainforest for timber, gold extraction, and the plight of the Yanomami Indians.
• Days 44 - 47 We leave Brazil now and cross the border into Venezuela at Santa Helena. We head through the Gran Sabana, surrounded by table topped mountains, one of which is Mount Roaima. This is the isolated setting for Conan Doyle's Lost World, and we have the freedom to camp at waterfalls with crystal clear streams as we traverse the unspoilt grasslands.
• Days 48 - 51 We arrive at Cuidad Bolivar, originally named Angostura, and where the Bitters originated. The name was changed to honour Simon Bolivar, the great liberator, who made his base here. It is a very pleasant city where there is a number of options to fly into Canaima National Park via the World Famous Angel Falls. American, Jimmy Angel discovered these Falls when he crash landed his plane at the top. Canaima National Park has a base set around a lagoon, into which nearby waterfalls cascade. Boat trips are available to cross the lagoon and visit or even climb behind the waterfalls.
• Day. 52 - 54 Tucupita is the next destination from where we can organise a 2 day trip into the Orinoco Delta by canoe. The Delta has been formed over millions of years as the Orinoco river spread it's silt into the sea. This action has formed a region of mangrove swamps, jungle and tropical forests covering 40,000 sq km. The Warao people live on the river in stilt houses following a traditional lifestyle. Canoes form the backbone of their society and are their only means of transport and communication.
• Day 55 - 58 The warm emerald Caribbean sea beckons next, and we visit some of the best locations for snorkelling and scuba diving in Mochima National Park. Relaxing on the beach is the prime objective for most.
• Day 59 - 63 The immense Plains of Los Llanos covers nearly a third of the country and is its premier wildlife viewing experience. This is cowboy country with vast cattle ranches, but during the dry season a large variety of game can be spotted around the water holes.
  We may have time to visit further beaches to the west of Caracas, for example, Henri Pittier National Park otherwise it is straight to the glass plate metropolis of Caracas which marks the end of the tour.

Note! The Southbound departure from Caracas to Rio does not coincide with Carnival in Rio.