Brazil: Sustainability & Biodiversity in The Atlantic Rainforest – 10 Days

You will arrive to São Paulo International Airport (Guarulhos). You’ll meet your tour manager then head to your hotel for check-in and orientation. You’ll have lunch in the city.

This afternoon, you’ll take a city-tour. São Paulo, Brazil’s bustling financial hub, ranks among the most populous cities in the world and boasts a vibrant cultural scene alongside a rich architectural heritage. The city’s skyline features a diverse array of iconic structures, including the neo-Gothic São Paulo Cathedral, the historic 1929 Martinelli Building, and the modernist Edifício Copan, designed by renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer. The colonial-style Pátio do Colégio church stands as a historical landmark, marking the site where Jesuit priests established the city in 1554. With over 100 museums, theaters, and cultural centers, São Paulo offers a dynamic environment that celebrates art, history, and innovation.

Following your tour you’ll head to a restaurant for some traditional Brazilian food. You’ll then return to your hotel for the night.

This morning you’ll eat breakfast at the hotel and then head for the town of Iporanga (320 kilometers / 200 miles), which is located at the entrance to PETAR State Park.

You’ll check into a pousada (inn), drop off your baggage and head to lunch.

After lunch, you’ll visit the Santana Cave, in PETAR. Caverna de Santana is the longest cave in the state of Sao Paulo. The cave is considered among the most beautiful in the world due to the thousands of aragonite ‘flowers’ clutching the walls. These formations are the result of complex biological and physical processes that create crystal deposits of carbonate minerals.

You’ll return to the pousada in Iporanga and have dinner.

This day will be spent visiting other important caves in the state park: Couto, Água Suja and Alambari de Baixo. Some are dry; others have small creeks running inside. You’ll hike through very well preserved portions of the Atlantic Rainforest when moving between caves. Each cave has its own unique features and is an adventure by itself!

You’ll make stops for lunch and dinner between cave visits.

In the evening you’ll return to your lodging in Iporanga.

After breakfast your group will have an adventure of “sledging” down the Betary River in specially designed individual floats. This activity is performed in a shallow and calm section of the river and is pure fun all the way!

After lunch you will transfer to the coastal town of Cananéia (140 kilometers / 90 miles). You’ll check-in at your lodging and have dinner as a group.

Following breakfast, you’ll head to the Mandira Quilombo, a traditional community composed of families that descend from fugitive slaves of the 19th century. The community lives of the sustainable extraction of oysters and ecotourism. Your group will visit the oyster nurseries and also hike to a waterfall with natural pools in the forest.

You’ll make stops for lunch and dinner.

In the evening you’ll return to your lodging in Cananéia.

After breakfast, you’ll pack your bags and board an exclusive schooner to sail along the calm, inner waters of the mangrove complex to the village of Marujá (a 3-hour boat ride). This small, traditional fishing village survives on the dual industries of fishing and ecotourism. Your group will stay in a very simple and cozy lodge very close to the white-sand beaches.

You’ll make stops for lunch and dinner.

You’ll spend the night in the lodge in Marujá.

The next two days of your trip will be spent on various activities on the the island: you will be hiking over long, deserted beaches, learning and helping villagers with their artisanal fishing activities, understanding concepts related to sustainability and telling stories around bonfires at night.

You’ll make stops for lunch and dinner.

You’ll spend the night in the lodge in Marujá.

You’ll be hiking over long, deserted beaches, learning and helping villagers with their artisanal fishing activities, understanding concepts related to sustainability and telling stories around bonfires at night.

You’ll make stops for lunch and dinner.

You’ll spend the night in the lodge in Marujá.

After breakfast your group will board speedboats and head
back to Cananéia (a 1-hour ride).

You’ll stop for lunch in Cananéia before beginning the journey back to São Paulo.

In São Paulo, you’ll check into a hostel and go out to enjoy your final dinner in Brazil together.

After breakfast at your hostel, your group will visit the Butantan Institute. Butantan is a governmental institution that is world-famous for studying of all kinds of poisonous animals, particularly snakes. The institute includes a museum where you’ll be able to see giant, live anacondas and many other very interesting species. If requested, your group can watch a snake poison extraction performed by experts.

You’ll have lunch in the city before being transferred to São Paulo International Airport (Guarulhos) according to the
flight schedule.