Kimkim Trip Reviews for Brazil

Beautiful trip to see some of the northeastern parts of Brazil. Among the highlights were spending the afternoon in the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park and swimming in the lagoons; one of the most jaw-dropping natural wonders we've seen. Also spectacular was watching the sunset congregation of thousands of red guarás in the Delta Do Parnaíba.

Our guide in Salvador, Bruno, was particularly informative about the realities of Brazilian life and history and Pedro, our guide in Parnaíba, was playful and entertaining, helping us with our poor Portuguese pronunciation and creating a playlist for us of Brazilian music.

There were a few minor hiccups along the way but Rachel was able to make adjustments and provided a couple extras to ensure we had a trip smooth.

Hotel Reviews

Casa de Santo Antônio Hotel de Charme

Parnaíba - PI,

The Casa de Santo Antônio Hotel de Charme in Parnaíba was a beautiful hotel. It's a converted hospital and school which added to its charm. We only stayed for a night so didn't get to fully experience it, but from what we saw, it was lovely.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Porto Preguiças Resort

Barreirinhas - MA,

The resort was quite nice. We didn't have any issues during our stay. The environment was pleasant and the service was up to the mark

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Luzeiros São Luís

São Luís

This was a quick overnight so it was more of a short stay than an experience. It's a corporate-type building and we didn't spend much time there. Though the service was great, I can't give much feedback on the overall environment or amenities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Villa Bahia

Salvador

The Hotel Villa Bahia in Salvador was a beautiful place. It's located right in the old part of town among the colonial buildings, which gave it a unique charm. The rooms and the building were gorgeous and the staff was very helpful. However, it was a bit of a ghost town due to the time of year we visited, which detracted from the overall experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Miramar Hotel by Windsor

Rio de Janeiro

Very nice hotel with especially good breakfast buffet in Copacabana and right on the beach. This is more of a large corporate hotel and doesn't really have a lot of character but the staff was friendly and the room very comfortable. The beach view didn't hurt either. It's about a 20 minute walk to neighboring Ipanema where most of the nicer shops and restaurants are and, if I were to do this trip again, would prefer to stay in that area (though there are fewer hotels there).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the famous Copacabana beach.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vila Kalango

Jericoacoara

Easily the best place we stayed in Brazil. Lovely rooms with great use of space. Breakfast buffet was excellent and relaxing. If you stay in main hotel area closer to the entrance I'd recommend a 2nd-floor room as the nice wooden floors tend to create a lot of noise.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The hotel is right on the beach with a nice areas for watching the the sunset.

Staff

Very attentive and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full-Day private tour in "Canto de Atins"

Barreirinhas

This tour was slightly repetitive, especially after the national park tour. It was a bit less interesting. It would have been nice to have some time to explore on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sightseeing in the City of Salvador

Salvador

We did some sightseeing in Salvador which was quite enjoyable. The city is beautiful and has a lot to offer.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Private Tour through the Old Rio

Rio de Janeiro

We had a full-day tour in Old Rio which was overall interesting. However, there were moments when the tour guide was following us a bit too closely, especially in the shopping areas. It would have been more comfortable to have some space to explore on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

San Luis - Barreirinhas

Brazil

Bumpy long ride to get to the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park but, wow, so worth it. Stunning initial views of endless white dunes with blue lagoons nestled in between. You can easily find your own private swimming areas and wander into the sand.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Tour in the Delta of the Americas

Parnaíba

Beautiful trip through the delta on a speedboat to see a variety of birds and crabs. Culminates at sunset with a spectacular congregation of red guarás on a small island. Driving back through delta in near total darkness was oddly calming (if a bit scary). Boat driver was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Tour of Two Brothers Peak & Vidigal Favela

Rio de Janeiro

Unique visit into a favela and hike to top of prominent peak overlooking Rio. To start we rode on the backs of motorcycles to get to the top of the favela, where the hike started, and then walked through it on the way down. This is not an easy hike. It's not particularly dangerous but there are some somewhat steep areas and it can take a good hour to get to the top. Bring plenty of water, especially on a hot day, and decent shoes (no flip-flops).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Camille coordinated our ambitious plan to see the highlights of Brazil in 24 days. She planned the route, worked out the flights and transfers and found great accommodations We had a marvelous time in Rio, the Amazon Basin, Iguaçu, Salvador and Chapada Diamantina. Maybe the most exciting was the Pantanal where we saw an abundance of wildlife, including jaguars. Raquelle was our excellent guide there.

Sara planned a great trip for us. The tour guides were all incredible in both the Amazon and Rio. Lima was our guide in the Amazon and he was very knowledgable and went out of his way to improve the experience every way he could. In Alberto was phenomenal. He knew plenty of history and trivia and also is very well traveled himself, relating other countires to Rio. He also connected us with his son who took us to a playoff soccer game. Incredible experience. Sara's communication was superb.

Dear Rachel and Team ,
Thank you so much for making our trip to Brazil ( Rio de janeiro, Iguazu and Amazon )such a memorable. We really appreciate all your dedication and hard work you put into make it so easy for us. Our guides were incredible and made the experience much more enjoyable. You did a fantastic job and you definitely know how to take of your clients. You can be sure that we will be recommending your service to family and friends alike.
Sandya and Prasad

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bogari

Foz do Iguaçu - PR

Windsor Martinique Copacabana

Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro

Hotel Saint Paul

Manaus - AM

Amazon Eco Park Jungle Lodge

Manaus

Activity Reviews

Nocturnal tour with animal spotting

The Amazon

We did not participate . We are unable to rate

Forest of the Monkeys

The Amazon

Jungle Walk

The Amazon

Visit to the native's house

The Amazon

Meeting of the Waters

The Amazon

Transport

Iguaçu Falls - Brazilian Side

Foz do Iguaçu

Iguaçu Falls - Argentinean side

Foz do Iguaçu

Christ the Redeemer & Sugar Loaf Mountain

Rio de Janeiro

We had a wonderful trip to Brazil! Chadya and Rachel helped me tremendously from the beginning to an end to plan this trip. They helped me with all the logistics and had great suggestions. There was a couple hiccups here and there and they were available right away to fix any problems that we had. It was nice to have the assurance that I could always rely on them if we ran into a problem. Highly recommend to use them for your next trip to Brazil! It will make your life much much easier and more enjoyable.

We had a hugely successful and wonderful trip to Brazil with lots of help with Lia. We had an entirely customized itinerary to see high points including main sights in Rio de Janeiro, Iguazu Falls, and in the wildlife area of Pantanal. Our pick-ups, transfers, were all prompt, and we have very little wasted time due to using a tour company and small group tours (some private). We had real-time communication about add-on tours at the end of our trip and very prompt, knowledgeable local guides in Brazil. Accommodations were excellent (especially Ipanema Inn in Rio) and I would highly recommend using KimKim for customizable tours to maximize sightseeing and for stress-free travel.

Hotel Reviews

UeSo Pantanal Lodge

Incredible, small guesthouse in the heart of Pantanal. Local food prepared by local staff was fresh and prompt. Room with A/C was extremely comfortable, with mosquito nets provided. Staff was kind, courteous, and accommodating. Would highly recommend a stay here!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Pietro Angelo

Foz do Iguaçu - PR

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ipanema Inn

Rio de Janeiro

Wonderful service, including on arrival. Prime location, one block from Ipanema Beach, and great access to local restaurants and shops. Room had A/C and was extremely comfortable, with hotel-provided toiletries, bidet, and very clean bathroom. Wonderful amenities including free bike rental for biking around town and nearby Lagoa and included a la carte gourmet breakfast. Restaurant on site with Happy Hour was a plus.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tijuca Forest and Botanic Garden private tour

Rio de Janeiro

Wonderful trip to Tijuca, stopping at main vistas and high points. Enjoyed the botanical gardens but the forest more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bye bye Pantanal

North Pantanal

Morning Torre walk was calm but nothing exciting.

Quality of Experience

Food

included a bonus lunch prior to departure. Incredible food at UeSo lodge.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were getting a bit nervous about timing of airport transfer, waiting for other guests

Jaguar Safari

Brazil

Perhaps the highlight of our time in Brazil! A full day of driving and boat safari to see the big cats! Incredible guides, and close-up photos. Not to miss!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

North Pantanal

North Pantanal

Horse safari was interesting.

Quality of Experience

Food

Amazing breakfast and lunch provided by UeSo lodge.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to North Pantanal

North Pantanal

Prompt pick- up and sighting of animals along the Transpantaneira.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Argentinian Side Falls Tour regular

Foz do Iguaçu

Incredible day seeing the falls via private car/tour. Guide, Fouad, was very knowledgeable about the pacing of the walk and high points. He also accommodated an add-on trip to see Paraguay!

Quality of Experience

Food

Our itinerary reported lunch was included in our day trip but guide told us we were "on our own" expense.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Parque das Aves - Birds park

Foz do Iguaçu

Was a nice park but would skip if allows more time (at least 3 hours) at the Falls!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brazilian Side Falls Tour regular

Foz do Iguaçu

Incredible viewing experience of the falls and experienced guide, Fouad. Our day seeing the Brazilian side falls from the walkway was rushed due to the plane's (on-time) arrival time, trip to Parque das Aves, and the (optional but which was encouraged) boat tour. We had less than 2 hours at the park, which was not enough time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Prompt pick-up.

One day in Rio regular tour

Rio de Janeiro

Loved hitting the high points of Rio in this well-planned tour. A bit disappointed to not see Christ the Redeemer during morning sun (was saved until afternoon, when weather was very foggy). A good amount waiting for pick-ups and for other guests. Wish that drinks (even just water) could have been included with the included lunch meal (which wasn't until after 3 p.m.)

Quality of Experience

Food

Include beverages (even if just water!)

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was the 1st time that we booked our trip with kimkim. I was bit skeptical initially since I never heard of them before.
I worked with Rachel (Sao Paulo) to plan our entire trip that included visit to Rio, Iguazu falls and Amazon.

It was such a pleasant experience to plan the trip with Rachel. She is fluent in English, and she was always pleasant regardless of the numbers of the changes that were requested. Everything was planned without any hiccups. All the hotel accommodation and lodging were to our satisfaction. All the tour guides were excellent.

She even accommodated our last-minute request to include the visit to Iguazu falls, handled luggage issues when going to Amazon and was very accommodating with request to visit Christ second time since the 1st time was completed washed out due to heavy rain. She went above and beyond. I'm greatly appreciative. She wanted us to leave with a such a wonderful memory. We did, Rachel. THANK YOU!!!!

I highly recommend kimkim for your next trip.

Hotel Reviews

Amazon Tupana Lodge

Manaus

Authenticity & Character

Such a unique place

Location

excellent Location

Staff

excellent staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

excellent, staff, cleaniness and food

Hotel Saint Paul

Manaus - AM

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bogari

Foz do Iguaçu - PR

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arena Leme Hotel

Rio de Janeiro

Authenticity & Character

Location

across the beach; all the amenities

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Canoeing in the Amazon and overnight in the jungle

The Amazon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cayman Spotting

The Amazon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Iguaçu Falls - Brazilian Side

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Christ the Redeemer & Sugar Loaf Mountain

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Iguaçu Falls - Argentinean side

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amazon Tupana lodge was incredible - Carlos was incredible, and the scenery, excursions, and just hanging out at the lodge was relaxing. Saw monkeys, a tapir, and of course Blue the macaw that hangs around on site. Sunrise and sunset were beautiful!
Foz do Iguaçu was better than we could ever have imagined. Rainbows, waterfalls, and the boat ride into the falls from the Argentina side was so much fun! Pictures will never do it justice!
Rio was fun as well, Alex our guide was amazing and did an excellent job. He also set us up for the day after, and recommended perfect places on the beach! Great trip all around, the travel was acceptable (we wanted to do lots of things so crammed in late nights) with no delays and easy to get around.
Rachel was wonderful, responsive, and always on top of our tickets and itinerary. Great planning and definitely will share this trip with others!

We had the most wonderful time in Brazil and Rachel from KimKim did an incredible job designing, organizing and arranging our personalized honeymoon. This is the first time we used a travel agency and we got everything we asked for from the trip and within budget!
In Rio, our local guide Luis was wonderful and friendly. He was super thoughtful and even bought us a Brazilian drink we wanted to try. The trip to the Amazon was our highlight, spending some days in the lodge built into the jungle was breathtaking. Our guide Jojo spoke amazing English and took us on boat rides. In Foz do Igaszu, we saw the waterfalls from the Argentinan and Brazilian side. Lordes, our guide, was very friendly. We then spent a few days with our friends, which Rachel built into our itinerary. After that we flew to São Luís, from where we were picked up to visit the Lencois Maranhenses for a couple of days. The pousada where we stayed was the best and the guide, Josiel, was great. From there, we went back to Rio and had Luis, the same guide, picking us up.
We had an unforgettable holiday - Rachel was always available when we had questions and checked us into our internal flights. From the moment we decided to have the trip arranged and reached out to Rachel to the time we landed back in the UK, this trip has been brilliantly organized and we cannot recommended Rachel and her tours enough!

Rio:
positive:
Daria was excellent in responding to messages.
itinerary was good. Guide was good for us and guide let us enjoy the sites without any time restriction.
Negative:
2 last minute issues with itinerary.
1) show in rio we wanted to see was not available on Tuesdays in May but we were taken to the show and then only we were told there was no show so our much anticipated evening and show became disappointment. they did arrange some other activity free but still one evening is ruined
2) another day, coffee farm visit was re arranged day before to evening from morning. this caused us to cancel our original plan in the evening,

Iguzu falls:

Excellent Guide: Luis was amazing . all went well with the plan

Hotel Reviews

Arena Copacabana Hotel

Rio de Janeiro

Hotel in excellent location. Breakfast and restaurant food was good. Need renovation of washroom

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

JL Hotel by Bourbon

Foz do Iguacu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Argentinian Side Falls Tour regular

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Parque das Aves - Birds park

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brazilian Side Falls Tour regular

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Favela Tour private tour

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to a historic coffee farm

Rio de Janeiro

good experience if you haven't seen any coffee farm or small towns. but it is a long drive almost 2,5 hrs one way. not sure it is worth the experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tijuca Forest and Botanic Garden private tour

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sugarloaf, Santa Teresa and old Rio

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Christ the Redeemer & city tour private tour

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Churrascaria Carretão do Lido

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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We chose to book our trip with KimKim following a recommendation from a friend. Overall the trip was amazing and we had a great time following the "Route of Emotions" in northern Brazil. I would highly recommend the tour to anyone wanting to see a different side to Brazil, compared with the usual Rio/Iguazu routes.

Booking the trip Rachel provided quick feedback and was able to cater to our various requests. Communication at this point was very strong and everything we needed to do was clear. You have access to a whatsapp number for any questions once you land at your destination.

We travelled from Barreirinhas to Parnaiba, and then onto Jericoacoara, with two different guides for each part of the trip. Our guide from Barreirinhas around the dunes and local areas was Josiel who was lovely and helpful with any questions we had. I would say he acted more as "translator" than guide (reactive vs proactive) but if you are an English speaker on this type of tour, a service such as this is essential to get by in the region.

We were picked up by Jonas, who was our amazing driver all the way through to Jeri. In Parnaiba, Francisco joined us as we took a tour to see the Guara in the river delta. Francisco was amazing, explaining in great detail to us about the region, its wildlife, food and culture. One of the best guides we have ever had for a tour!

We then moved onto Jeri (with some great recommendations from Francisco) and concluded our trip. We loved the whole experience!

One feedback point for improvement - it would have been great to have a daily update message over the WhatsApp channel to avoid confusion. As English speakers some things were unclear e.g. We were surprised when our guide got into the car on the side of the road in Parnaiba, as the driver didn't speak English he hadn't let us know about it, which was a shock to meet a new person unannounced. Small things like this could have been covered by a WhatsApp in the morning.

All our guides were excellent and very knowledgeable.
All the airport pick ups and transfers went very smoothly as did the tours.
We were very happy with our itinerary and any concerns we had about having to take internal flights were not justified. The country is just so huge that there weren't any other viable options and it was definitely worth it.
All the hotels were very comfortable and everyone we encountered couldn't have been nicer.

Hotel Reviews

Pousada do Principe

Paraty

beautiful hotel with lovely communal spaces and pool. great location just a few minutes walk from the old town. Rooms at the from suffer a bit from street noise, so try and get a room around the pool. Breakfast was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pousada Aguapé

Aquidauana

located about 70 km down a dirt road, you are surrounded by farmland and wetland. it is beautiful and teeming with wildlife. The hotel is very comfortable and welcoming, the food is great. If you are lucky enough to be there on a Saturday night there is a live band and Parilla. Activities are very well organised.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pousada Olho d'Agua

Bonito

Lovely peaceful hotel with wildlife all around. You stay in a bungalow in the grounds and we often had monkeys in the trees around us. Very friendly, helpful staff. The restaurant food was very good, we had dinner there one evening, and the included breakfast was varied and tasty. It is located outside the town, which means you are surrounded by nature and it's quiet but you will need to get a taxi to get to Bonito (not at all expensive)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Águas do Iguaçu Hotel

Foz do Iguaçu

Very clean and comfortable. Good location with a choice of restaurants nearby. Included breakfast had a good selection. Swimming pool was a nice spot to relax at the end of the day.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Jeep Tour Regular

Paraty

If we hadn't already been to Iguassu and Bonito these falls would have been quite impressive! Learning about and tasting Cachaca was great. Sliding on the natural waterslide was great fun, definitely recommend doing this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Regular Boat Tour around Paraty Bay

Paraty

Comfortable boat and friendly staff. Multiple stops at beaches and to swim. Follows a common path with many other boats but seems to be well organised sonly 1 or 2 boats are at the same place at the same time. Certainly gave a nice overview of the surrounding beaches. Definitely take your own lunch. Whilst the manioc fries were great the rest of the food was terrible.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

South Pantanal

South Pantanal

We did a boat trip, jeep safari, walking tour, horse ride and night safari. We saw the most amazing wildlife including armadillos, capybaras, toucans, egrets, cockatoos and a giant anteater.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boca da Onça

Bonito MS

Beautiful location. Lovely hike through the jungle and the waterfalls are just spectacular

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Buraco das Araras and Rio da Prata snorkeling

Bonito MS

Really fun activity. Like swimming in an aquarium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Argentinian Side Falls Tour regular

Foz do Iguaçu

It was just fantastic. Lunch here was also one of the best meals we had!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Parque das Aves - Birds park

Foz do Iguaçu

Very interesting and lovely to see the birds up close. They are doing great conservation work

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Macuco Safari

Foz do Iguaçu

Being on a boat at the bottom of the falls was fantastic but this safari seemed to be very focused on selling you photos that they'd taken. There was no option to swim (as was in our itinerary description), we only were taken to one set of falls and they pulled up at the side of the river and spent about 5 minutes taking Photos of the groups on the boats. The small boat also meant that from most seats you had no view up the river, all you could see was the bow of the boat and the worker who was taking photos. Being driven into the water of the falls however was a LOT of fun. The boat from the Argentinian side seemed to be better, it went to 2-3 sets of falls and also drove into the water. So, if your itinerary allows, this would be better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brazilian Side Falls Tour regular

Foz do Iguaçu

The falls are amazing from both sides. Saw lots of coatis here.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was so easy and lovely working with Rachel especially when we had a missed connection late at night and having to rearrange travel plans. Our favorite day in Rio was because of Vincent the tour guide operator where we walked around together in Santa Teresa & Faevla. The hotels Rachel picked for us in Rio & Amazon were also amazing (and Santa Teresa Gallery hotel had such good food at their restaurant). I would definitely come back and use Rachel again and recommend to friends.

Brasil was very well organized and also the connection with our combined trip to colombia was good communicated with their office in Colombia. They gave solid feedback on idead which were not possible with reason. They orginazed all the highlights from brazil and made the last minute impossible tours, possible. We really got a great stay in brazil and felt safe everywhere. Such a beautiful country.

This was part of the same trip reviewed above. It was excellent - again Rachel's help was invaluable, she was always available to answer our questions. Our guide at the Amazon Tupana Lodge Dio was outstanding. A highly recommended trip

We had a great trip thanks to the help we received from Rachel. She was always professional, very helpful, easy to contact and, following our requests, she put together a memorable trip for us. We highly recommend the service we received from KimKim and Rachel and are looking forward to using the knowledge local agents can provide through KimKim for our next trip.

My daughter and I decided to visit Brazil in January. I heard about Kimkim from my neighbor and decided to use them. Being two women traveling by ourselves it seemed like an ideal choice. After answering some questions on a very user friendly website we were put in touch with Daria our trip designer. I cannot say enough good things about her. She gave great recommendations to visit 3 places in Brazil and use our 7 days/6 nights wisely. Every detail including pick ups and drops off to airports were planned and we felt very safe and all transfers went very smoothly. We visited Rio de Janeiro first where over 2 days we saw all the important sights leisurely in private tours where only my daughter and I were with the tour guide. The tour guides picked us up at the hotel, took us through leisurely to visit the right amount of sites for half a day leaving us half a day to explore on our own. Rio was beautiful, the liveliness of Copacabana, the majestic views of Christ the Redeemer, the Birds Eye views from Sugar loaf, the artistic Selaron steps and quaint district of St Theresa were all awesome. From there we boarded a flight to Iguazu to see the majestic Iguazu Falls. The falls go as far as the eye can see. We took a boat tour recommended by Daria which takes you right under the Falls. It was exhilarating! We had time to see the Falls from the Brazilian and Argentinian sides. After that we flew to Rio and directly had a taxi take us to Paraty, a village settled by Portuguese in 1600s and it has the original cobblestone streets. This was a recommendation by Daria because I wanted to see a colonial town. It is situated beautifully with the bay on one side and the forest on the other. We enjoyed the walking tour of the serene village in the morning and the bustling streets in the evening. We took a boat out to the bay and the captain stopped at various islands for us to snorkel, sunbathe, lunch! It was a big highlight of our entire trip. I’m so glad Daria suggested this village as it’s not on a traditional itinerary. The food and drinks and the people were also wonderful! Daria and kimkim get 5 stars and more if we could do that!

Hotel Reviews

Pousada Porto Imperial

Paraty

Beautiful quaint, historic, clean and comfortable hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wyndham Foz do Iguaçu

Foz do Iguacu

We had a comfortable stay at the hotel. Food, staff and location were great for our visit to the Falls.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arena Leme Hotel

Rio de Janeiro

Beautifully located on the quiet part of Copacabana! Wonderful food, beds and showers. We had a great stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right by Copacabana

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Jeep Tour Regular

Paraty

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Boat Tour around Paraty Bay

Paraty

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Tour of Paraty

Paraty

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sugarloaf, Santa Teresa and old Rio

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Argentinian Side Falls Tour regular

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Christ the Redeemer & city tour private tour

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brazilian Side Falls Tour regular

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gran Aventura

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip was overbooked and very exhausting. Communication was lacking. Most of our trip was spent in airports. No accountability taken

I love Brazil! The sights, the beauty, the vibrancy of the people and the culture! I wish I never left!! I was able to visit the best sights and hidden gems of Rio de Janeiro and move along to Salvador and immerse myself in the Afro culture, which was a personal favorite. I relaxed indulged in sand dune activities and saw the most beautiful scenery in Canoa Quebrada and then I visited Iguaçu Falls (experiencing the Argentinian and Brazilian side by boat and helicopter) which is a must for lovers of nature!! Rachel always checked on me and made sure the guides were taking care of me every step of the way. I had wonderful and helpful guides. Guilherme was an extra special gentleman who went above and beyond whilst in Rio. Matcos, Leandro, Gabriel and my guide in Salvador Guia Joao Luis went above and beyond to make my time memorable! Thank you a thousand times over😊❤️

Every single guide we had was special. They made us feel at home, at ease. Beginning with Luis that greeted us at the airport in Rio, the professional knowledgeable, fun Ortiz at Iguacu, Crocidile Dundee realty star Dave at the Amazon.. professionals that made us feel comfortable and safe from their first hello! Rachel ass knows the best team and was in touch every single day to ensure we were having a blast!

Hotel Reviews

Amazon Tupana Lodge

Manaus

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Intercity Manaus

Manaus

Hotel looked tiered, old…

Location

No where to go

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sheets appeared dirty. Rooms need to be uodatef

Arena Ipanema

Rio de Janeiro

Convenient location.. average food

Authenticity & Character

It felt kkke another normal hotel

Location

When your backyard is the Ipanema beach with amazing sunsets.. there is no way you can go wrong

Staff

Friendly, courteous

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was not cleaned on 2/6 days

Activity Reviews

Carnaval Experience - Half day Tour

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

City Tour in Manaus

Manaus

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canoeing in the Amazon and overnight in the jungle

The Amazon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Iguaçu Falls - Argentinean side

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-day tour Tijuca Forest

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Christ the Redeemer & Sugar Loaf Mountain

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day- Rio by Bike

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport