Rio on its granite peaks, the roar of Iguaçu and jaguars on the Pantanal riverbanks, in one long-haul trip from Heathrow.
Brazil is vast, and the mistake is trying to see it all. The classic trip pairs Rio de Janeiro with Iguaçu Falls, then adds one wild place: the Pantanal for jaguars, or the Amazon from Manaus.
It suits couples who want a city, a beach and real wildlife in one trip, and families with older children. Internal flights often route through São Paulo, so every region you add costs most of a day.
The honest caveat is timing. The Pantanal is best from July to October, when Rio is also cooler. Rio in summer is hot, and Carnival week is crowded and expensive.
The experiences we plan most often, with the months they are at their best.
Ride the cable car up Sugarloaf in the late afternoon and stay for the lights coming on around Guanabara Bay. Go up Corcovado to Christ the Redeemer early, before the cloud and crowds, then spend an afternoon in the hillside lanes of Santa Teresa.
The Brazilian side gives the panorama; the Argentine side puts you on walkways above the Devil's Throat. Allow two nights. The national park runs early-entry dawn visits on some days of the week, worth planning around. Bring a light waterproof for the spray.
From Cuiabá, the dirt Transpantaneira runs south past lagoons of caiman, capybara and hyacinth macaws to Porto Jofre. Boats then search the Cuiabá river for jaguars resting on the banks. Allow two or three full days on the water, between July and October.
Upstream of Manaus, the dark Rio Negro breaks into the Anavilhanas, an archipelago of forested islands. Lodges run canoe trips, dawn birding and visits to riverside communities. From May to July you paddle between the treetops; from September the beaches reappear.
Four hours down the coast from Rio, Paraty is a colonial port of whitewashed houses and cobbled streets. Charter a schooner around the bay's islands, swim at the beaches beyond Trindade and walk the old gold trail into the Atlantic forest.
On the north-east coast, rain collects between white dunes to form thousands of clear lagoons. Base yourself in Barreirinhas or quieter Atins and go out by 4x4 to walk and swim. The lagoons form with the rains from February to May and shrink through the dry season.
In Rio, choose Ipanema or Leblon for the beach and restaurants, or Santa Teresa for a quieter hillside base. At Iguaçu, the hotel inside the park puts you at the falls before the day visitors. In the Pantanal, pair a Transpantaneira ranch with Porto Jofre.
We match each trip in Brazil to hotels, lodges and villas chosen for the way you travel. Tell us what matters and a specialist will suggest two or three that fit.
Ask for hotel suggestionsThe seasons are reversed from ours. Rio's summer, December to March, is hot and humid, with storms and Carnival. From May to October the city is drier and milder.
The Pantanal floods from about December to March and drains through the southern winter, so July to October is jaguar time. The Amazon never really dries: water is high from May to July and low from September.
Rio de Janeiro and the colonial coast at Paraty, both sides of Iguaçu Falls, then four nights in the northern Pantanal with two full days on the rivers at Porto Jofre. 12 nights.
Land in the morning and settle into Ipanema. Corcovado early, Sugarloaf at sunset and an afternoon in Santa Teresa with a guide.
Drive down the Costa Verde to Paraty. A schooner day around the islands, a walk on the old gold trail and evenings in the cobbled old town.
Fly from Rio to Foz do Iguaçu. The Brazilian panorama at dawn from inside the park, then a full day on the Argentine walkways above the Devil's Throat.
Fly to Cuiabá, usually via São Paulo, and drive south onto the Transpantaneira. Walks, horse rides and night drives from a ranch lodge.
Continue to the end of the road. Two full days by boat on the Cuiabá river and its channels, looking for jaguars and giant otters.
Drive back to Cuiabá and fly to São Paulo or Rio to connect with the overnight flight to Heathrow.
Practical notes checked against their sources. For entry and safety, the FCDO advice for Brazil (opens in a new tab) is always the authority.
British Airways flies direct from Heathrow to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, both about 11 and a half to 12 hours. Internal flights link everything else.
UK passport holders can currently visit Brazil for tourism without a visa. Rules change, so read the FCDO entry requirements (opens in a new tab) before you book.
The FCDO also advises against all but essential travel to some river areas in the far west of Amazonas state. Check its current map; the lower Rio Negro around Manaus sits well outside them.
Read the FCDO entry requirements for Brazil (opens in a new tab)
Read the TravelHealthPro Brazil page (opens in a new tab) and the FCDO health page well before you travel, as advice differs between the cities, the Amazon and the Pantanal.
The sun is strong and insects are relentless in the wetlands, so cover up at dusk. Drink bottled or filtered water.
The currency is the Brazilian real (R$). International credit cards are widely accepted in hotels and restaurants, and taxes are included in displayed prices. Carry some cash for markets and remote lodges.
Mobile coverage and hotel Wi-Fi are good in the cities. Expect slow or limited connections at Pantanal and Amazon lodges, and none on the rivers. An eSIM bought before you leave is simplest.
Tipping is appreciated rather than expected. Restaurants and bars often add about 10% to the bill; if not, leave that yourself. In hotels, a small tip for staff who help is customary, and wildlife guides are usually tipped at the end of a stay.
A 12-night trip covers Rio, Iguaçu and one wildlife region at a comfortable pace. With 10 nights, drop Paraty. Adding the Amazon as well as the Pantanal needs 16 nights or more, because each region is most of a day's travel from the others.
July to October, in the dry season. As the floodwater drains, animals gather along the Cuiabá river near Porto Jofre and jaguars rest on the exposed banks. August and September are usually strongest. Lodges fill early for these dates, so plan six to nine months ahead.
For big mammals, the Pantanal. Its open wetlands make jaguars, giant otters and caiman far easier to see than in dense rainforest. The Amazon is about the forest itself, the rivers, birdlife and riverside communities, and works in any month.
Yes. The Brazilian side gives the wide view across the horseshoe of falls and takes a morning. The Argentine side has longer walkways close to and above the water, including the Devil's Throat, and fills a day. Two nights lets you see both without rushing.
Tell us a little and a specialist will reply with ideas, dates that work and a price. Best months: July to September.
Buenos Aires evenings, the Iguazú falls and the glaciers of Patagonia, joined by short domestic flights.
Inca stonework in the high Andes, Machu Picchu at dawn and Amazon rainforest, all within a short flight of Cusco.
Volcano, cloud forest, turtle beach and whale coast in one small country, with a lodge in each that puts you in the forest.
