The Best of Brazil is the best of a beautiful, bounteous, buxom country, about as best as best can be. Which we immediately sense as we alight in the Atlantic Coast city of Salvador de Bahia, a natural and human sensation. Often called the most African city in the Western Hemisphere, Salvador is a vibrant mélange of cultures, which we’ll sample at funky little cafés and dance performances, and in our creative ramblings. And of the Bahia’s natural splendors, which we’ll definitely not overlook, Darwin wrote, “The land is one great, wild, untidy, luxuriant hothouse. . . . How great would be the desire in every admirer of nature to behold the scenery of another planet! Yet [here] the glories of another world are opened to him.” Now south to Rio de Janeiro, surely the most mellifluously situated city in the world. But there’s more to Rio than eye-grabbing scenery; it’s one of the planet’s most energized cities, sexy beyond measure—“a place,” Jan Morris has written, “of deep and humane variety . . . a shot in the arm, a haunting tune in the head . . . a lovely greatheart.” We give Rio a good sightsee, heading up Corcovado Mountain for its fantastic vistas, exploring the Tijuca National Forest (an urban rain forest!), cruising the city’s offshore islands, strolling its stimulating beaches, and much, exhilaratingly, more. Then, in a grand study in contrasts, we head out to one of the planet’s most beautiful and fascinating places, the Pantanal, earth’s largest wetland, a vast region of fabulous lushness, probably second only to the game lands of East Africa in its abundance of wildlife. Our three-night stay at the Refúgio Ecológico Caiman gives us the chance to make expertly guided explorations in a variety of magnificent Pantanal landscapes.

Days 1 & 2: USA to Salvador de Bahia • Day 3: Salvador de Bahia • Day 4: Bahian countryside • Day 5: fly to Rio • Days 6 & 7: Rio and environs • Day 8: fly to Campo Grande, drive to Refúgio Ecológico Caiman • Days 9 & 10: the Pantanal • Day 11: fly to Rio or São Paulo, overnight flight to USA • Day 12: arrive in USA.

Extension to Iguassu Falls and Buenos Aires
Day 11: fly from the Pantanal to Iguassu Falls • Day 12: Iguassu Falls • Day 13: fly to Buenos Aires • Day 14: Buenos Aires • Day 15: overnight flight to USA • Day 16: arrive in USA.

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