Brazil

Trip to Brazil: from São Paulo to the Amazon

Name: Brazil Soultrip
Brand: Altervan
Price: 3390 EUR
Availability: InStock

São Paulo · Paraty · Rio de Janeiro · Manaus · Amazon

Brazil →

5.0316 Google reviews 12days Group of 1414in the crew

Overview

Brazil. But not just Rio and a photo on Copacabana.

From the metropolis of São Paulo and the streets of Paraty to Rio de Janeiro and its beaches, and from there into the Amazon, this is a Brazil that keeps changing its face.

Roadtrip, tropical nature, cities, beaches, music, rivers and jungle. From the skyscrapers to the point where the roads stop and the trip carries on by boat.

São Paulo. Paraty. Rio. Manaus. Amazon.

Different worlds in a few days. And somewhere in between, we will do what we always do: leave room for everything the programme does not say.

Coming solo. Will I fit in? 75% come solo. By day two, that has changed.

At a glance
Destination	Brazil
Dates	16 Feb 2027 → 27 Feb 2027
Duration	12 days
Group size	up to 14 people
Price	€3,390 / person
Deposit	€800

Included

Return flights Athens - São Paulo - Athens with ITA Airways

Airport taxes

10 nights

Twin rooms in the cities, and the equivalent room arrangements at the Amazon lodge

Road transfers São Paulo - Paraty - Rio as set out in the programme

Domestic flights Rio de Janeiro - Manaus and Manaus - São Paulo

Airport transfers where set out in the programme

Transfer to and from our base in the Amazon

Accommodation and organised activities in the Amazon, as listed in the final detailed programme

Organised visits and activities explicitly listed as included in the programme

Local taxes included in our bookings

Public liability insurance

An Altervan trip leader from Athens and throughout the trip

Not included

Meals and drinks not explicitly listed as included

Personal expenses and shopping

Optional activities outside the programme

Personal transport during free time

SIM / eSIM and personal internet access

Personal travel insurance / cancellation insurance

Anything not explicitly listed as included

The truth before you say yes

Most people come soloBy day two, that has changed.

Twin rooms, in the jungle tooComing solo? You share with someone of the same gender, in the city hotels and at the Amazon lodge.

Lots of flights, little roadSix flights including connections. By road we only drive the coast, from São Paulo to Paraty and on to Rio.

Heat, humidity and insectsIn the Amazon they come with the package. Long sleeves in the evening, insect repellent always on you.

WeatherIf it turns, we change the order of the programme.

Backpack, ideallyA cabin suitcase at most. On the Amazon boats and the six flights, you will thank us for it.

It is for you if…

the jungle pulls you more than the pool
you want a megacity, the coast and the Amazon in one trip
you want to meet people and come home with friends
you prefer real moments to a minute-by-minute schedule

It is probably not for you if…

you want long hours lounging every day
lots of flights and transfers wear you out
insects, heat and humidity drive you up the wall
you expect a classic guided tour with a coach

Altervan trip leaderSecure your seat with a depositEasy cancellation

Itinerary · day by day

First night in São Paulo, a wet avenue through the taxi window

Athens - São Paulo

We leave Athens at 06:00, with a stop in Rome, and land in São Paulo at 18:40. Transfer to the hotel, a first Brazilian meal and bed. Tomorrow we start for real.
Overnight: São Paulo

São Paulo

A full day in Brazil's biggest city. Avenida Paulista, Ibirapuera park, neighbourhoods full of street life and Liberdade, the Japanese quarter of a country with the largest Japanese community outside Japan. São Paulo is not the postcard Brazil, and it takes a little time to get it. In the evening, food and a first night out.
Overnight: São Paulo

Wet cobbles between the colonial houses of Paraty

São Paulo - Paraty

We load the bags and the roadtrip begins. We drive down to the coast, the city gives way to mountains and tropical green, and we reach Paraty: cobbled lanes, white colonial houses with colourful doors and the Atlantic. The historic centre and the area around it are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the evening we get lost in the lanes.
Overnight: Paraty

A wooden schooner anchored by an island in Paraty Bay

Paraty - Rio de Janeiro

We drive on along the coast towards Rio. We keep the day deliberately a little open: depending on the final plan, there is room for a beach, a boat trip in Paraty Bay or a stop along the coast. We reach Rio, drop the bags and head out for a first walk by the sea.
Overnight: Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio's big day. We go up to Cristo Redentor to see from above how mountain, jungle and city tumble into the Atlantic. Then Copacabana, Ipanema and the neighbourhoods that give the city its character. We see the big sights, but we also leave time just to be in Rio.
Overnight: Rio de Janeiro

Rio - Manaus

This is where the trip changes completely. We fly about 3,000 kilometres north to Manaus, the city in the heart of the Amazon where the Rio Negro meets the Solimões. Depending on the flight time, the day stays easy, with a first walk around town and getting ready for the jungle.
Overnight: Manaus

By boat into the flooded forest of the Amazon

Into the Amazon

We leave Manaus behind, and from a certain point on our transport has no wheels: it has an engine and it floats. Rivers, boats, thick tropical forest and our first real day inside the Amazon. We settle into the lodge and start getting to know what lives around us.
Overnight: Amazon

The guide points out two scarlet macaws high in the trees

Amazon wildlife

We wake up in the jungle. We explore by boat and on foot and look for the area's wildlife: monkeys, exotic birds, caimans and, if we are lucky, the pink river dolphins. These are wild animals in their own habitat, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Overnight: Amazon

Roasting manioc flour in an Amazon community

People of the Amazon

The Amazon has people too. We are planning a responsible visit to a local or indigenous community, run by the community itself and for its benefit, together with canoe trips, jungle walks and wildlife spotting. We will announce the exact plan for our Amazon days once the lodge and activities are locked in.
Overnight: Amazon

Morning coffee in a canoe, mist over the river

Amazon - Manaus

A last morning in the jungle and, depending on the final plan, one last activity: sunrise on the river, a canoe or a last jungle walk. Then back to Manaus. A proper room, a proper shower, air conditioning. Last night in Brazil.
Overnight: Manaus

The meanders of the Amazon from the plane window

Manaus - São Paulo - Europe

We fly from Manaus to São Paulo, where we started ten days earlier, and at 20:40 we take off for Rome.
Overnight: in flight

At the airport gate, trip photos on the phone

Back to Athens

We land in Rome at 11:35 and at 15:35 take the last flight of the trip. By 18:35 we are in Athens.

The route

Gallery · Brazil

18 photos

Christ the Redeemer above Rio de Janeiro at sunset, with Sugarloaf Mountain and the bay

A walk in Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo towers behind the lake

Morning runners on the Rio beach promenade

The Selarón steps in Rio, early in the morning

Where the dark Rio Negro meets the brown Solimões

A hammock at the wooden lodge above the river

Sunrise on the Amazon from the bow of a canoe

Answers to your questions

Do I need a visa for Brazil?

No. With a Greek passport you can enter as a tourist for up to 90 days without a visa. You need a passport, as an ID card is not enough, valid for at least 6 months after your return.

Do I need any vaccinations?

Not to enter the country. For the Amazon (Amazonas state, including Manaus) international guidance recommends the yellow fever vaccine, which should be given at least 10 days before you go. The malaria risk in the area is low, but you do need protection from mosquitoes. Check with a travel clinic or your doctor before you leave.

How do I book my seat?

With a deposit of 800 € per person. You pay the rest in instalments, up to one month before departure.

What if I need to cancel?

Everything about cancellations is in our General Terms of Participation, section 5. If anything is not clear, ask us before you book.

I am coming solo. Who will I room with?

Most Altervan travellers come on their own and meet the crew on the trip. Rooms are twin, in the Amazon too, so if you come solo you share with someone from the group of the same gender. We sort out the pairing.

What luggage do I bring?

A cabin suitcase, or better still a backpack. We have six flights including connections, a coastal drive and days on boats in the Amazon, so the lighter you travel, the easier every transfer is.

How hard is it?

It does not take special fitness. It takes the right attitude for long hours on planes and on the road, heat and humidity, and three nights in the jungle with what a lodge there has to offer.

What weather should I expect and what should I pack?

February is summer in Brazil: heat and humidity in São Paulo and Rio, with frequent downpours. In the Amazon it is the rainy season. Bring light clothes that dry fast, a rain jacket, long sleeves and trousers for the mosquitoes in the evening, and shoes you do not mind getting wet.

Will we catch the carnival?

No. The 2027 carnival ends on 9 February, a week before we arrive. You will still find Rio’s energy every night.

Card or cash? Do I need an adapter?

Cards are accepted almost everywhere. Keep a few reais in cash for small shops and for the Amazon. Sockets are type N. Slim European plugs (type C) usually fit, but a universal adapter saves you surprises.

What travelers say 5.0 · 316 Google reviews

€3,390/ person 16–27 FEBRUARY 2027 Deposit €800 / person

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