Washington and Lee University
From the shores of Rio de Janeiro, to the Baroque treasures of the colonial city of Salvador and on to the mighty Amazon River, Brazil is both a complex and diverse country, a nation of superlatives in virtually every way. This inclusive land and river itinerary showcases the world’s fifth largest nation and its remarkable cultural mix of contrasting regions, peoples, and extraordinary natural treasures.
Our journey begins in Rio de Janeiro, arguably the most beautiful city in South America, with its legendary beaches, historical districts, and architectural treasures. After four days in Rio, we journey to Salvador da Bahia, a UNESCO world cultural monument known as The Soul of Brazil to discover its rich colonial architecture, art, history and folklore. Our tour culminates with an Amazon River cruise departing from Manaus, the colorful river port and historic rubber boom city, situated on the left bank of the Rio Negro.
From Manaus, in the tradition of history’s great adventures, we’ll delve into the depths of one of the most exciting tropical ecosystems on earth, the Amazon Basin, as we navigate for five days the enormous and beautiful Rio Negro and eventually the Amazon River itself.We’ll see the river’s forests and look for pink dolphins, scarlet macaws, yellow- headed caracaras, piranhas, caiman, howler monkeys and more! Our ship for our four-night cruise is the 74-cabin Iberostar Grand Amazon, the only luxury vessel navigating this part of the Amazon. The Grand Amazon boasts spacious cabins with private balconies and an expansive observation deck that provide an everchanging view of the Amazon’s exotic landscape. Those who wish to explore Brazil further can arrive early and fly to Iguaçu Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world, for an optional pre-tour extension in the lush rain forests of Iguaçu National Park.
Traveling with us throughout Brazil will be Marco Lima. Marco has served as the naturalist guide for the National Geographic on the Amazon (see the January 2007 issue) and recently served as the naturalist guide for the BBC’s documentary entitled, “The Tribes of the Amazon.” In addition to other expertise, we’ll visit with W&L economics Professor James Kahn in Manaus to learn more about W&L’s research facility in the Amazon forest.
Download the complete itinerary and registration form (.pdf)