Itinerary
Days 1-4: Rio to Ouro Preto
We leave the stunning views of Rio behind and head north to the mountain retreat of Teresopolis. The road winds up the hillside through jungle, with dramatic peaks towering overhead. We have a free day where we can visit the Parque Nacional Da Serra Dos Argaos and walk trails to waterfalls, with stunning views of obscurely shaped mountain tops.
Continuing north we make a short stop in Congonhas to see 12 lifelike Old Testament figures sculpted from soapstone, which stand proudly outside the Basilica do Bom Jesus de Matosinhos. Our journey takes us to quite possibly the most significant and beautiful colonial town of the area, Ouro Preto. Even vehicles are not able to navigate the narrow and winding cobbled streets. The biggest attraction is the Minas de Passagem (Gold Mine) – antique cable cars take you underground in to the mine which was originally opened in 1719.
Day 5-9: Ouro Preto to Caravelas
We explore the coastline, home of some of Brazil’s best and least known beaches and far less populated with tourists than the resorts of Recife and Rio. We will either stay in locally owned Pousadas (guesthouses) or camp under the stars, as we pass through Linhares to Itaunas. Time can be spent exploring this sleepy fishing village or wandering the dune trails and relaxing on the beach.
Cavavelas is our next destination, on the mangrove lined Rio Caravelas. We have the option to take a day trip to the nearby reefs in Parque Nacional Marinho de Abrolhos, where there is the chance to swim with sea turtles. Alternatively the day can be spent on the beach or wandering along the riverfront.
Day 10-16: Caravelas to Salvador Elevado Lacerda
Venturing further north, we pass by some of the more remote beaches, and if time allows, we may also stop off in Parque Nacional Monte Pascoal which is controlled by the local Pataxo (pa-ta-sho) Indians. Here we can walk the trails to try to spot the endangered spider monkey, sloths, porcupines, capybara, deer, elusive jaguar and numerous species of bird.
Porto Seguro is our next stop and is the region where Portuguese sailors first landed in the New World over 500 years ago, and where you can still see relics from those early settlement days. A steep climb up to Cidade Historica will be rewarded with sweeping views, colourful old buildings and museums. Porto Seguro is also known for its nightlife and ‘beach action!’
We then take the ferry across Brazil’s largest bay, Baia de Todos os Santos, and arrive in the Afro-Brazilian city of Salvador. Around 40% of all African slaves transported to the new world, came to Salvador and this has left a very particular vibe – tropical, soulful and intoxicating, that is unique to this corner of Brazil. The centre is separated by a steep bluff, in to the Cidade Alta (Upper City) and Baixa (Lower City) and access is gained in the beautifully restored art-decoelevator – Elevado Lacerda. We have a few days to wander and take in the music, cuisine and religion of the region. You can also stop off in the Praca da Se and watch locals practicing the dance fighting known as Capoeira.
Day 17-22: Salvador to Palmas
Heading west, we come to the quaint town of Lencois. With its cobbled streets and brightly painted 19th Century buildings, it’s the prettiest of the old diamond mining towns. The mighty Fumaca waterfalls, various caves and idyllic rivers and panoramic plateaus set the stage for some fantastic adventures. Or maybe just wander the streets, grab a coffee, take in the local life and enjoy some of the excellent cuisine.
After a night quite possibly spent under the stars, we continue into the interior where roads start to become more arduous, and we make a stop in Navidade, in the green and wooded valley of Serra Geral. More cobbled streets and prettily painted, tile roofed 18th and 19th Century houses await and we have time to explore the town before following the highway north and to reach the confusing layout of Palmas. The Tocantins state capital was only constructed in 1989 and has a sort of ‘planned weirdness’ about its streets.
Days 23 – 29 Palmas to Taquarucu and Belem
We move on to the cozy town of Taquarucu, some 30kms South East of Palmas, where we spend the next few nights.
The local tourism boards have worked together to try to create Taquarucuas an eco tourism mecca. In the area there are some 80 waterfalls, caves and pools, which we’ll have time to explore. For those that want to go wildlife spotting, several optional tours are available to the nearby parks of Estadual do Jalapao and Ilha do Bananal. In the latter, there is a good chance to see dolphins, caiman, giant river turtles and lots of bird life. Although difficult and unpredictable, you may also catch a glimpse of a Tapir or Jaguar!
Next we start a long drive north towards Belem on the Atlantic coast. Upon its completion in the 1960s this road was heralded as a feat of engineering as it overcame the unforgiving Amazon to allow people and goods to be transported from the Brazilian interior to the ports of Belem for exportation. Now the rainforest has given way to further development and we pass through vast stretches of farmland, camping overnight in remote Postos before arriving in Belem. We have a couple of days here to enjoy the city and wander the riverside walkways of the mighty Amazon.
Day 30-35: Belem to Cayenne in French Guiana
Today we board a boat, and hang up our hammocks ready for the journey across the mighty Amazon delta. Nothing can prepare you for the sheer size of this area, as it will take us 24 hours to journey from Belem on the south bank to Macapa on the north.
Macapa is an overnight stop as we wait for our truck to arrive on a separate ferry from Belem. This gives us time to explore this commercial hub where gold, iron, timber, oil and tin ore pass through on its way to neighbouring Santana. The Equator also runs through the centre of the city, which has lead residents to call it ‘The capital of the middle of the world’.
We journey north on dirt roads, quite possibly having to use our sand mats to make it through the mud and to reconstruct wooden bridges!
Oiapoque is the gateway to French Guiana, and here so we pass through European immigration and customs before , we continue on to the capital of Cayenne where we normally apply for our Suriname visas.
Cayenne is full of colonial architecture that just has to be explored. The two most impressive are the town hall, built by the Jesuits in 1890, and St. Saviours Roman Catholic Cathedral. The city’s botanical gardens are also worth a look, or just chill out on the mail square with a beer, watch the world go by and try some of the fantastic street food. Depending on the timing of our visa applications, and when we can collect our passports, the order of the following destinations may change around.
Day 36-39: Cayenne to St. Laurent du Maroni
Kourou is a real highlight of our journey, as we can visit the European Spaceport where we can take a tour of the site. A large percentage of the worlds satellites are launched from here aboard the famous Ariane rockets. More recently Russian Soyuz rockets have also used this facility and if we’re lucky we may even see a launch! Time allowing we will also visit Devil’s Island, prior home to one of France’s most notorious prisons.
We may then return to Cayenne to collect our passports and spend another night in the vibrant city, before journeying west to St Laurent. Along the way we will stop head to an area on the coast which is a nesting site for 4 of the world’s most famous turtle species. Nothing can compare coming up close and personal to a giant leatherback turtle. April is normally the start of nesting time, where turtles make the journey up the beach to deposit their eggs in the warm sand. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for sightings.
Founded in 1880, the penal town of St. Laurent du Maroni was inhabited almost entirely with guards or liberated prisoners from the nearby Transportation Camp. Here the famous writer Henri Charriere, who went on to write Papillon, spent some of his days before being moved to the ‘inescapable’ Iles du Salut prison. An informative optional tour takes us in to the camp and gives us a snap shot of quite how hard life would have been here.
Day 40-44: Paramaribo & Jungle excursions
Leaving French Guyana behind we take another ferry and cross into Suriname, where we feel the atmosphere and culture palpably change from French to Dutch. Suriname was a colonial outpost of the Netherlands from the seventeenth century until it achieved full independence in 1975; the country retains much of its Dutch character, while also having the distinctly Caribbean and African feel that permeates the whole region. Throw in some indigenous cultures and you have a unique and intoxicating mix!
We follow the road west and cross the Suriname River on the Jules Wijdenboschbrug (bridge) and arrive in Suriname’s capital, Paramaribo. Positioned where the Surname river meets the Atlantic Ocean, Paramaribo is a typically relaxed Caribbean city, with a long waterfront ideal for sitting back and relaxing in the cooling winds while watching local life go by.
The historic inner city of Paramaribo is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and walking the streets here the fusion between colonial, Caribbean and local architecture is pronounced as European styles were combined with local materials to produce a style of construction that is only found in this city.
Throughout the city there are many signs hinting at Paramaribo’s multicultural history and present day, and it is possible to visit the Suriname Mosque, Neveh Shalom Synagogue, St Peter and St Paul Cathedral and Arya Dawaker Hindu Temple, as well as the grand presidential palace. In the evenings head for the river, and join a river cruise to hopefully spot rare freshwater dolphins.
After a couple of nights in Paramaribo to relax and recharge our batteries we now include a jungle excursion before we continue our adventure. We’ll drive inland for a couple of hours and then travel by motorised canoe from Pokigron to our resort near the foot of the Felullasifalls on the Suriname river. We’ll have a a couple of nights here to explore the surrounding Amazon rainforest and several Maroon villages. Here we will learn about the Saramaccan culture and visit local villages. You could also go looking for caimans on a nocturnal cruise, and swim from a sandy beach or enjoy a natural jacuzzi in the rapids.
Day 45-49: Paramaribo to Georgetown
After returning to Paramiaribo we take to the truck again and following the coastal road west we reach the banks of the Courantyn River, which forms the (contested) border between Surname and Guyana. We cross by ferry and continue to travel along the coast towards Georgetown, Guyana’s capital. On the way there is an optional overnight visit to Bigi Pan, the largest lagoon in Suriname. This area has received international recognition because of the hundreds of thousands of migratory birds including flamingos and the striking scarlet ibis that use the lagoon as their feeding area. As well as the birdlife the area hosts many reptiles, snakes and extensive mangrove swamps.
As a former British colony, Guyana offers something different again to the previous countries we have visited so far, but still has a distinctly Afro-Caribbean feel; strolling around Georgetown you could be forgiven at times for thinking you were in one of the many other past British territories in the region, such as Jamaica or even Barbados!
Guyana, which was granted independence in 1966, is the only English-speaking country in South America, and is to many an unknown entity, relatively untouched by mass tourism. For a small and often forgotten country, however, it punches well above its weight, offering some of the most pristine and ecologically diverse and plentiful rainforest found anywhere, the world’s highest single drop waterfall, and a rich and established cultural history, with many noted poets, musicians and literary figures coming from its small population. Rhianna is half-Guyanese, too, should that be of any interest.
We will spend a few nights in Georgetown, from where it is possible to take an optional flight and short hike to visit Kaieteur Falls in Kaieteur National Park in the Amazon rainforest. At 221 metres, Kaieteur Falls is the world’s highest single drop waterfall. Set in a stunning location, the falls and surrounding area are for many visitors to Guyana the highlight of their travels, as their remoteness and obscurity make you feel that you are really seeing a part of the world that very few people have ever been to.
Day 50-55: Georgetown to Boa Vista
After our time in Georgetown, we then head south, away from the coast, and into the dense rainforest of Guyana. The main road has been massively improved in recent years following investment provided by the Brazilian government, but we will allow several days to fully explore the area, getting onto much rougher roads and heading into the jungle to camp at a forest resort. From here you can visit a high canopy walkway in the Kkokrama forest to view the rainforest from an elevated perspective and come eye-to-eye with some of the plentiful tropical bird life. You can also take boat tours looking for wildlife including toucans and red howler monkeys. This region has a reputation for being one of the best places to spot the elusive jaguar, so if we keep our eyes peeled we may be lucky!
Continuing south we leave the jungle and enter more open savannah regions near Rupupnuni where there are canoeing, horse riding and wildlife viewing opportunities on the Panorama Nature Trail.
After an unforgettable few days travelling through the Guyanese Amazon we reach the border and re-enter Brazil and drive to Boa Vista, where we can take a well earned shower and enjoy some locally caught fish in one of the riverside restaurants.
Day 56-62: Boa Vista to Manaus
We drive southwards from Boa Vista through an Indigeneous Wairmiri Reserve to rejoin the Amazon River at Manaus. You can finish your trip after a night here, or take a final included expedition into the Amazon jungle in search of more wildlife and to discover more of the different indigenous people who live in the area. There are chances to learn about different plant species that are used for medications, fish for piranhas, and take guided walks in the forest.
Finally the trip finishes with a final night back in Manaus. The open air markets are well worth visiting here, with great souvenirs and local crafts available. The famous Amazonas Opera House is also good to see before you leave the city.
