Quick answer
This Brazil luxury tour flies you from London to Rio de Janeiro, on to Iguassu Falls and then Salvador, with the flight home leaving from Salvador. Flights, transfers and private guides are included, and the itinerary sets out the day plan. Prices are on request, quoted for your dates, and the holiday is ATOL 10713 protected.
You stay at the Belmond Copacabana Palace in Rio, the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas inside the Brazilian national park at Iguassu Falls, and the Pousada do Convento do Carmo in Salvador’s old town. Return flights from London are included, along with every internal flight between the three stops. All airport and hotel transfers are private, in air-conditioned cars. Breakfast is included daily, and the stay at Hotel das Cataratas is on an all-inclusive basis. Guided touring is private: Corcovado and Sugarloaf in Rio, and a walking tour of the Pelourinho in Salvador. At the falls you walk the Brazilian-side trails at your own pace. Prices are per person, based on two adults sharing, and the holiday is protected under ATOL 10713.
Why You'll Love It
Two Belmond hotels and a converted convent
Each base is a landmark in its own right, from Rio’s beachfront to Salvador’s colonial centre.
The falls before the gates open
As park-hotel guests, you can walk to the falls at dawn and dusk, when the day visitors have gone.
Private guides in Rio and the Pelourinho
No group coach: your guide works to your pace on Corcovado, Sugarloaf and Salvador’s old streets.
Day by Day
You land at Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão airport, where a representative meets you and takes you to a private, air-conditioned car. Your driver takes you straight to the Belmond Copacabana Palace, your hotel for the next three nights. Check in, then walk the Copacabana promenade if you have the energy. The rest of the day is free to rest and adjust.
A private guide takes you up Corcovado by cog train, through the Tijuca Forest, to the foot of the Christ the Redeemer statue and its view over the city. Later you ride the cable car to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, timed for the late afternoon, with Guanabara Bay below as the sun goes down.
The day is yours. Spend it on Copacabana or Ipanema beach, walk the hillside lanes and art studios of Santa Teresa, or visit the Museum of Tomorrow on the waterfront. If you would rather stay put, the Copacabana Palace has its pool and spa.
After breakfast, a private transfer takes you to the airport for your flight to Foz do Iguaçu. Another private transfer meets you there for the drive to the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas, the only hotel inside the Brazilian side of Iguassu National Park. Once you have checked in, walk down to the falls after the day crowds have left.
Wake to the sound of the water and spend the day on the Brazilian-side trails at your own pace, with wide views across the 275 individual falls. An optional excursion to the Argentine side adds a different angle, including the walkway out to the edge of the Devil’s Throat. The whole site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This morning you transfer to the airport for your flight to Salvador, the centre of Afro-Brazilian culture. A private transfer takes you to the Pousada do Convento do Carmo, a converted 16th-century convent in the Pelourinho, the UNESCO-listed historic centre. Spend the afternoon on the cobbled streets and colonial squares around the hotel.
A private guide walks you through the Pelourinho’s painted streets, baroque churches and old squares. You hear how Salvador served as Brazil’s first capital, and how capoeira, samba and the Candomblé religion grew here. In the evening you may hear an Olodum drum rehearsal carrying through the streets.
Your last full day in Brazil is free. Go back to a favourite corner of the Pelourinho, shop for local crafts at the Mercado Modelo, or take a day trip to a beach such as Praia do Forte. Or stay in and enjoy the hotel before tomorrow’s departure.
After breakfast there is time for a final walk or some last souvenir shopping. At the agreed time your private driver collects you from the hotel for the transfer to Salvador’s international airport and your flight home.
Where You'll Stay
5-star hotel
The Copacabana Palace has faced Copacabana Beach since 1923, and its Art Deco frontage is one of Rio's best-known buildings. Across the road is the beach, and inside are a large pool, a spa and several restaurants. It works well as a first base, since you can walk the promenade straight from the door. Your room category is confirmed with your quote.
5-star hotel
Hotel das Cataratas is a pastel-pink, colonial-style building and the only hotel inside Brazil's Iguassu National Park. Its standout is timing: guests reach the falls outside public opening hours, while the trails are quiet. The grounds are surrounded by rainforest, and there is an outdoor pool for the hot afternoons. Your room category is confirmed with your quote.
5-star hotel
The Pousada do Convento do Carmo is a restored 16th-century convent in the Pelourinho, Salvador's historic centre. The building keeps its cloisters, and the swimming pool sits in the central courtyard, a rare thing in the old town. Rooms are set within the convent buildings. The churches and squares of the Pelourinho start at the front door. Your room category is confirmed with your quote.
| ✈ Flights | Return flights from UK included |
| 🧳 Baggage | 23kg checked baggage |
| 🏛 Hotel | 8 nights accommodation |
| 🚌 Transfers | Private airport transfers |
| ✈ Airport Taxes | All airport taxes included |
| 💳 Deposit | 30% per person to secure booking |
The overnight flight from Heathrow lands in Rio in the morning. That is why the free day sits there. It soaks up jet lag and gives you a spare day if cloud hides Christ the Redeemer.
Iguassu is the hinge between the south-east and the north-east, so it goes in the middle. Finishing in Salvador means you fly home from there instead of going back to Rio.
Rio (Galeão) to Foz do Iguaçu is about two hours non-stop. Foz to Salvador is roughly 2,200 km and non-stops are scarce, so expect a connection, usually in São Paulo, and most of a day in transit. All three cities keep Brasília time, so your watch never changes between stops.
| Stop | At its best | The trade-off | October to December |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio de Janeiro | June to August, the driest months | December to March, hotter and wetter, January wettest | Warm, with showers more frequent by December |
| Iguassu Falls | December to March, when the water is usually highest | Lower flow June to August, and it varies year to year | Flow building as the rains arrive |
| Salvador | September to March, the drier half of the year | April to July brings about half the year's rain, May the most | Dry and hot, the best of the three |
Put together, November and December suit all three stops. Public opening at the park is normally 9am to 4pm, which is why the early and late walks from the hotel are worth setting an alarm for.
The outbound flight from Heathrow to Rio is non-stop, about 11 hours 45 minutes, leaving late in the evening. Salvador has no non-stop to the UK, so the flight home connects. Lisbon is the usual routing, with São Paulo or Rio as the alternatives.
British passport holders can visit Brazil for tourism for up to 90 days without a visa. Your passport needs at least six months' validity from the day you arrive. Check the officer stamps it, as an unstamped passport can mean a fine when you leave.
TravelHealthPro recommends yellow fever vaccination for Rio de Janeiro state, city included, and for Paraná, which takes in Iguazu Falls. In Bahia it covers designated areas only, so ask your clinic about Salvador. No certificate is checked at entry. With dengue, chikungunya and Oropouche circulating, use repellent daily.
The FCDO is blunt. Street robbery is common in Brazilian cities, and phone snatching peaks between 4pm and 9pm. Stay out of favelas and don't let a map app route you through one. Keep off beaches after dark and use official taxis.
The areas the FCDO advises against are remote Amazonas rivers, nowhere near this route. Avoid demonstrations around the 25 October 2026 election run-off. Private drivers meet you at every airport, which covers the moments visitors are most exposed.
Still weighing up routes? Our guide explains how to choose a luxury Brazil itinerary. To add Machu Picchu, look at the Peru, Argentina and Brazil tour.
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