Published: February, 2019
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Rio De Janeiro & Amazon Rainforest, Brazil

A little city, a little beach, a little rainforest - a little something for everyone!
— Meredith Brown Calkins
  • More about your Oliver Guide:
  • Trip type: Adult, Family, Beach, City
  • Activity level: moderate
  • Ideal length of trip: 5 Days (Rio) & 4 Days (Amazon Rainforest)

to & from

We flew from Denver to Atlanta (3 hour flight) and then Atlanta to Rio (9-hour flight). Note: if you travel in late spring/summer before Daylight Savings there’s just a minimal 1-hour time change from EST as they don’t spring forward when we do!

  • From Rio we flew to Manaus to access the Amazon Rainforest, which was a 4 hour flight (1 hour time change) from Rio. If possible, flight wise, would recommend flying directly out of Manaus to the US when flying home rather then backtracking south to Rio.

Where to Stay

Rio:
We traveled with our 3 daughters (ages 12, 10 & 6) for Spring Break in late March. We couldn’t decide between the Copacabana Palace and the Fasano Hotel so we stayed a few nights in both! Copacabana is a classic hotel with a ton of history. They have a great pool (although shady in the afternoon) and poolside cafe for breakfast & lunch. Copacabana Beach is pretty busy & commercial, think Venice/Santa Monica. Fasano is just a short mile north on Ipanema Beach, which is cleaner and better for actual “beach time”. Fasano Hotel is pretty chic, with a nightclub and fine dining restaurant in the lobby and amazing rooftop pool and bar, accessible only to guests.

Amazon Rainforest:
We stayed at the all-inclusive Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge. The words “all-inclusive” would typically scare us away but this was a GREAT way to see the rainforest and made planning very easy. The lodge was high-end compared to anything else right in the heart of the rainforest. It was about a 2-hour ride from Manaus to the lodge. They provided private transportation to/from Manaus. The same owner has a property, Villa Amazonia, in Manaus where we stayed the night we flew in from Rio. We stayed for 4-days & 3-nights which was good amount of time. You do 2 “activities” per day including kayaking, piranha fishing, an evening boat ride to spot animals, etc. In between and after activities you have free time to swim/paddleboard in the amazon, read a book, nap or just enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

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