Brazil Family adventure: waterfalls, bikes, and desert islands

Day 1: Origin – Curitiba

Airport arrival at Curitiba, capital of Parana state and transfer to our hotel.

And as good as fresh coffee, you can’t wait to drink it, the best time to start the trip is now. Soon after checking in, mounted on our bikes, we’ll visit some of the most welcoming and important coffee shops of Curitiba, tasting the best Brazilian coffee prepared by rewarded baristas in Brazil and abroad.

Each of the stops is made with a commented tasting, giving coffee lovers contact with at least 4 different types of specialty coffees. But not only the types of coffee show us the diversity of this delicious universe; in the Coffee Bike Tour we will be amazed at the different brewing processes offered by coffeehouses of Curitiba, such as the traditional espresso, the French press, aero press and differentiated brewed using the Hario V-60. Because coffee is a good partner for all hours and cafeterias in Curitiba offer us the best in specialties! Accommodation.

Night at Bristol Centro Cívico or similar | Luxo Room.

Included: driver + guide , private service , arrival transfer , departure transfer , guide included

Day 2: Curitiba- Morretes

After breakfast, we check out and leave Curitiba towards Portal Estrada da Graciosa. From here, we’ll mount our bikes again until reaching Morretes, witnessing the incredible scenery amid Serra do Mar.

We will have lunch in Morretes a typical regional dish called barreado and seafood.

After lunch, we’ll take a walk in the historic downtown of the city; facing the Serra do Mar Mountains, we’ll see the train station, which is where most Morretes’ visitors arrive. From there, we can stroll through the town and discover its curiosities. Older houses were built facing the Nhundiaquara River. We’ll go to Casa Rocha Pombo, a cultural center built in honor of the multifaceted Rocha Pombo who was an acclaimed historian, teacher, writer, and politician. Later we visit the Church of St. Benedict, built in the colonial style and a tower added over half a century later at the behest of Captain Robert France. During the walking tour, we’ll also have a chance to see the local art craft, visiting a street fair with different kinds of products to eat, to wear, for decoration and souvenirs. Finally, we go to our pousada to check in and rest.

Night at Pousada Casas Di Monte or similar l Standard Room.

Included: private service , transport , activity with guide , bike , lunch Box , mineral water , lunch included , arrival transfer , walking tour , room, and breakfast

Day 3: Morretes- Ilha do Mel

After breakfast, we will go out for a bike ride in Morretes through rural villages, crossing rivers and streams, fountains of water, places with mountain views, an artisanal cachaça mill, natural pools, a small waterfall, lakes, woods, and a suspension bridge.

We will return to the pousada to check out and go to Pontal to catch the ferry bound for Ilha do Mel, a beautiful island located in Paranaguá city with 25km of beach and quite a lot of preserved area. We’ll go to our lodge and enjoy a free afternoon in Ilha do Mel. Accommodation.

Night at Pousada das Meninas or similar | Mezanino “Saquinho” Room

Included: activity with guide , bike , guide included, driver + guide , private service , arrival transfer , room and breakfast

Day 4: Ilha do Mel

Free Day in Ilha do Mel

The island has 25 beautiful beaches, deserted or with little urbanization, we can find some small villages among them: Encantadas, Nova Brasilia, Farol, Praia Grande and Fortaleza. To preserve the environment and prevent the degradation of the island, the number of visitors is limited to 5,000 people per day. The visitation by the island is made in delimited spaces, as it is not allowed the access of much of its territory that is preservation area. The main sights of Ilha do Mel are the Encantadas Cave, the Conchas Lighthouse, and the Fortress S. dos Prazeres, all open for public viewing.

Night at Pousada das Meninas or similar | Mezanino “Saquinho” Room

Included: room and breakfast

Day 5 -Serra Grande

In the morning we will take a guided tour of the Cocoa plantation of the Juerana farm. The trail passes through the Atlantic Forest with the cocoa trees that grow under the large trees. Our guide will explain the system and planting techniques. We will also learn about the fermentation system, the drying, (barge) and the artisanal chocolate factory, as well as the farm and its surrounding gardens.

Later, from the headquarters of the Floresta Viva Institute, we will learn about the restoration project of tropical forests through the nursery where innumerable sprouts of native trees of the Atlantic Forest are produced. A forestry engineer will show us the various stages of a reforestation with native trees, and then we will follow an ecological trail in the middle of the Atlantic Forest near the headquarters of the Institute, to identify these species in adult stage such as Pau-Brasil, Pau d’arco, Conduru and others.

Night at the Hotel Fazenda Juerana or similar – Standard room.

Included: activity with guide , driver + guide , private service , room, and breakfast

Day 6 – Serra Grande – Taboquinhas – Itacare

In the morning, transfer to Taboquinhas where we will visit a community near Rio das Contas that elaborates artisanal chocolate. This program has been developed by small farmers so that we can have the possibility of making our own chocolate.
We walk from the Active Base to the cocoa plantation of a small farmer in the neighborhood to learn from the cocoa culture. From the harvest of the fruit, we will continue with the traditional process, breaking the hard shell and manually extracting the seeds to deposit them inside a wooden box.
Then our guide Beto prepares the withdrawal of the honey. The seeds, wrapped with pulp, are pressed gently and little by little, until they release a liquid called cocoa honey.
We experience this delicacy described by its discoverers as “a nectar of the gods”. Afterwards, we toast and peel the seeds manually to then be beaten on the pylon and bring the cocoa mass to the wood stove. We mix it with other ingredients and mix the dough in the pot to finally get the real chocolate. Then we just have to wait for it to cool down to taste this delight. We take the opportunity and pack some samples to take home.

After lunch, we’ll take the afternoon to visit the chocolate factory and taste it’s delicious varieties. And then we transfer to Itacare, a charming surf town where we’ll spend the night.

Transfer from Taboquinhas to Itacare.

Night at the Pousada Ilha Verde Itacaré or similar | Standard Room.

Included: only Driver (Portuguese speaking) , private service , arrival transfer , activity with guide , lunch included , luggage handler , transport , room, and breakfast

Day 7 – Itacare – Peninsula de Marau

After breakfast, we travel overland to Cassange community within Maraú Peninsula. Here we can find some of the best beaches of the Brazilian coast which combine with a paradisiacal freshwater lagoon, both in which we can take baths and watch the sunset. Free time to have lunch. Dinner and accommodation.

Night at the Pousada Lagoa do Cassange or similar l Coqueiral Room.

Included: private service , arrival transfer , room, and breakfast

Day 8 – Pensinsula de Marau

After breakfast we will leave in a 4WD vehicle to the beaches of Barra Grande. In this paradisiacal scenario we will have all day to rest or choose between optional activities, such as kitesurfing, taking baths in the sea, visiting craft shops, or mixing with the cozy local atmosphere. But… we can’t miss the sunset!

Night at the Pousada Lagoa do Cassange or similar l Coqueiral Room.

Included: room and breakfast

Day 9: Peninsula de Marau- Ilheus- Salvador

After breakfast and check out, we will go by land transfer to Ilhéus airport to board to Salvador. Airport arrival at Salvador. Salvador de Bahia is the cradle of the Afro-Brazilian culture and offers the visitor many popular delights with its cuisine, music, enchantment, and cheerfulness. From the airport, transfer to our accommodation place situated next to the city center known as the Pelourinho. Here we will find the most important architectural collection of Hispanic-America and it is also the meeting point for all the locals. Accommodation.

Night at the Hotel Cruz do Pascoal or similar | Suite Standard (With Balcony).

Included: only Driver (Portuguese speaking) , private service , departure transfer , driver
+ guide , arrival transfer , room, and breakfast

Day 10: Salvador

After breakfast we will leave walking from the pousada and visit the main attractions of Salvador’s historic downtown: the famous Pelourinho, which is the largest collection of colonial building in Latin America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will walk the streets with their colonial neighborhood cobbled sidewalks surrounded by houses in pastel colors. Then we visit the exuberant São Francisco Church, the Cathedral, where we will see the imposing baroque tropical progression with its first trends of the Rococo refinement.

We continue to the Praça Municipal where we will be above the Cidade Baixa, with wonderful views of the Baía de Todos los Santos. Return to the pousada.

Accommodation.

Later, we leave towards a studio where we will be under the professional guidance of a local percussion expert to learn and put into context various aspects of the percussive jungle that is Bahia, focusing on the most important and accessible rhythms in a workshop that is instructive, interactive, interesting, and fun.

Accommodation.

Night at the Hotel Cruz do Pascoal or similar | Suite Standard (With Balcony).

Included: activity with guide , entrance fees , private service , walking tour , driver + guide , room and breakfast

Day 11: Salvador

In the morning, we leave the city behind to explore the agricultural hinterland on the western side of the Baía de Todos os Santos. This is the land of sugarcane plantations, peaceful colonial towns, and their markets. We go north out of the city and then west, stopping in the bustling country market town of Santo Amaro. We will continue going west through some hills to Cachoeira. After lunch (not included), we will make a walking tour of the city. We cross the west bank of the river and visit the Cultural Center Danemann where we can also see the preparation of world-class cigars. A journey through time back to the Brazil of the past.

By Night, we leave bound for the Rio Vermelho neighborhood, which has plenty of bars, restaurants and (botecos) pubs, the last being key to the charm of the neighborhood where the boteco tradition represents a bohemian lifestyle, offering an informal atmosphere where friends meet and drink an ice-cold beer or their favorite cachaça, always accompanied by snacks. The neighborhood is also home to three of the most famous acarajé Baianas in the city that sell the best of Bahian street food. Rounding out Rio Vermelho’s attractions, we’ll hear the best local live music in its many forms, from traditional to contemporary, that all the bars offer.

Night at the Hotel Cruz do Pascoal or similar | Suite Standard (With Balcony).

Included: activity with guide , driver + guide , private service , room, and breakfast

Day 12: Salvador

Our day starts with a story of Neguinho do Samba, who was the innovator of the samba–reggae percussive storm that powered the world famous Olodum drumming troupe. He later went on to form the Banda Feminina Didá, the pioneering and now renowned all-women percussion group. Their performances are a mixture of grace, skill, and full-on driving percussion. The group has an inspiring social program working with underprivileged women and kids. We’ll visit the groups’ headquarters in the historical center where we’ll be welcomed by one of the leaders who will introduce us to their origins and works, while we make a short stroll through the place.

Later, we’ll have another perspective of the city`s expansion, taking us to the quiet waters of Itapagipe Peninsula, where life moves at a slower pace than the bustling Cidade Alta (upper city). We will see fishermen in their canoes “escavadas”, locals collecting shellfish at low tide, anchored schooners, all protected by the famous Bonfim Church, one of the most important churches of pilgrimage in Brazil and deeply related to Candomblé. We will continue in the Monserrat district with its panoramic view of the city and the Mercado Modelo, a thriving market for local artifacts and souvenirs. This is also where you can test your trading skills!

By Night we leave bound for Miguel Santana Theatre to watch the presentation of the Companhia de Balé Folclórico da Bahia. The company performs in the intimacy of Miguel Santana Theatre in the Pelourinho in a seamless presentation of the multiple African traditions that shape Bahian culture. We will see the sacred dances of Candomblé; “puxada de rede” a song by fishermen in honor of Yemanja, the goddess of the sea; maculelê, a stick and sword dance acrobatics with its origins in the cane fields; capoeira, a martial art / dance of Angolan origin and the samba de roda, a spinning, a version of this exuberant national dance. At the end of the show, time for dinner and we return to the pousada.

Night at the Hotel Cruz do Pascoal or similar | Suite Standard (With Balcony).

Day 13

Transfer to the airport of Salvador for departure to our next destination.

Included: driver + guide , private service , departure transfer