Natural Wonders of Brazil – 12-Day Self-Launched Adventure

Fly into Galeão (GIG) or Santos Dumont (SDU) and take the local BRT or a 99/Uber to your hostel in Botafogo or Copacabana (roughly £4–7). Check in, get a Brazilian SIM (Vivo/Claro eSIM from ~£5 for 10GB) and a Rio Card for metro and buses. Spend the late afternoon walking Copacabana beach, grab an açaí or a prato feito (rice, beans, meat) at a neighbourhood 'por quilo' buffet for £4–6, and plan tomorrow's sightseeing. Book your Corcovado + Sugarloaf tickets online tonight to skip queues.

🚌Airport BRT/Uber to hostel (~£5)

🛏Hostel dorm in Botafogo or Copacabana (£12–16/night)

• →Copacabana beach walk
• →Buy Rio Card and SIM card
• →Evening on the promenade

Start early: take the metro to Cosme Velho and ride the Corcovado rack-and-pinion train up through Tijuca forest to Christ the Redeemer (train ticket ~£17 return; book Corcovado online in advance — it sells out). After descending, take a bus or Uber to Urca and ride the two-stage cable car up Sugarloaf (~£17). Skip pricey restaurant lunches; eat at a boteco in Urca. Evening: sunset at Praia Vermelha, then a cheap dinner in Botafogo.

🚌Metro + bus/Uber (~£6)

🛏Hostel dorm in Botafogo or Copacabana (£12–16/night)

• →Corcovado train and Christ the Redeemer
• →Sugarloaf Mountain cable car
• →Urca and Praia Vermelha walk

Morning free for a wander around Lapa's Selarón Steps and the aqueduct, or a dip at Ipanema. Mid-afternoon fly GIG/SDU to Foz do Iguaçu (Foz) — book a low-cost flight (GOL, LATAM or Azul) 4–8 weeks out for £70–110 one way. From the airport, take the local bus (line 120) into town for ~£1. Check into a hostel in central Foz, stock up on snacks, and eat at a churrascaria or por-quilo buffet for £6–9.

🚌Domestic flight Rio–Foz (~£90) plus airport bus (~£1)

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in Foz do Iguaçu (£12–18/night)

• →Lapa and Selarón Steps
• →Flight to Foz do Iguaçu

Take the national park bus (line 120 from town, ~£1) into Iguaçu National Park. Entry to the Brazilian side is ~£16. Follow the panoramic trail with the classic close-up view into Devil's Throat, then add the optional boat safari (Macuco Safari, ~£35) if you want to get soaked under the falls. Bring your own lunch and plenty of water. Afternoon: relax at the hostel pool or visit the free Marco das Três Fronteiras for sunset. Pre-book your Argentine-side transfer for tomorrow.

🚌Local bus to park (~£1)

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in Foz do Iguaçu (£12–18/night)

• →Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls
• →Devil's Throat viewpoint
• →Optional Macuco boat safari
• →Marco das Três Fronteiras

Cross the border early with a shared transfer or local bus (bus to Argentine border + onward bus, total ~£6–10; bring your passport and pay any reciprocity/entry checks as required). The Argentine side (entry ~£20) has the Upper and Lower Circuits and the train to Devil's Throat — allow 4–5 hours. Don't miss the coatis and toucans. Afternoon back across the border, collect bags and take the late flight Foz do Iguaçu to Brasília (~£85–120, 2h). Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Plano Piloto area.

🚌Border transfer/bus (~£8) + domestic flight Foz–Brasília (~£100)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Brasília (£15–22/night)

• →Argentine side of Iguazu Falls
• →Upper and Lower Circuits
• →Devil's Throat train

Much of On The Go's Brasília day is free to do yourself. Buy a day metro/bus pass and follow the Eixo Monumental on foot and by bus: Metropolitan Cathedral (Niemeyer's crown of glass), Itamaraty Palace, the Ministries Boulevard, Three Powers Square, TV Tower viewpoint, JK Memorial, and the Alvorada and Jaburu Palaces from outside. Buses run out to the Super Quadras (Super Blocks) residential district and the Dom Bosco Sanctuary. Free guided tours of some government buildings run on weekdays — check the visitor centre. Dinner at a cheap self-service buffet in the Plano Piloto (~£6).

🚌Metro and local buses day pass (~£4)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Brasília (£15–22/night)

• →Cathedral Metropolitana
• →Itamaraty Palace
• →Three Powers Square
• →TV Tower viewpoint
• →JK Memorial
• →Dom Bosco Sanctuary
• →Super Quadras walk

Either fly Brasília–Cuiabá (~£70–100, 1h45) then take a bus/taxi to Poconé and onward transport to a pousada, or take a long-distance coach (14h+, ~£30) which saves money but costs a day. Most budget Pantanal lodges include road transfer from Cuiabá. Choose a local pousada in the Poconé/Transpantaneira area and book a 3-night full-board package (lodging, all meals, and daily guides, typically £55–75 per person per night at the budget end). Afternoon: first 4WD drive along the Transpantaneira spotting caiman, capybara and marsh deer.

🚌Flight to Cuiabá + road transfer to Pantanal (~£95)

🛏Pantanal pousada, full board (£60–75/night including meals and guides)

• →Transpantaneira 4WD drive
• →Sunset wildlife spotting

Guided morning horseback ride across the savannah — the classic Pantanal way to cover ground and spot wildlife quietly (£25–35 when not bundled into your package; budget lodges often include it). After lunch, a motorboat trip down local rivers with your local guide: expect hyacinth macaws, kingfishers, families of capybara and plenty of yacare caiman. Bring high-factor sun cream, long sleeves and mosquito repellent. Evening: night safari or stargazing back at the pousada.

🚌Included lodge transport to trails and river

🛏Pantanal pousada, full board (£60–75/night including meals and guides)

• →Horseback ride across savannah
• →Motorboat river tour
• →Night wildlife walk

Today is the slow one: paddle a canoe along quiet waterways with a local guide for close-up wildlife encounters without engine noise — often the best chance of seeing howler monkeys, giant otters and rare birds. Afternoon 4WD trek to flooded bays and grasslands. If you're in the dry season (roughly July–October), ask your guide about longer jeep drives to jaguar hotspots like Porto Jofre — budget an extra ~£60–90 if you add a full jaguar-focused day. Otherwise spend the afternoon at a lookout tower.

🚌Included lodge transport to canoe launch and trails

🛏Pantanal pousada, full board (£60–75/night including meals and guides)

• →Canoe paddling on waterways
• →4WD road and track tour
• →Wildlife exploration with local guides

Early-morning birdwatching walk around the lodge before breakfast, then the road transfer back to Cuiabá. Depending on your flight, overnight in a cheap Cuiabá hotel (£12–18) with a supermarket dinner, or take an evening flight. Budget lodges include the transfer in the package; if not, expect ~£15–20 shared.

🚌Pantanal road transfer (~£15) + possible local taxi

🛏Budget hotel in Cuiabá (£12–18/night)

• →Dawn birdwatching walk
• →Transfer along the Transpantaneira

Fly Cuiabá to Rio (~£85–120, 2h30 with a stop or direct). Check back into a hostel in Botafogo, Lapa or Santa Teresa. Evening: explore Lapa's arches and live samba bars (entry typically £3–8), grab street caipirinhas and a churrascaria dinner (~£9–14) or a cheaper pastel and juice. If it's a weekend, the Lapa street party (Beco do Rato area) is a Rio rite of passage — go with hostel-mates and keep your phone zipped away.

🚌Domestic flight Cuiabá–Rio (~£95) + Uber (~£4)

🛏Hostel dorm in Botafogo/Lapa (£12–16/night)

• →Lapa samba bars
• →Live music
• →Churrascaria dinner

Last morning: sunrise walk on Ipanema, a cheap breakfast at a juice bar (suco + pão de queijo, ~£3), and a last wander around Santa Teresa's trams and street art if time allows. Metro or 99/Uber to the airport for your international flight. If you want to extend, hostels in Rio are flexible — add nights directly rather than through an operator.

🚌Metro/Uber to airport (~£5)

🛏None (departure day) — extendable hostel dorm if needed (~£14)

• →Ipanema sunrise walk
• →Santa Teresa street art
• →Airport transfer