Brazil by women: an inspirational journey

Galeão Airport (Gig) - Rio De Janeiro

Tag 1: Rio de Janeiro

Transfer from Galeão Airport (GIG) to your hotel
Car Transfer: Upon arrival in Rio de Janeiro, you will be met by your driver at the airport and transferred by private service to your hotel. Estimated travel time: 30 minutes to 1 hour. Length of service will depend on traffic, and final destination/neighborhood. *This service includes a driver who may not speak English. Please advise if you would like to be greeted by a driver or guide who speaks fluent English.*


Free evening in Rio de Janeiro
Excursion: Rio exudes a different kind of energy in the evening. The unmistakable rhythms of Batucada samba beat through streets which are lined with laid-back restaurants and alluring cocktail bars. As the sun begins to set, a handful of Rio’s hidden gems start to glimmer. Soak up the smooth ambience over a leisurely dinner. A personal recommendation is the Imaculada Bar and Restaurant for its joie de vivre and delicious local food: climb up some pebbly steps through an alleyway between the Candelária Church and the city’s port district, and you’ll wind up in the historic neighbourhood of Centro surrounding it. If you’re in the mood for live music, the bohemian neighbourhood of Lapa homes Santo Scenarium, a charming jazz bar. After a couple of caipirinhas, slip on your dancing shoes and get stuck into some samba lessons. Of course, the choice of activities can be overwhelming, so our local experts will be on hand with mini guides and recommendations to help you get the most out of your free evening.

Rio De Janeiro - Belém

Tag 2: Belém

Transfer from your hotel to Galeão Airport (GIG).
Car Transfer: Transfer from your hotel to the airport. Estimated travel time: 30 minutes to one hour, depending on traffic and hotel neighborhood.


Flight from Rio de Janeiro (GIG) to Belém (BEL)
Scheduled flight Transfer: Fly from Rio de Janeiro to the airport in Belém, the capital of the Amazonian state of Pará. Estimated flight time: 3 hours 40 minutes


Transfer from Belém Airport (BEL) to your hotel
Car Transfer: When you arrive into Belém, a transfer will be waiting to take you to your charming hotel in the city. Estimated travel time - 30 minutes.


Amazon: Food, Arts and Community - Day 1
Excursion: On this first day of the "Amazon: Food, Arts and Community" experience, you will have the chance to explore the city of Belém. A private transfer will meet you at the airport and escort you to your charming hotel. Your host and guide will happily provide recommendations to all guests for the best of what to do and see. At night, we will chat at the hotel to prepare ourselves for our upcoming Amazonian experiences.

Belém - Cotijuba Island

Tag 3: Belém

Amazon: Food, Arts and Community - Day 2
Excursion: After breakfast at the hotel we will visit one of the most famous sights in Belém: the popular Ver-o-Peso Market, where you can find the largest varieties of regional products and the unique specialties of Pará state cuisine! In the afternoon, we will set out on walking tour through the historic center of the city. We will learn about the city’s colonial architecture and its regional culture, along with its important role in the occupation of the Amazonian region. By the end of the day, we will head to Estação das Docas, on the banks of the Guajará river bay and enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Cotijuba Island

Tag 4: Ilha de Cotijuba

Amazon: Food, Arts and Community - Day 3
Excursion: After breakfast, it's time to embark via riverboat to the Island of Cotijuba! Upon arrival, we will be welcomed by our hosts from the local community and we will take part in a number of activities, including a delicious lunch at the headquarters of the MMIB (Belém Islands Women’s Movement) project. In the afternoon, we will relax on the famous beach of Vai Quem Quer; this white-sand fresh-water river beach that looks like the sea! At the end of the day we will enjoy home-cooked dinners prepared by each of our hostesses.

Cotijuba Island

Tag 5: Ilha de Cotijuba

Amazon: Food, Arts and Community - Day 4
Excursion: After breakfast at your guesthouse, we will dive into the Amazon culture! Along with the women of the MMIB and our culinary specialist, you will learn how to make several local dishes and have a delicious lunch. In the afternoon, we will continue with a hands-on workshop learning about the various seeds and other natural materials of the Brazilian Amazon that can become beautiful bio-jewelry. After a full day of learning, it's time to relax and interact with our surroundings and the welcoming community of the island.

Cotijuba Island

Tag 6: Ilha de Cotijuba

Amazon: Food, Arts and Community - Day 5
Excursion: Today we will venture out on an exciting interpretive trail through the Amazon rainforest, learning about local flora and fauna along the way. After that, it's time for a refreshing river bath. After lunch and a well-deserved rest, we set to work alongside our hostesses to prepare everything from the decorations to the food for our amazing beach luau this evening!

Cotijuba Island - Belém

Tag 7: Ilha de Cotijuba - Belém

Amazon: Food, Arts and Community - Day 6
Excursion: In our last morning at Cotijuba Island, we will have breakfast at the headquarters of the MMIB, where we will learn about the community actions to keep the Amazon Forest thriving. After a special farewell lunch, we will board our river boat back to Icoaraci port in Belém, where we will learn about the production process of the marajoara pottery, an ancestral art that pays tribute to the region’s indigenous roots. After that, we will return to our charming hotel in Belém and prepare for our farewell dinner.

Belém - Salvador

Tag 8: Belém - Salvador

Amazon: Food, Arts and Community - Day 7
Excursion: After breakfast, a private transfer will take you to the airport with the memories of all the unforgettable experiences in the Amazonian region.


Flight from Belém (BEL) to Salvador (SSA)
Scheduled flight Transfer: Flight from the northern city of Belém to the north eastern city of Salvador. Connection in Brasília.


Transfer from Salvador Airport (SSA) to your hotel
Car Transfer: This is a private transfer - you will be transfered from Salvador airport (SSA) to your hotel. Estimated travel time: 30 minutes

Itaparica Island

Tag 9: Ilha de Itaparica - Salvador

Art & Local Life on Itaparica Island
Excursion: Spend the day across the bay on the island of Itaparica, visiting a local community, learning about crab fishing, and taking in the region's unique fauna and flora. You'll be picked up at your hotel, and taken to the port in Salvador, where you'll be met by a local guide from the island, who will be with you on the boat towards Mar Grande, on the island of Itaparica. You'll then drive to the village of Mocambo at the "Marisqueiras" association, where the crab fishing community organization will welcome you with fruits and coconut water. You'll walk to the mangroves, where you'll learn about this rich and exotic ecosystem. You will learn to catch shellfish, fish, and interact with locals who do this for a living. Stop for lunch at the association, including freshly fished ingredients. Dessert will be at an artisanal chocolate factory, which uses organic cacau from the island. After lunch, digest while walking through the village's center and island's shore, learning about the history of the community. At the end of the day, you'll get a change to hang out at the SOMAR social project, which assists youth in the community, through water sports! Try stand up paddle, swimming and rowing with them, before heading back to Salvador at the end of the day. Tour includes transfers to and from your hotel and English-speaking guide.

Salvador

Tag 10: Salvador

Community Cooking Class
Excursion: Today, you'll be cooking your own lunch! The class takes place at a traditional community in Salvador, where you'll learn from the women at the Cooks & Candy Association (ADOCCI), who cook and teach the art of gastronomy for lovers of good Bahian cuisine. The community about 30 min away from the city center. Once you're there, you'll learn all about the community project, and then leave to a local farmer's market to pick up fresh ingredients for class. Then, you're ready for your class. You'll be taught to prepare a "Mixed Moqueca," which is a seafood stew, and a typical dessert. And then of course, you eat! You can also take this time to have questions answered by the lovely ladies from the community and the local guide who will be with you. Transfer back to your hotel after lunch.

Salvador

Tag 11: Salvador

Free Day in Salvador
Excursion: Enjoy a free day in Salvador, the first capital of Brazil and one of the oldest colonial cities of the Americas. This vibrant city thrives with Afro-Brazilian culture, elegant architecture and a buzzing coastline.

Salvador Airport - Montes Claros (Moc)

Tag 12: Vale Do Jequitinhonha

Transfer from your hotel to Salvador Airport (SSA)
Car Transfer: Private transfer from your hotel to the airport. Estimated travel time: around 30 minutes


Flight from Salvador (SSA) to Montes Claros (MOC)
Scheduled flight Transfer: Flight from Salvador Bahia, to Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. This flight will most likely have a connection in Belo Horizonte.

Jequitinhonha

Tag 13: Vale Do Jequitinhonha

Jequitinhonha Clay Workshop & Experience, Day 1
Excursion: The start of a great local experience today as you meet the locals of Campo Buriti community and get an inside perspective of their use of clay, which comes from the Valley and fuels their livelihoods. On arrival, be welcomed by your hostesses in their own homes and have lunch in a special artisan house. After some tasty sustenance, you'll set out on the local trail to the "Barreiro", where the important clay - which gives life to the art of the Valley - is extracted from the earth and transported back into the community. On the way, absorb the stunning landscapes that make up the Minas Gerais countryside, and stop for a moment of prose led by the young community leaders. Upon arrival at the "Barreiro", the women of the Valley will demonstrate the clay extraction process and let you try your hand at it! Later you'll use these wares to roll up your sleeves and get creative, as the artisans teach you how to beat and sift the clay, before mixing it with water and modelling it. A bowl, a cup or an abstract ornament - it's up to you.

Jequitinhonha

Tag 14: Vale Do Jequitinhonha

Jequitinhonha Clay Workshop & Experience, Day 2
Excursion: Your artistic exploration of the valley continues. Today you'll attend a unique painting workshop to learn about the magic of colour transformations using natural pigments, then in the afternoon continue to the community of Campo Alegre, home to more than 80 craftsmen. Here you can wander the quaint community museum and many art exhibits. After Campo Alegre, you'll also visit the school of Campo Buriti. In the evening, summarise what you've learned over a drink, during a social hour with the local artists. You'll congregate in the bar of one of our hostesses, Terezinha.

Jequitinhonha

Tag 15: Vale Do Jequitinhonha

Jequitinhonha Clay Workshop & Experience, Day 3
Excursion: We will start the morning with a delicious breakfast in the house of one of the most famous ceramic masters of the region: Zezinha. Here, we will chat and visit her beautiful ceramic garden, which is an open-air museum. In the afternoon, we will take part in a different type of hands-on experience while we participate in a Dulce de Leche or Biscoito workshop. After our cooking session, we will visit the artisan association of Coqueiro Campo. Finally, at night, we will have one of the most special moments of the trip: the Ceramic Firing Ceremony! Time to collect the wonderful pieces our group has produced and fire them in the kiln and celebrate! All accompanied by local Moda de Viola music and an unforgettable dinner with Mineiro delicacies.

Jequitinhonha - Montes Claros Airport (Moc) - Rio De Janeiro (Gig)

Tag 16: Rio de Janeiro

Transfer from your homestay to Montes Claros Airport (MOC)
Car Transfer: Transfer from your hotel or homestay to the airport in Montes Claros.


Flight from Montes Claros (MOC) to Rio de Janeiro (GIG)
Scheduled flight Transfer: Your flight from Montes Claros to Rio de Janeiro will have a connection in either Belo Horizonte or São Paulo.

Morro Da Babilônia

Tag 17: Rio de Janeiro

Morro da Babilônia Tour & Gastronomy
Excursion: Located right across from Sugarloaf Mountain are two favela communities, Babilônia and Morro do Chapéu Mangueira, as well as an environmental protection area, and the APA dos Morros da Babilônia e São João. Here is where the community organization presents incredile entrepreneurial endeavors, through the "Favela Orgânica", a project born in 2011, under the leadership of Regina Tchelly, a local community member, whose objective has been to teach her neighbors about how to best make use of their food. She does this by teaching conscious consumption, alternative gastronomy, homemade composting, and how to create gardens in small spaces. The Favela Orgânica has taken its workshops to different parts of Brazil and the world, and continues to be a great example and source of inspiration for the sustainable development of urban communities in Rio de Janeiro.Today, you'll take a tour to visit this project, after a short hike, with stunning views of the Marvelous City. You'll also get the chance to prepare and treat yourself to an organic and vegetarian meal with the founder of the Favela Orgânica project.

Little Africa - Rio De Janeiro

Tag 18: Rio de Janeiro

Little Africa Tour
Shared Excursion: There is no doubt that Rio de Janeiro stands out for its natural beauty, but Rio also draws attention because of its history. There is a “Little Africa” in Rio that is still unknown by most people. Embark on your discovery on a 3 hour walking tour of the African Heritage Circuit, visiting sensitive sites of memory such as the Valongo Wharf where millions of Africans arrived as slaves in the early 1800s. Stops also include the archeological sites of Pedra do Sal (one of the samba cradles), the UNESCO World Heritage Site for the Transatlantic Slavery Trade in Rio’s port area, and a visit the slave cemetery and the Institute of New Blacks. In the evening, you will be able to go to a samba party which is also in the Pedra do Sal district. Estimated tour length: 3 hours Not included: Transportation (optional)
This tour is run by a local guide who is a woman translating a book from Portuguese to English, on the "Pretos Novos" slaves who died before they could get to Brazil, and the history of the region you'll be visiting today. The organization you'll visit is also woman-run and incredibly impressive!

Coffee Experience
Excursion: Coffee culture is kind of a big deal in Brazil, and is a huge part of the country's history. Learn all about how coffee contributes to the cultural, economic and historical fibre of the country, all through the stories of different local baristas and shop owners. Discover what makes a really good cup of coffee, the trade secrets of how to prepare it, and the immense variety of speciality coffees. Of course, you will get to taste the assortment of tones and flavours from two Brazilian coffee states. You'll also pay a visit to the esteemed Confeitaria Colombo, a place significant in the coffee industry since the beginning. Both a historic landmark and now a restaurant, sit back in the restaurants gorgeous interior and soak up the rich aromas of fresh coffee being made. Tour length: approx 3 hours Not included: Transportation
One of the stops on this tour is to visit a coffee shop run by a female barista, who besides the shop, helps her father promote the coffee he grows in the hills of Minas Gerais.

Rio De Janeiro

Tag 19: Rio de Janeiro

Free Day in Rio de Janeiro - Culture, Nature & Beaches
Excursion: Today is free for you to explore Rio de Janeiro- a city bursting with colour, culture and cachaça. Of course, there are the legendary sights: Christ the Redeemer stands tall on Mount Corcovado, the peak of the Sugarloaf guarantees jaw-dropping 360-degree views of the city and the mosaics of the Selarón steps will make you feel part of Brazil’s renowned artistic community. For the nature-seekers, Jardim Botânico is widely revered for its iconic avenue of Royal Palm trees, radiant orchid farm and distinctive architecture. Nearby is the majestic lake, Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Amble around it, paddle over it, or station yourself on its banks as you drink in its tranquil atmosphere or a lakeside Caipirinha. When it comes to the perfect beach spot, you’re spoilt for choice in Rio. From the vogue shores of Copacabana to the secluded bays of Prainha, it may be a struggle to pick one yourself, so our local expert is on hand with first-hand knowledge of where best to go. Of course, if the prospect of a free day is a little overwhelming, our local experts are on hand with tips, suggestions and unique tours to give you a bit more structure. These may include samba dance classes, hikes, sailing trips and more.

Rio De Janeiro - Galeão Airport (Gig)

Tag 20:

Transfer from your hotel to Galeão Airport (GIG).
Car Transfer: Transfer from your hotel to the airport. Estimated travel time: 30 minutes to one hour, depending on traffic and hotel neighborhood.
Transfer for your flight home.