In summary
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Sports
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Duration14 days
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LevelConfirmed
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DestinationAmerica / Brazil
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AgeFrom the age of 18
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CO₂-Emissions5586 kg CO2
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Type of stayIn a group
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Languages🇫🇷French
In a few words
Just a few hours from Rio, in the heart of unspoiled nature, the rainforest-covered mountains plunge into the sea, creating a cascade of waterfalls, secluded coves, and deserted beaches. After exploring this earthly paradise, home to the Caiçara fishermen who live isolated on beaches accessible only on foot or by boat, we visit the must-see sights of Rio de Janeiro, a city that pulsates to the rhythm of samba. Our journey begins on Ilha Grande, covered in lush jungle and fringed by crystal-clear waters. It boasts numerous beaches, some of the most beautiful in the country. Those who wish can climb to its summit, which rises to nearly 1,000 meters and offers breathtaking panoramic views. We continue to the charming town of Paraty, a former port from which Portuguese galleons laden with gold and precious stones once departed. From there, we hike along the rugged coastline. In this protected area, we will be welcomed to fishing villages nestled in idyllic coves and accessible only on foot. Finally, we will end with a visit to Rio de Janeiro, the Carioca capital.
The highlights
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The complete and original tour of Rio de Janeiro
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Colonial Paraty, the Mamangua Fjord, and an off-the-beaten-path trek
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Climbing Pico Papagayo and the beaches of Ilha Grande
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Photos
Sport
Level
Hiking / Trekking
For those wishing to hike for up to 6 hours a day and/or cover an elevation gain of 600 to 800 meters, both on and off-trail. High-altitude sections are possible. You engage in a sporting activity once a week, hike regularly, and are in very good physical condition.
In figures
Autre
- Average duration/day: 3h30
- Average daily elevation gain: 313 m
- Average daily descent: 313 m
- Maximum altitude: 985 m
Management
During this stay, a supervisor will be present to guide and assist you.
Languages spoken:
🇫🇷
French
Supervisor
Supervisor
Upon arrival, you will be greeted by a local French-speaking guide, who will accompany you throughout your stay. Our guides are chosen for their specific knowledge of a geographical area, their field experience and their passion for helping you discover their country.
Program
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Flight to Rio de Janeiro.
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner not included
Flight to Rio de Janeiro, the "Marvelous City," airport pick-up and transfer to our pousada in the artistic Santa Teresa neighborhood. Dinner at your leisure or on the flight. Note: In some cases, depending on the airline and flight schedule, you will arrive at your destination the following morning.Day 1 -
Rio de Janiero: pacified favela and Santa Teresa
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
With our guide, we'll depart by vehicle for a peaceful favela. We'll meet its residents, and a local guide will show us the amazing Projeto Morrinho, a reconstruction of a city using recycled materials. We'll learn samba on a large terrace with breathtaking views of Sugarloaf Mountain and Rio Bay. Lunch will be served with the local guide's family: a churasco (barbecue). Afterward, we'll return to Santa Teresa to explore the famous Selaron Steps and this artistic neighborhood with its colonial mansions. Dinner is planned in the neighborhood.Day 2 -
Rio de Janeiro - Ilha Grande
- Transportation 03h
- Activity Autre
- Duration of the activity 1h
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
Departure for approximately 2.5 hours by minibus followed by a 30-minute boat ride to reach the village of Abraão on Ilha Grande. Check-in at the pousada, lunch, and then a visit to the village. The rest of the day is free for your first swims (lunch and dinner included). This car-free island is wonderful: granite mountains, primary rainforest, white sand beaches, and turquoise waters. (Note: Luggage will be transported by wheelbarrow from the port of Abraão to the pousada.)Day 3 -
Ilha Grande, ascent of Pico do Papagaïo or Praia Lopes Mendès hike
- Activity Autre
- Duration of the activity 6h
- Positive elevation gain 1000 m
- Negative elevation 1000 m
- Maximum altitude 985 m
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
Depending on the weather, we will choose one of the following options: 1/ The ascent of Pico do Papagaio (985 m). This hike offers breathtaking views of the entire region. If the weather is clear, the view extends to Pico de Pedra da Gávea, which overlooks Rio de Janeiro, more than 150 kilometers away. Hike: Approx. 6 hours (elevation gain/loss +/- 1000 meters). Or, 2/ Hike to Praia Lopes Mendes: We begin with a 1.5-hour hike to reach the deserted beach of Lopes Mendes, renowned as one of the most beautiful beaches in Brazil. After a stop for swimming and relaxation, we hike through the forest to the Pouso pier in 30 minutes, where we will take a boat to Abraão. Hike: Approx. 2 hours (elevation gain/loss +/- 200 meters).Day 4 -
Ilha Grande - Paraty.
- Transportation 03h
- Activity Autre
- Duration of the activity 1h
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
Departure for Paraty, the colonial "capital" of the Costa Verde (approximately 1 hour by boat and 2 hours by private minibus). Check-in at our guesthouse. After lunch, a specialist guide to Paraty will join us and reveal the mysteries of this hidden city where soldiers, buccaneers, and slaves once lived. Founded in 1667, following the discovery of gold in the mountains of Minas Gerais, the city of Paraty quickly prospered, becoming the port from which galleons departed, carrying Brazil's riches to Lisbon. Its architecture combines European, Asian (upturned roofs?) and African (mashrabiya screens?) influences. Paraty was ingeniously built: high tides flow into the city, cooling the cobblestone streets! (Lunch and dinner included). In the evening, we pack our bags for the next day's trek. Bag 1 remains at the hotel. Bag 2: your belongings for the 4-day trek (carried by boat). Small bag 3: your belongings for the day.Day 5 -
Paraty - Ponta Negra - Start of the Trek day 1
- Transportation 01h
- Activity Autre
- Duration of the activity 3h
- Positive elevation gain 200 m
- Negative elevation 200 m
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
After breakfast, we walk to the bus station in two minutes (carrying bags 2 and 3). A 45-minute local bus ride takes us to Laranjeiras, the starting point of the trek, where sailors collect our bag number 2, which we find again each evening. Our hike begins in the primeval forest, the Mata Atlantica. After an hour and a half of walking, we arrive at the magnificent Praia do Sono beach. A short, steep climb, the main challenge of the day, then we pass Praia dos Antigos. A short hike up a stream leads to a picnic by a small waterfall (a refreshing swim!). We arrive in the early afternoon at the fishing village of Ponta Negra. A welcoming community of Caiçara Amerindians where children compete with hummingbirds for energy. Cove, white sand, lush vegetation. Yes, paradise exists. We might spot some turtles and dolphins. We'll visit "la casa de farinha" where the community makes cassava flour, and then, weather permitting, we'll take a short boat trip to help the fishermen haul in their nets. In the evening, we'll enjoy a delicious local dinner.Day 6 -
Ponta Negra - Pouso de Cajaiba (Trek day 2)
- Activity Autre
- Duration of the activity 8h
- Positive elevation gain 650 m
- Negative elevation 650 m
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner not included
We take a trail towards the Joatinga peninsula and begin the day with a 2-3 hour climb, a continuous ascent of over 500 meters in the heart of the rainforest. We reach the beach town of Cairuçu. Our trail then alternates between rainforest and deserted beach stretches until we reach Martin de Sá. With a bit of luck, we might spot the Tucano-de-bico-preto (a type of wild boar). After a swim, we continue for another 2 hours to Pouso de Cajaiba, nestled on the edge of a small, idyllic bay. The rest of the day is free to explore the village and swim. In the evening, we'll enjoy a local dinner.Day 7 -
Pouso de Cajaiba - Mamangua Fjord (Trek day 3)
- Activity Autre
- Duration of the activity 7h
- Positive elevation gain 650 m
- Negative elevation 650 m
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
Our trail follows the coastline, revealing semi-desert beaches and a waterfall. We arrive at Praia Grande and stop for a swim: a kilometer of fine sand with crystal-clear water. We then set off again for a steep climb (550m elevation gain) along a narrow path to reach the wildest spot in the region. From the pass, we discover the Mamangua Fjord. We descend to Playa do Engenho where a private boat takes us across the fjord to our cabins. The rest of the day is free to relax, explore the hamlet, and swim.Day 8 -
Saco de Mamangua - Canoeing in the fjord and mangroves - Visit to Regato - Return to Mamangua (Trek day 4)
- Activity Autre
- Duration of the activity 1h
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
We set off by canoe to reach the end of the fjord, then venture into the mangroves where we might spot egrets, kingfishers, crabs... We leave our canoes to paddle upstream for a few meters and enjoy the refreshing spray of a waterfall. We then get back in our canoes and head to Regato, a small village nestled on the edge of the mangroves. A family welcomes us for lunch. We return by canoe to our accommodation.Day 9 -
Mamangua - Paraty by boat. Island hopping in Paraty Bay, snorkeling
- Activity Autre
- Duration of the activity 2h
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
After breakfast, with our French-speaking and local guides, you'll have the option to climb Sugarloaf Mountain overlooking the fjord while the others relax on the beach (a short, steep climb of about an hour rewarded with a breathtaking panoramic view of the entire fjord and surrounding area). We'll then depart on our private boat for island hopping with snorkeling stops (masks and snorkels provided). Lunch will be on an island where we might even spot the king of the tamarins, the golden lion! We'll arrive at Paraty harbor for sunset. Luggage will be transferred to your hotel, and the rest of the day is free in Paraty. Dinner is on your own. (Note: Luggage will be transported by boat and then by vehicle to reach the pousada.)Day 10 -
Paraty - Rio de Janeiro, new district: Copacabana then visit to Pao de Açucar
- Transportation 05h
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner not included
Early departure for a 5-hour drive to Rio. Check-in at a different neighborhood than the first few days: Copacabana (hotel a 2-minute walk from the legendary beach). After lunch, visit Sugarloaf Mountain, located at the entrance to Guanabara Bay; formed over 600 million years ago. The indigenous people once called it "Pau-nd-Acuqua," meaning "high, pointed, isolated promontory." To the Portuguese, it sounded like pão de açúcar (sugarloaf), and the peak itself reminded them of the shape of the clay molds used to make sugar loaves from sugarcane. Lunch and dinner are included.Day 11 -
Rio: visit to Corcovado, the botanical garden and a stroll on the legendary beaches
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
A day of sightseeing with a French-speaking guide specializing in Rio. We head to Corcovado and its Christ the Redeemer statue, inaugurated on October 12, 1931, which overlooks the capital city. The little train that ascends Corcovado in 20 minutes crosses Tijuca National Park, the largest urban forest in the world at 120 km². We stop for lunch and then visit Rio's Botanical Garden, considered the most beautiful in the world by Stefan Zweig. Explore the Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Greenhouse, the Orchid Garden, a Sensory Garden, Emperor Palms, Giant Water Lilies, and incredible trees native to the Amazon. We return to Copacabana for a stroll on its legendary beaches.Day 12 -
Rio and flight to France
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
Depending on your flight time, you'll have free time in Rio to do some shopping, take a final swim, or visit the city center and its cathedral. Then, depending on your flight time, you'll be transferred to the international airport for your overnight flight back to France. Meals are at your own expense or can be enjoyed on board.Day 13 -
Arrival in France
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
END !Day 14
Note
This trip was created in collaboration with our partner Atalante to offer you a greater number of guaranteed departures, combining our expertise and travel experience. Therefore, you may find other Atalante travelers in your group. - This itinerary may be modified depending on weather conditions, bus or boat schedules, and the order of activities may be changed in some cases. - Walking times are approximate. Depending on the participants' fitness level, the weather, and/or the terrain, they may vary, either more or less. - This trip is a true trek: the physical level is moderate to strenuous in case of rain (slippery and muddy terrain, more difficult as the trails are steep and therefore more challenging). There are significant elevation changes, with numerous ascents and descents.
Accommodation
- Days 1 to 13
- Good quality hotels or pousadas with bathrooms in the rooms, which correspond to 2 or 3 stars in France.
Double rooms, sometimes triple rooms, if you have any preferences (sharing the room or bed with someone), please specify this when registering.
Note: The term pousada does not refer to the quality of the accommodation but to the type of building. These are small, intimate establishments with a maximum of one floor and a small garden or patio.
- Chalets: During the trek, we will be accommodated in small, simply furnished chalets. Showers and toilets are sometimes shared and sometimes private. A warm welcome awaits you, and meals will be prepared by our hosts.
Single rooms are only available in hotels and pousadas, not on the trekking section (Ponta Negra, Cajaiba and Mamangua).
Access
Departure
Aéroport De Rio De Janeiro
Day 1
End of stay
Aéroport De Rio De Janeiro
Day 14
Go to the starting point
The nearest airport isAéroport de Rio de Janeiro
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Price details
The price includes
- Regular flights departing from Paris (departures from other French cities on request and subject to availability).
- Air taxes.
- Transportation.
- Accommodation.
- Full board except for meals on days 1 and 13 (free or in flight) and dinner on day 10.
- Supervised by a French-speaking guide and a local team.
The price does not include
- meals on days 1 and 13 (free or in flight) and dinner on day 10.
- Personal expenses, drinks and tips.
- the free meals indicated above (approximately €10 to €15 / meal).
Options
- Additional night in Rio de Janeiro - Single room : CHF152.00 / person
- Single room supplement for the stay : CHF617.50 / person
- Extra night Rio de Janeiro - Double or twin room : CHF76.00 / person
- Guided tour of Rio de Janeiro (samba city, city center and Santa Teresa), price per person : CHF389.50 / person
- Flex fare and insurance
Practical information
Specific formalities
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The Paulin team
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For over 30 years, our local partner has been designing adventure walking trips around the world. Specializing in small-group treks, they cater to both casual hikers and seasoned trekkers seeking unspoiled natural environments and a return to the essentials. Their key strength? They own their own agencies in over 30 countries, guaranteeing complete trip creation from start to finish, without intermediaries. This direct, on-the-ground expertise ensures memorable active experiences and total freedom amidst breathtaking landscapes.
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