Travel Rio de Janeiro & Salvador Like a Local

Welcome to Brazil! Different from other tour packages, this one can give you a chance to experience this wonderful country like a local.

Upon your arrival in Rio de Janeiro, your private guide will greet you and escort you to your hotel for check-in. This afternoon, if time permits, spend some time relaxing inside Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, one of the perfect getaways from the craziness of the city for the locals. The neighborhood of Jardim Botanico near the garden exit lined with shops, bars, and restaurants would be a nice place to see Brazilian daily life.

Where the locals prefer to visit on the weekend? Someone who likes nature and adventure may answer "Guaratiba", an area on the outskirts of Rio that hardly visited by ordinary tourists. Here you will enjoy a funny activity - stand up paddle. After a private instructor teaches you some basic moves of this sport, you could spend some time practicing. If you are ready, the guide will take you paddle along the channels of the mangrove to observe wildlife like birds, capybaras, and turtles. When returning to the city, make a short stop at Grumari and Prainha beaches for the stunning views.

The best way to get to know a city is by strolling along the streets eating the food and rubbing shoulders with the locals. You will go to the meeting point on your own to join in a small group Brazilian food tour. The tour starts at around 10 am, and the delicious street food, amazing fruits and juices, and weird Amazonian dishes would let you feel the authentic flavor of Brazil. Later, you could find your way to the dance studio in Ipanema, where you could take a 1-hour shared Samba lesson to learn the basic steps to be able to dance the samba. At the end of today, your instructor will take you and other students to an unusual bar to practice your newly learned moves.

Explore the Sugarloaf Mountain as the locals do. Hiking along the steep trail up to the top of the Urca Hill, you will be surprised at the vista city view and the wildlife hidden in the forest. After a short break, take a cable car up to the Sugarloaf Mountain for a 360-degree view of the entire city. Afterward, descend by cable car and then return to the hotel for rest.

In the afternoon, spend about 3 hours joining a Brazilian craft beer tour, during which you will visit up to 4 bars, pubs or breweries, savor a variety of unique beers, and get lots of information on beer history.

Today you will fly to Salvador. Your tour guide in Salvador is waiting for you at the airport. After transferring to your hotel and checking in, the rest of the day is free at leisure.

No other regional cuisine in Brazil is as distinctive as that of Bahia where Mediterranean African, indigenous and Asian influences form the basis of this truly unique cuisine. This morning you will meet your chef at a bustling local market to scout for all of the ingredients for the moqueca, Bahian cuisine's signature dish, and then take a cooking class at his/her house.

After lunch at the chef's residence, you will have a chance to visit Jorge Amado's legendary home, the 17th century Sao Diogo Fort, and the Santa Maria Fort, seeing the works of novelist Jorge Amado, artist Carybé, and photographer Pierre Verger.

You will visit the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary built with meager resources for almost a hundred years and Benin's House housing a rich collection of objects and works of art from the Gulf of Benin. After a general introduction to the African-Brazilian culture, you will visit a traditional Capoeira School to learn about its sport, history, and philosophy. You can also try the instruments and the basic fight movements and the lesson will last one hour. Take some rest in the afternoon and then take a night exploration to the neighborhood of Rio Vermelho and experience its local food full of exotic atmosphere: firstly, savor the acarajé and a cool drink, then move on to a busy boteco to taste some of the local delicacies, and finally pop in to catch one of the music performances.

Enjoy a leisure morning before heading to the airport accompanied by your private guide. Time to say goodbye and board your departure flight back home.