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🇧🇷 Itinerary · Brazil · 30 days

1-month Brazil itinerary 2026: the grand tour

30 days end to end: Rio, the Iguaçu Falls, Bonito, the Pantanal, the Amazon and the Nordeste. The grand tour of Brazil, with flights, budget and transport detailed.

🔄 Updated June 1, 2026

📅 See the program 🔄 See variants

In brief

Duration

30 days

Stops

7 places

Average budget

€3,500-5,500

Total distance

~7,000 km

Profile

Grand journey

Season

May-Sep

Rio 5d · Iguaçu 3d · Bonito 4d · Pantanal 4d · Amazon 4d · Salvador 4d · Chapada/beach 6d

Itinerary map

The route at a glance

Brazil 1-month itinerary map: Rio de Janeiro, Iguaçu, Bonito, Pantanal, Manaus, Salvador

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Detailed program

7 days, day by day

1

~€75/day

Rio de Janeiro · D1 to D5 · The marvelous city

  • D1 Arrival at Galeão, Copacabana, first carioca dinner.
  • D2 Sugarloaf at opening, Corcovado, samba in Lapa.
  • D3 Santa Teresa, guided favela visit, roda de samba.
  • D4 Ipanema, botanical garden, Arpoador at sunset.
  • D5 Day trip on the Costa Verde (Paraty or Ilha Grande).
🛌 🛌 Ipanema · e.g. seafront hotel (5 nights)·🚖 Uber·Brazil guide →
2

~€80/day

Iguaçu Falls · D6 to D8 · Natural wonder

  • D6 Flight Rio → Foz do Iguaçu (2h, ~€95), check in on the Brazilian side.
  • D7 Falls on the Brazilian side (panorama), walkway to the Garganta del Diablo.
  • D8 Falls on the Argentine side (up close), Itaipu dam optional.
🛌 🛌 Foz do Iguaçu · e.g. hotel near the park (3 nights)·✈️ Domestic flight
3

~€85/day

Bonito · D9 to D12 · Crystal-clear waters

  • D9 Flight to Campo Grande then road to Bonito (Mato Grosso do Sul).
  • D10 Snorkel float down the Rio da Prata, transparent water, schools of fish.
  • D11 Gruta do Lago Azul (cave with a turquoise lake), Buraco das Araras.
  • D12 Boca da Onça waterfalls, zipline over the river.
🛌 🛌 Bonito · e.g. charming pousada (4 nights)·✈️ Flight + 🚐 transfer
4

~€90/day

Pantanal · D13 to D16 · Wildlife capital

  • D13 Road to the southern Pantanal, check in at a pousada/fazenda.
  • D14 Wildlife safari: caimans, capybaras, birds, anacondas. Night drive.
  • D15 Boat safari, piranha fishing, jaguar tracking in the dry season.
  • D16 Horseback ride, sunrise wildlife watching.
🛌 🛌 Pantanal · e.g. fazenda-lodge (4 nights)·🚐 Transfer + 🛶 boat
5

~€95/day

Amazon · D17 to D20 · Manaus and the forest

  • D17 Flight to Manaus, meeting of the waters (Rio Negro and Solimões).
  • D18 Forest lodge: jungle walk, pink river dolphin watching.
  • D19 Canoe in the igarapés, fishing, caboclo community, night wildlife.
  • D20 Sunrise on the river, back to Manaus, Amazonas theatre.
🛌 🛌 Amazon lodge · e.g. jungle lodge on the Rio Negro (4 nights)·✈️ Flight + 🛶 canoe
6

~€60/day

Salvador · D21 to D24 · Afro-Brazilian Nordeste

  • D21 Flight Manaus → Salvador, check in at the Pelourinho.
  • D22 Pelourinho (UNESCO), capoeira, Olodum, moqueca in the evening.
  • D23 Barra beaches, lighthouse, Lacerda elevator, lower town.
  • D24 Praia do Forte (sea turtles) or Itacaré to the south.
🛌 🛌 Pelourinho or Santo Antônio · e.g. colonial pousada (4 nights)·✈️ Domestic flight
7

~€70/day

Chapada Diamantina and beach · D25 to D30 · Finale

  • D25 Bus or flight to Lençóis (Chapada Diamantina).
  • D26-D27 Fumaça waterfall (340 m), Poço Azul, Morro do Pai Inácio.
  • D28 Back to Salvador, catamaran to Morro de São Paulo.
  • D29 Numbered beaches, natural pools, last swim.
  • D30 Back to Salvador, return flight to Europe via São Paulo or Lisbon.
🛌 🛌 Lençóis then Morro de São Paulo (5 nights)·✈️/🚌 + ⛴️ catamaran

How much

Budget for this itinerary (per person, flight included)

Backpacker

€3,500

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €900
  • 🏨 Hostel/pousada: €30/night
  • 🍽️ Comida a kilo: €15/day
  • ✈️ 5 domestic flights + transfers: €700
  • 🎫 Activities + lodges: €500
Recommended

Comfort

€4,500

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €950
  • 🏨 3-4★ hotel + lodges: €70/night
  • 🍽️ Mixed dining: €30/day
  • ✈️ Domestic flights + private transfers: €900
  • 🎫 Safaris + guides: €700

Premium

€8,000

per person

  • ✈️ Business class: €1,900
  • 🏨 5★ and high-end lodges: €220/night
  • 🍽️ Fine dining: €65/day
  • 🚖 Private transfers + private guides throughout
  • 🎫 Private Pantanal + Amazon safaris: €1,200

Shorter, longer

Other possible durations

1 week

1 week

Rio and the Costa Verde. The essential format.

2 weeks

2 weeks

Rio then the Nordeste: Salvador, Chapada Diamantina.

You're here

1 month

1 month

The grand tour, from Rio to the Amazon and the Nordeste.

How to get around

Itinerary logistics

Over 30 days and ~7,000 km, this grand tour rests on 5 to 6 domestic flights (Rio, Iguaçu, Bonito, Pantanal, Amazon, Salvador), 4x4 transfers and canoes. A Brazil air pass (GOL/LATAM/Azul) can bring the bill down. Budget ~€700 to €900 for domestic transport.

✈️

Domestic flights

5 to 6 segments · GOL, LATAM, Azul · book early or via an air pass

🚐

Pantanal 4x4 transfers

Transpantaneira tracks · included with the lodges

🛶

Canoe in the Amazon

included in the jungle lodge stay

⛴️

Catamaran Salvador → Morro de São Paulo

~€40 · 2h

🚖

Uber in the big cities

Rio, Salvador, Manaus · safer than a street taxi

Adapt by season

One dry season to fit it all in

Because Brazil is crossed along its full length, aiming for the dry austral winter (May to September) makes everything easier: the Amazon and the Pantanal are more passable (fewer mosquitoes, wildlife easier to spot in the Pantanal dry season), the Iguaçu Falls stay powerful, and Rio is pleasant at 22-26°C. September-October is still a good compromise to add the Nordeste, dry at that time. Avoid January-February: heavy rain and Carnival, which fills everything up.

Author tips

What I would redo (and change)

✅ Would redo

  • • In August 2024, in the Pantanal dry season, my guide spotted a jaguar drinking at the edge of the Rio Cuiabá at 6 a.m., 20 m from the boat. The dry season concentrates wildlife around the water: it is the best moment to see one. Unforgettable, I would do it again in July-August.
  • • Lining up Iguaçu, Bonito, the Pantanal then the Amazon: each ecosystem lights up the next.
  • • The 4 nights in a jungle lodge on the Rio Negro rather than a day trip: the forest reveals itself at night.
  • • Bonito for the float down the Rio da Prata: visibility of several metres, schools of fish everywhere.
  • • Keeping Salvador and the beach for the end: you wind down after the intensity of the wildlife.

⚠️ Would change

  • • Skip Bonito (4 days) if the flight budget is tight: Pantanal + Amazon are enough to see the wildlife.
  • • Add Lençóis Maranhenses (dunes and lagoons) in the northeast if you have 3 extra days.
  • • Get a Brazil air pass when you buy the international tickets: 5 flights add up fast.

FAQ

Itinerary FAQ

Is a month necessary for this grand tour? +
Yes: with ~7,000 km and 4 ecosystems (Iguaçu, Pantanal, Amazon, Nordeste), under 3 weeks would force you to sacrifice one of them. A month lets you link it all without rushing, domestic flights helping.
When can you see the jaguar in the Pantanal? +
In the dry season (July to October), when wildlife gathers around the waterholes and the tracks are passable. The northern Pantanal (Porto Jofre) offers the best jaguar-sighting odds.
Do you need an air pass for Brazil? +
Strongly advised on this route: 5 to 6 domestic flights are expensive bought individually. The carriers (GOL, LATAM, Azul) offer air passes to book with the international ticket, often cheaper.
Do you need a visa for Brazil? +
No for most Western travellers: no tourist visa for a stay up to 90 days, plenty for 30 days. Passport valid for the length of the stay. Yellow fever vaccine recommended for the Amazon and the Pantanal.
What is the best time for this route? +
May to September, the dry austral winter: Amazon and Pantanal more passable, wildlife easier to spot, Iguaçu powerful. September-October lets you add the dry Nordeste. Avoid January-February (rain, Carnival).
Is the Amazon dangerous? +
No, with a serious lodge and guide. Yellow fever vaccine, antimalarial treatment depending on the zone and strong repellent are essential. Stay with your guide in the forest and follow their wildlife instructions.

Marie Laurent ✓

·

Southeast Asia specialist · itinerary personally tested.

Last updated: June 1, 2026.

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