Rio
| country: | Brazil |
| location: | Rio de Janeiro |
| departures: | This trip is no longer running |
| price: | From £1275 (6 days) excluding flights |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A fully escorted trip to enjoy one of the world's biggest and best parties.
Rio Carnival
A celebration of local culture, music and dance, the Rio Carnival is perhaps the best known party on earth. Held every year in February, traditionally to mark the start of lent 40 days before Easter, the climax of a week of celebrations comes on Sunday evening with a parade by 14 of the best local Samba schools at the Sambadrome in the centre of Rio. However this is by no means the only event as Rio comes alive with street parades, parties and colourful balls throughout the carnival period.
Copacabana and Corcovado
From Rio's famous beaches to the heights of Corcovado and Sugar Loaf Mountain, we also take time on this trip to enjoy some of the city's highlights. Traffic and street parades allowing, we also plan to visit the Sambadrome, Maracana Stadium and explore something of the Candelaria area of the city. We also have free to time to perhaps take in one of the smaller street parades, enjoy the beaches and absorb the sights and sounds of this vibrant city.
Extend your tour?
While you are in Brazil, why not take an extra couple of days to see another of this country's amazing spectacles, the mighty Iguacu Falls? We take time to explore the Brazilian and Argentinean sides of the world's largest cascades. Enquire for details.
Rio Carnival
A celebration of local culture, music and dance, the Rio Carnival is perhaps the best known party on earth. Held every year in February, traditionally to mark the start of lent 40 days before Easter, the climax of a week of celebrations comes on Sunday evening with a parade by 14 of the best local Samba schools at the Sambadrome in the centre of Rio. However this is by no means the only event as Rio comes alive with street parades, parties and colourful balls throughout the carnival period.
Copacabana and Corcovado
From Rio's famous beaches to the heights of Corcovado and Sugar Loaf Mountain, we also take time on this trip to enjoy some of the city's highlights. Traffic and street parades allowing, we also plan to visit the Sambadrome, Maracana Stadium and explore something of the Candelaria area of the city. We also have free to time to perhaps take in one of the smaller street parades, enjoy the beaches and absorb the sights and sounds of this vibrant city.
Extend your tour?
While you are in Brazil, why not take an extra couple of days to see another of this country's amazing spectacles, the mighty Iguacu Falls? We take time to explore the Brazilian and Argentinean sides of the world's largest cascades. Enquire for details.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Join tour in Rio de Janeiro. |
| Day 2: | Full day city tour of Rio. |
| Day 3: | Carnival day. |
| Day 4: | Free day in Rio. |
| Day 5: | Free day, optional Scala Gay Ball. |
| Day 6: | Tour ends Rio. |
award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
small group cultural tours
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends it's good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as experiencing new cultures.how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment
We support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. Community Festivals express the very soul of a community, rooted as they are in local history and folklore. They’ll engage all your senses, with their din, colours, scents, tastes – the sheer rawness and spontaneity of the whole experience. This is a fabulous way to learn about the local customs and traditions and get an authentic view of the country you are travelling to in an unpackaged way. Rio Carnival is a joy to behold. We have a local representative to assist us on the trip and they will also be able to give a fascinating insight into the background to the festival, what it means to Brazilians today, as well as a host of other insider tips to make your experience all the richer. Whether it is pointing out a good local restaurant or telling you about the education system, they play an important role in your trip. As well as learning about the people, we also want to be an economic benefit to them. All services on the trip are locally owned so your money stays in country. Rather than include all meals we try to spread our business to a variety of local restaurants. Likewise we try to support craft markets and small traders, not just the large emporia, so that our custom helps them grow their small businesses. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |