Rio de Janeiro Tours in October 2026

The accommodation was as a described in the trip notes varying from a Radisson hotel to cute beach huts, cramped metal cabins on the ferry and hammocks close together on the deck of our private boat. If you can't cope with that then don't book this trip. We had a great group and a wonderful guide who coalesced as friends and had an amazing experience. Don't expect to see much mammalian or reptilian wildlife apart from some monkeys, dolphins and Cayman but on the motorised canoe trip on the smaller reaches of the Rio ***** and on Marajo there was copious exotic bird life. Be super careful about food hygiene on the public ferry - a few of us succumbed - but otherwise the food was good and the fruit delicious as was the piranah soup made from the piranah we caught that day.

This is an excellent trip which gives an insight into life and living on the mighty Amazon. From Belem over to Marajo Island, the size of Holland, to understand the importance of the buffalo on this island and sample all of the products, and then back to Belem. From Belem to Santarem the hustle and bustle of a passenger ferry, living life on board in a hammock alongside the ultra friendly locals. I loved the stops at towns en route to watch the frenzy of loading and unloading, and even better watching how the traders stranded on the ferry when it left dealt with still being on board. Option 1, jump off and swim to the dock. Option 2, try to get a small boat to come alongside and grab a lift back to the dock, or Option 3, accept you're going all the way from Monte Alegre to Santarem (a few hours) and explain to your wife where you've been!!!!!! From Santarem to Alter de Chao, a lovely little town on the banks of the Rio Tapajos, beautiful beaches and forests, the best pineapple, sweet and juicy, and I actually don't even like pineapple, and add in some purple dragonfruit, lovely. From Manaus the voyage up the river will put you right into the Amazon and life around it. Go and do some piranha fishing, pink dolphin observing and steamy jungle walking, but its a busy part of the trip so dont expect a lot of downtime. And finally, the slightly weirdness of the Meeting of the Waters, where the ***** and Solimoes join to form the Amazon proper. Just make sure you enjoy with the odd caipirinha

Diego, our Explore leader was excellent. He was very informative, went out of his way to make sure we had a good time and were kept safe. Christian and Raquel, who also joined us, as tour guides, were also very knowledgable, which they shared in a humorous manner. The highlights of the tour for me were the Iguazu Falls, Paraty and Ilha Grande.

In one word? Transformative. I visited sights and had experiences that I would struggle to find anywhere else. The trip was impeccably organised from start to finish and I had so much fun along the way.

I loved the whole itinerary, exactly what i wanted to do as i have always wanted to come back to Pucon in Chile and climb the volcano, also to go to Iguassu falls and to see christ redeemer! It had exceeded my expectations. I loved every second of the tour.

4th Tour, 4th Amazing Adventure! I've been to Egypt, South Africa, GBTOUR, and the latest was Brazil/Iguazu. Expat caters to the exact type of traveler that I am. I want to see as much of the world as I'm able to and experience the local culture at a reasonable price. I'm not looking for luxurious hotels. That's not where I want to spend my time. I just want hotels that are clean, comfortable, in convenient locations, and safe; and that's what they deliver. Their tour guides are also very knowledgeable and personable! They really help to make the tour enjoyable. This trip started in Rio de Janiero then went to Paraty and Sao Paulo. From there we flew to Foz do Iguacu. A lot of sightseeing and some great dinners were included, plus there were optional tours. I went on most of them. Some of them seemed a bit expensive at first glance, but I think they were worth every dollar that I spent. It's also nice to not have to worry about making the arrangements or to wonder if the company I just paid money to is reputable. I saw everything that I wanted to see on this trip plus a lot of other things that I didn't even know I would enjoy so much. I almost always travel solo and have met some of the nicest people, of all ages, on Expat Explore tours. The majority are experienced travelers whose idea of travel is similar to mine. I've even kept in touch with a few of the people from each trip. I love Expat Explore's tours and highly recommend them.