Rio de Janeiro. Arrival day, you will be picked up from the airport and transferred to our hotel, giving you a chance to relax and freshen up after your flight. There will be a pre-departure meeting at 6pm where you get to meet your guide and the rest of the group. Overnight in Rio.

Rio – Cuiaba – Pantanal.  We leave Rio and catch an early morning flight to Cuiaba, where we will transfer to our jungle lodge located in the Pantanal. The journey from Cuiaba to the Pantanal along the “transpantaneira” route is a safari ride in itself, offering many photo opportunities. The Pantanal is the world’s largest interior wetland and one of Mother Nature’s favourite playgrounds. The abundance and diversity of its vegetation and animal life is spectacular. As many as 242 species of fishes, 650 species of birds, 110 different mammals and 50 species of reptiles have already been identified, in addition to the 1,500 plant species: the biggest concentration of wildlife in the Americas. Dinner will be served at the lodge.

Pantanal – Cuiaba.  Birds and animals are most active in the mornings, so why not join us on our early morning sunrise hike (alternatively, you can relax in bed at the lodge!).  After breakfast we enjoy a leisurely and relaxing horseback ride through the surrounding fields and forests of the Pantanal (no previous horse-riding experience is necessary). We return to the lodge for lunch and then make our way back to Cuiaba, a pleasant cowboy town that thrives on cattle ranching. Overnight in Cuiaba.

Iguassu Falls.  Today we visit one of the world’s most amazing natural wonders, the Iguassu Falls, on a 4 hour guided tour of the Brazilian side. Neither words nor photographs do them justice, they simply have to be seen and heard! Iguassu Falls straddles the border of Brazil and Argentina, and consists of about 275 falls in a horseshoe shape along 2.7 kilometres of the Iguassu River. With some falls up to 82 metres in height, the name Iguassu comes from the Guarani words y (water) and guasu (big) and it is rivalled only by Victoria Falls in Southern Africa. However, Iguassu affords better views and walkways, and at one point, you can stand and be surrounded by 260 degrees of waterfalls. The waterfalls were made a UNESCO World Heritage site in the 1980’s and are part of a singular, practically virgin jungle eco-system. In peak flow, the water flowing over Iguassu has a surface area of approximately 400,000 square metres and the annual peak flow is 6.5 million litres of water per second. The falls are four times the width of ,and also taller than Niagara Falls, and the thunder of the water can be heard from miles away. The rest of the day is free to venture to the Argentinian side of the Falls (optional - please consult your nearest Argentine Embassy prior to travel to check if you require a visa to visit Argentina), but we recommend taking the Macuco Boat Safari (optional) which takes you on a rollercoaster boat ride up the gorge into the roaring thunder of the falls; prepare to have you breath taken away! Overnight in Foz de Iguassu.

Tour guides will accompany you on each of the different excursions included in your trip itinerary, as well as during all transfers to and from hotels, airports and bus stations. You may have the same tour guide for all excursions and transfers or you may have different specialist tour guides for each of these. Please note that tour guides may not necessarily accompany you or your group during internal flights or long distance bus journeys, and may not be staying overnight at your hotel, lodge or homestay. You will be provided with a 24-hour telephone number to contact either your tour guide or our local partner agency in charge of running the tour, in the unlikely event that an urgent situation or emergency should arise.

Kumuka endeavours to advertise a compliment of optional activities available locally during tours with selected ground handlers to make your tour more enjoyable. These ground handlers and activity partners are selected for their standards in quality, professional ability and reputation. Although Kumuka has developed a travel insurance policy to cover all activities offered during your journey, Kumuka cannot be held responsible for injuries or claims arising from adventurous activities by third party. Below is a list of optional excursions available at your expense on your tour. Please note that these are intended as a guide only and prices and availability cannot be guaranteed. The list below is by no means comprehensive. There will be many other optional activities available. All activities are undertaken at passenger’s own risk. All costs are in US$

Iguassu Bird Park $12 - Macuco Boat Safari into the Falls $90 - Entrance to Argentinian side of Iguassu $16 - Tour of the Argentinian side of the Iguassu Falls $33

Travel insurance is compulsory for all tours. All clients MUST be insured to cover personal accident, medical expenses, cancellation, curtailment and repatriation. It is also very important that your insurance policy is relevant to the Kumuka style of travel. Kumuka offers a specially negotiated insurance policy specifically tailored to adventure travel. As well as providing substantial cover for medical emergency, cancellation and curtailment, personal luggage, money and valuables and legal expenses, this insurance will also provide cover for the adventure activities you may choose to undertake whilst on tour. Please call us on the Kumuka freephone number 0800 068 8855 (UK only), or on 1300 667 277 in Australia, for further information.

It is important that you obtain the appropriate visas before you embark on your trip to Brazil. Please consult your relevant embassy for all details. You are fully responsible for obtaining all necessary visas before joining a tour. Kumuka does not accept responsibility for changes in regulations or requirements for visas. The information provided is given in good faith.

Please note that you have the opportunity to take an optional excursion to the Iguassu Falls on the Argentina side. You should consult your nearest Argentine Embassy prior to travel, to check if you require a visa to cross into Argentina.

Compulsory Inoculations: Yellow Fever for Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru but ONLY if arriving from an infected area.

Recommended Inoculations: Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Tetanus and Polio.

We also recommend: A dental check-up prior to travelling and that you know your blood group in case of emergency.

Medical Supplies: We advise that all passengers bring along their own personal first aid kit. Below is a list of some recommended items: Band Aids/Bandages, Laxatives, Upset stomach remedy, Anti-diarrhoea remedy, Panadol/Aspirin, Rehydration remedy, Antiseptic cream/powder, Sterile dressing, Any relevant course of medication such as contraceptive pills. A complete Travellers Medical Pack can be purchased for approximately US$25 at most Vaccination Centres, Chemists and outdoor travel shops.

We suggest clients budget for between US$25-30 per day for personal expenses, souvenirs, evenings out, alcoholic drinks etc. There will be some days when you spend nothing at all and others when you exceed your budget.

Take your money is US dollars only. This the only foreign currency readily exchanged in Latin America.

Traveller’s cheques should be AMERICAN EXPRESS. American Express is the most widely accepted. Cash is far easier to exchange than Travelers Cheques, but also more risky as once lost, is irreplaceable. However, we do recommend that you take some US dollars cash in small denominations ($10 and $20).

Credit cards are accepted frequently, particularly in the larger cities. They can also be used to get money from ATMs. VISA, MasterCard and American Express are the most widely accepted credit cards, VISA being the most useful.

Spanish is the language most widely spoken in the countries we visit in Latin America but English is spoken a little bit in the larger cities. You might like to take the time before your trip to read up on the country you will be visiting and perhaps learn a few words of the language. Your effort will always be welcomed and will make your trip all the more enjoyable. 

For better or for worse, tipping is an accepted part of everyday life and although it is always at your discretion, you will be expected to tip to reward service.  As a general guideline, in South America it is customary to tip 10% at restaurants and bars, USD5 to guides, and to leave approximately USD2 tip for the chambermaid and bellboy.