Luxury journey colonial Brazil with rental car

Day 2: Rio de Janeiro

This day you will be picked up by a private guide and will visit the famous Corcovado with its huge statue of Christ the Redeemer. At the statue you have a great view over Rio de Janeiro. After this you will be taken to the Sugarloaf Mountain where you will go up by cable car. From here you have a completely different view over the city and you will see the statue of Christ the Redeemer where you just stood. Afterwards you will be brought back to your hotel.
Overnight stay: Mama Ruisa | bed & breakfast

Day 4: Rio de Janeiro – Paraty 

(approx. 260 km | 4.5 hour drive)
After breakfast you will be taken to Rio de Janeiro airport, where you will pick up your rental car. Once you have your car you can drive to Paraty on your own. When you pass Rio de Janeiro, you will drive mainly via the Rodovia Rio-Santos, one of the most beautiful roads of the Brazilian coast. The road runs parallel to the coast, surrounded by Atlantic rainforest. The historic coastal town of Paraty has its own characteristic atmosphere. The city was founded in 1667 and has fulfilled important functions in history as a transit port of sugar cane, gold and diamonds to Portugal. Over the past 20 years there have also been several (pirate) feature films, series and video clips recorded in Paraty.
Overnight stay: Casa Turquesa | bed & breakfast

Day 5: Paraty

Together with your guide you will discover and experience Paraty's unique combination of culture, nature and history. Today you will go back in time as you walk the 'Gold Trail'. This trail was laid in the 18th century by African slaves to get the gold and diamonds on board the ships to Portugal. During the hike the guide will tell you more about Paraty during the sugar, gold and coffee era. On the way you will make a stop at a waterfall for a refreshing dive. The Toboggan waterfall, a rock slide, is a favorite with the locals and is often used for diving or sliding. After your short stop at the waterfall it is a short walk to the cachaça distillery. Here you will get acquainted with the distillation process and you can taste different kinds of cachaça (a sugar cane distillate). At the end of the walk you will return to the historical center of Paraty.
Overnight stay: Casa Turquesa | bed & breakfast
 

Day 7: Paraty – Petrópolis

(approx. 275 km | 4.5 hour drive)
Today you will leave Paraty and continue to Petropólis. Petropólis was originally an estate where the Brazilian Imperial family resided in the summers to escape the heat of Rio de Janeiro. Although Emperor Pedro I bought the land and conceived the city in the 1830s, Pedro II built the actual palace in 1840. The road to Petrópolis is a wonderful experience itself; you will be led up through the mountains amidst lush, well-preserved subtropical vegetation. The town of Petrópolis is quiet, with cobbled streets flanked by flowerbeds, vintage horse-drawn carriages and beautiful buildings. You can visit the cathedral of São Pedro de Alcântara (1884), built in the French Gothic style. The Crystal Palace (1879) is a glass building that still houses garden shows, exhibitions and banquets. The imperial summer palace exhibits the crown jewels, furniture, paintings, tapestries, colorful robes and cloaks of the former imperial family. 
Overnight stay: Solar do Imperio | bed & breakfast

Day 8: Petropólis – Reserva do Ibitipoca

(approx. 200 km | 3.5 hour drive)
After breakfast you get in the car and drive further inland towards the north to Ibitipoca. You will notice that you will leave the inhabited world further and further behind you, while the landscapes through which you drive, will become rougher and rougher. Your final destination today is a unique ecolodge, situated in a private nature reserve called Ibitipoca.
Overnight stay: Pousada Reserva do Ibitipoca | bed & breakfast

Day 9: Reserva do Ibitipoca 

Today you have a day off. You can take part in one of the excursions offered, or explore the area by car on your own. In the surroundings of your accommodation you can go hiking, horseback riding, visit waterfalls, etc. Get disconnected! There is only Wi-Fi in the main building and no reach for mobile phones. 
Overnight stay: Pousada Reserva dp Ibitipoca | bed & breakfast
 

Day 10: Reserva do Ibitipoca – Tiradentes

(approx. 210 km | 4 hour drive)
Today you drive further north to Tiradentes, a small town with a historic center. Tiradentes owes its name to Joaquim José da Silva Xavier. He was nicknamed Tiradentes (tooth puller) because of his profession as a 'dentist', but was mainly known as a Brazilian freedom fighter.
Overnight stay: Solar da Ponte | bed & breakfast

Dag 11: Tiradentes

This day is at leisure. You can visit one of the old churches or the museum of Padre Toledo. You can also visit the nearby city of São João del Rei. You can go here by car, but there is also a charming little train between the two cities. This way of transportation may not be as smooth as the car, but this way you can enjoy the surroundings in a fun way.
Overnight stay: Solar da Ponte | bed & breakfast

Day 12: Tiradentes – Congonhas – Ouro Preto

(approx. 190 km | 5 hour drive)
The next stop is in the town of Ouro Preto. On the way to Ouro Preto you can make a small detour to Congonhas if you wish. In Congonhas you can visit the Basílica do Senhor Bom Jesus de Matosinhos. The Brazilian architect and sculptor Aleijadinho completed his masterpiece for this basilica: the Stations of the Cross depicting the 12 prophets made of sandstone and 64 life-size wooden statues, which he made between 1796 and 1805. Aleijadinho could no longer use his hands and legs from the age of thirty. However, he succeeded, with a hammer and a chisel tied to his arms, in making the most beautiful sculptures. 
Overnight stay: Solar do Rosario | bed & breakfast

Day 13: Ouro Preto

Ouro Preto, with its historic center, is a true open-air museum. Before Brazilian independence the city was called Vila Rica, which means 'rich city'. After independence, the name changed to Ouro Preto, which means 'black gold' and refers to canga, an iron-containing mineral that hides grains of gold. Until 1897 Ouro Preto was the capital of Minas Gerais and from 1980 the city was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In this region a fierce struggle for independence against the Portuguese rulers took place. The records of the rebellion are in the Museum of the Inconfidência, the former Municipal Palace and Prison, which has furniture, utensils, documents and religious artefacts in its collection. Tiradentes Square is home to the Governor's Palace, which now houses the Mining School, a college founded during the Empire, and also houses the Museum of Mineralogy. Definitely worth a visit are the Casa dos Contos where gold used to be weighed and where the Municipal Theatre was located.
Overnight stay: Solar do Rosario | bed & breakfast

Day 14: Ouro Preto – Belo Horizonte – Porto Seguro – Trancoso 

In the morning you will drive to the airport of Belo Horizonte (approx. 150 km | 2.5 hour drive), where you drop off your rental car and board your domestic flight to Porto Seguro. Upon arrival at the airport you will be welcomed by our local staff and brought to your hotel. You will stay for the next few days in Trancoso, an authentic and atmospheric village located by one of the most pristine and undiscovered beaches of Brazil.
Overnight stay: Casa Uxua | bed & breakfast
 

Day 15 to 17: Trancoso 

Enjoy your last days in Brazil. Casa Uxua is the place to be for a relaxing end to your trip. You can walk from your Casa straight into the picturesque fishing village and / or to the beach. After a delicious Bahian breakfast your 'own' sofa in the Uxua Beach Lounge is ready for you. Of course there is also a spa available.
Overnight stay: Casa Uxua | bed & breakfast

Day 18: Trancoso –  Porto Seguro – Amsterdam

Unfortunately, your journey is comes to an end. Our local staff will pick you up at your hotel and take you to Porto Seguro airport, where you will board your intercontinental flight to Amsterdam (via São Paulo).

Dag 19: Amsterdam

You will arrive in Amsterdam today.