Join a São Paulo Carnival bloco with a Local Guide and experience the celebration at street level. Follow the sound of live samba through crowds dressed in bright colours and costumes, with plenty of room to move to the music.

Blocos are neighbourhood street parties and a defining part of Brazil’s Carnival culture. Rather than watching from the sidelines, you’ll be among the dancers and musicians as the city’s streets become the celebration.

• 1 Dinner (D)
• 8 Breakfast (B)

• Mexico City: You’ll now book and pay for your Free Time Add-Ons through WeTravel — a simple website link where you can browse all the FTAs, pick what you’re keen on, and pay directly by card, in any currency. You’ll get the link in your Welcome Email, usually 3–5 days before your trip starts. Once you’re in, it’s easy: check out the pics, descriptions and prices, add your chosen experiences to your cart, then check out online. You can book before your trip starts or while you’re on the road, up until each activity’s booking deadline.Missed the link? No stress. Your Trip Manager can share it with you on trip too.

• Sao Paulo: Sit down together for our first meal as a crew, swapping stories and getting a taste of the city from the get-go. Easy vibes, good food, and the perfect kick-off to what’s coming next.
• Sao Paulo: Hit the streets with a Local Guide and dive straight into São Paulo’s bloco scene — think live samba, bold costumes, and a crowd that doesn’t stand still. This is Carnival in its raw, street-level form, where locals lead the vibe and you’re right in it with them. Expect music, movement, and pure feel-good energy from start to finish.
• Rio de Janeiro: This needs no introduction. Tick this iconic statue off your #travelgoals bucket list. And don’t forget your camera.
• Rio de Janeiro: This legendary stadium is where the Rio Carnival parades have taken place in full action for years. And guess what? We got you entry tickets to witness it all IRL. Get ready for an ocean of samba dancers who’ll showcase their talent to win the Carnival Champion award. Costumes encouraged!
• Rio de Janeiro:
  Ever heard of Favelas? They’re growing neighbourhoods in Brazil. And on this tour, we’ll visit Favela Cantagalo near Rio. We’ll check out the Portal of Saint Roman, walk through alleyways, see the 10 paintings of the Houses-Screen, and even stop by a few viewpoints along the way. You’ll even visit the Museu de Favela-MUF, a historical museum about memories and cultural heritage of favelas in the world. It’s a collection about 20,000 residents and their ways of life, and how their stories are an unknown but important part of Rio de Janeiro’s history. Trust us, you don’t wanna miss this one.
• Rio de Janeiro: It ain’t Rio Carnival if there ain’t a Bloco. Yup, today we’ll join a Bloco (street party) and bust a move to some Brazilian beats.

Contiki

Meet your fellow travellers over a welcome dinner in São Paulo. Share stories around the table and get to know the crew who will experience Brazil’s Carnival with you.

São Paulo’s dining scene reflects a city shaped by communities from across Brazil and beyond. This hosted first meal offers a chance to settle in, connect with the group and get an early taste of the city’s lively social atmosphere.

Get the Paraty lowdown from your Trip Manager in this coastal town between forested hills and the sea. This hosted introduction helps you get your bearings and appreciate the setting of its cobblestone historic centre.

Paraty’s preserved colonial streets recall its role as a port on the route that carried gold from Brazil’s interior. The orientation provides context for the town’s Portuguese-era architecture and coastal character without requiring a formal sightseeing tour.

Visit Christ the Redeemer, the Art Deco statue standing high above Rio de Janeiro on Corcovado Mountain. See the monument up close and take in views across the city’s hills, bay and coastline when conditions are clear.

Completed in 1931, the statue has become one of Brazil’s most recognisable symbols. Its scale and hilltop position give this visit a sense of place that photographs alone cannot convey: Rio spread out beneath the monument.

Watch Rio’s Carnival parade at the Sambadrome with an included entry ticket. From the stands, see samba schools bring their performances to life through elaborate floats, coordinated dancers, percussion and richly detailed costumes.

Designed by Oscar Niemeyer, the Sambadrome is the purpose-built setting for Rio’s celebrated parade competition. Each school presents a themed performance shaped by months of preparation, filling the avenue with drums, colour and collective energy.

Explore Favela Cantagalo on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience focused on local life and heritage. Walk its alleyways, see the Portal of Saint Roman and the Houses-Screen paintings, and pause at viewpoints overlooking this part of Rio.

Visit the Museu de Favela-MUF to learn how residents preserve and share the neighbourhood’s memories and cultural history. The experience offers a more personal perspective on Rio through the stories and creative work of its community.

Join a Rio Carnival bloco and take part in a street party powered by Brazilian beats. Move with the crowd, listen to the music and experience Carnival beyond the formal parade route.

Blocos bring the festivities into Rio’s public spaces, where costumes, dancing and shared rhythms turn an ordinary street into a gathering place. It’s a chance to feel the spontaneous, communal side of Carnival alongside people celebrating on the ground.

Explore Beco do Batman, a street-art-filled alley in São Paulo’s Vila Madalena neighbourhood. Take time to look closely at its colourful murals and photograph the changing artwork that covers walls along the lane.

The alley is a showcase for the city’s urban art scene, with new pieces regularly appearing alongside established works. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour; it offers a creative contrast to São Paulo’s Carnival street celebrations.

Sail through Paraty Bay on a classic schooner, passing forested islands and the green coastline around this historic port town. Island stops and time to swim let you experience the bay from the water as well as from the deck.

Paraty sits where the Atlantic Forest meets a sheltered stretch of coast, giving the cruise its distinctive backdrop of wooded slopes and sea. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Ride an open-air jeep through the landscapes around Paraty to discover waterfalls, Atlantic Forest views and the historic Gold Trail. Learn about local cachaca-making and taste the sugarcane spirit associated with the region.

The Gold Trail recalls the colonial-era route linking Brazil’s interior with the coast, while the forest and waterfalls reveal a different side of Paraty beyond its cobblestone streets. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.