Sample Itinerary: Boa Morte Brazil

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		Day 1: Fly Overnight to Salvador You'll depart from the U.S. and fly to Salvador in Northeastern Brazil.
		Day 2: First Glance - Salvador Most flights arrive in Salvador mid-afternoon. We'll meet our Salvador trip leader who will show us around on foot through Pelourinho, the cultural heart of the city. With its steep, cobblestoned streets full of art galleries, restaurants, capoeira demonstrations, colonial architecture, and impromptu musical street performances, Pelourinho stimulates all the senses! Dinner tonight at a great local restaurant.
		Day 3: Afro-Brazilian Culture and Candomble We'll spend the morning in Pelourinho and exploring the area around the Bomfim church nearby. Although one of Salvador's least adorned places of worship, it is without a doubt the most popular. This afternoon we'll focus our sights on the unique blend of African and Catholic religious influences that have created Candomble, a religion that remains very strong in Salvador. A local expert will lead a discussion, then escort us to an authentic candomble ritual in the evening at one of the city's many terreiros (houses of worship). Note: because these are authentic ceremonies, not shows performed for tourists, the schedules will vary throughout the year according to the religious calendar. Seeing a ceremony is not always possible and may occasionally take place on another day of the week.
		Day 4: Boa Morte Festival The Sisterhood of the Good Death, or 'Boa Morte', holds an annual celebration for their order in Cachoeira, around two hours north of Salvador. There, we'll witness dances, take part in processions and soak up the atmosphere of this very unusual and rich tradition. After a full day at the festival, we'll return to our Pousada (bed and breakfast) in Salvador.
		Day 5: Capoeira Today we'll relax at one of the best local beaches in the morning. In the afternoon, we will learn about the dance/martial art called capoeira, created by African slaves. We will visit one of the region's most respected capoeira schools, meet some of the students and the mestre (capoeira master), and finally witness a beautiful 'roda de capoeira' demonstration.
		Day 6: Free Morning, Arrival in Rio The morning is yours to enjoy Salvador on your own - shopping, the beach or relaxing - before our flight south to Rio. We'll meet Fabio, our multi-lingual and multi-talented Southern Brazil trip leader. When he is not leading trips for CULTURE XPLORERS, he is a professional folk painter who has traveled extensively around the world and speaks five languages fluently. One of our first impressions of Rio will be from the peak of Corcovado with it's world famous statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking the city unfurled below. Dinner will be at one of Rio's best barbeque houses overlooking the bay.
		Day 7 Santa Teresa We'll take a restored, open-sided tram across the Arcos de Lapa (originally an aquaduct) to Santa Teresa, an eclectic, picturesque neighborhood overlooking Rio. We'll spend the afternoon wandering its winding streets, full of galleries, restaurants and cafes.
		Day 8: Rocinha Rio's favelas are infamous and even feared, but there is much myth and rumor surrounding the neighborhoods that over 2,000,000 Rio residents call home. Their history and current status is complex, and we'll get some great insights from Barbara, an Italian guide who has chosen Rocinha, Rio's largest favela, as her home. Today's visit will allow us to discover the nuances of real favela life and talk to some of the residents there for some candid opinions of their world and ours. Tonight we will see live 'roots' samba in a restored club in Rio's old city center. The exposed brick walls, photographs and high ceiling fans create an atmosphere almost as cool as the 'roots' music we'll hear. It is an older, smoother style of samba, now very popular again with Rio residents.
		Day 9: Sugarloaf This morning is free to enjoy as you wish. There are lots of great options: a bike ride along the beaches and lagoon? A high adrenaline paragliding/hang-gliding experience that will last a lifetime? (extra cost around $100). Walking Rio's miles of world famous beaches? Note: keep an eye out for the uniquely Brazilian sport of 'foot-volley' (pictured left): a game of beach volleyball using any part of the body except the arms and hands! We'll visit Sugarloaf mountain this afternoon, another of Rio's 'postcard' mountains. You will have the option to make an exciting climb to the summit - and we do mean exciting! This requires no climbing experience but does require a very high level of fitness, absolutely no fear of heights and the signing of a special risk waver. Still want to do it? Good! Gil, our professional climbing guide, leads us on this fantastic two hour hike/climb. For the rest of us, don't worry! The two-stage cable car is the traditional - and also very beautiful - method of ascent. Plus, we'll have more time at the top to enjoy the spectacular vista below. We'll watch the sunset from here as the lights come up in the city below. Breathtaking.
		Day 10: Fejoada and 'Futebol' After a free morning for the beach, writing postcards, shopping, etc., we'll have a traditional Brazilian fejoada, the heavy and delicious meat, bean and manioc dish that has become Brazil's national dish and favorite Saturday meal. When scheduled, we will participate in a true Brazilian cultural spectacle - a soccer match at Maracana stadium. It doesn't matter if you are a fan or not, seeing a game at the world's largest stadium in front of the world's most passionate fans is not to be missed. We'll have the best seats in the house - right between the opposing teams 'Torcidas' (loose translation - raving mad fans!). Tonight some live music in the Lapa district will be a great way to celebrate our trip together.
		Day 11 We'll drive one hour south of the city to visit a unique museum of folk culture, followed by a visit to Rio's cleanest and prettiest beach - Prainha. There's an optional two hour trek with Gil (the professional climber) for those that feel restless on the beach. Otherwise, sit back, have a cold coconut milk on the sand, watch the surfers, swim and enjoy. We'll have a celebration lunch/early dinner at a great restaurant overlooking a private nature reserve. Fabio will have everyone back to Rio in time for flights back to the US.
		Day 12: Arrival Home