Northern Brazil & Amazon — Self-Launched

Fly into Galeão (GIG) or Santos Dumont (SDU) and get to your hostel in Botafogo or Copacabana. The 'Real' airport bus runs to Copacabana for around £7; a metered taxi or Uber is £12-18. Spend the evening acclimatising — walk the Copacabana promenade, grab a cheap kilo buffet (por quilo) dinner and stock up on water and cash. ATM withdrawals here are your best bet before heading north, where machines are scarcer.

🚌Airport bus ~£7 or Uber ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm or private double in Botafogo/Copacabana (£12-18 pp)

• →Copacabana and Ipanema beach walk at sunset
• →Kilo buffet dinner in Botafogo

Morning flight from Rio to Manaus (book GOL, Azul or LATAM direct online, roughly £120-170 one way, 4h). From Manaus airport take a taxi or app ride to the jungle lodge operator's pickup point; most budget lodges (3-4 day packages with transport, meals and guides) leave in the early afternoon. Travel by motorised canoe up the river into the flooded forest, spotting birds and river dolphins, then an evening caiman-spotting boat trip after dark. Book the lodge directly or via GetYourGuide — a 3-day/2-night package typically runs £130-180 pp including all meals and guiding.

🚌Domestic flight Rio-Manaus ~£145; lodge road + canoe transfer included in package

🛏Jungle lodge, hammock or simple twin room (£25-35 pp within package)

• →Motorised canoe up the Rio Negro/Amazon
• →Evening caiman-spotting boat excursion

Full day with a local guide from the lodge: two hikes into the igapó and terra firme forest learning about medicinal plants, giant kapok trees, rubber history and wildlife (monkeys, sloths, macaws if you're lucky). Lunch is usually at a riverside or ribeirinho community, usually the one partnered with the lodge — bring small cash for handicrafts. Bring long sleeves, DEET and a headtorch; this is remote country with limited signal.

🚌On foot and by canoe with lodge guides (included)

🛏Jungle lodge (£25-35 pp)

• →Guided rainforest hike
• →Local community lunch and cultural visit
• →Night walk or canoe drift

Early morning canoe out to catch the jungle waking up — birds, howler monkeys, mist on the water. Return by boat and road to Manaus by midday, collect any luggage stored at the lodge office, then take an afternoon or evening flight to Fortaleza (roughly £110-150 one way, book in advance for the cheapest fares). Overnight in Fortaleza's beach neighbourhood, Meireles or Iracema.

🚌Canoe + lodge transfer (included); flight Manaus-Fortaleza ~£130

🛏Budget hotel or hostel in Meireles, Fortaleza (£12-18 pp)

• →Sunrise canoe excursion
• →Evening stroll along Praia de Iracema

Long travel day north up the coast. Either take the daily shuttle/executivo van direct from Fortaleza to Jericoacoara (around £15-20, 5-6h, bookable on GetYourGuide or through your pousada) or the cheaper local bus to Jijoca (£8) plus the mandatory 4x4 transfer across the dunes into Jeri (£4-5 — regular cars can't make the last stretch). Arrive late afternoon in time for sunset from Duna do Pôr do Sol, the free nightly ritual on the sand dune above town.

🚌Shuttle van Fortaleza-Jericoacoara ~£17 or bus + 4x4 ~£13

🛏Pousada or hostel in Jericoacoara (£18-28 pp)

• →Sunset at Duna do Pôr do Sol
• →Explore the car-free sandy streets of Jeri

Join a shared 4x4 day tour of the classic Jeri circuit — Lagoa do Paraíso with its floating hammocks in the water, Lagoa Azul, the Pedra Furada rock arch and the mangrove-hugging dunes. Shared tours cost about £15-20 pp (or charter the whole 4x4 for £45-55 if you've met people — the operator price of 400BRL per group). In the evening watch or try capoeira on the beach; free.

🚌Shared 4x4 tour vehicle (~£18)

🛏Pousada or hostel in Jericoacoara (£18-28 pp)

• →Lagoa do Paraíso floating hammocks
• →Lagoa Azul
• →Pedra Furada viewpoint
• →Capoeira on the beach at sunset (free)

Morning at leisure — last swim, or a sandboard (board rental ~£5). There are two departures a day of the Jeri-Fortaleza shuttle (roughly 9am and 1pm, ~£17); take whichever suits and be back in the city by early evening. Fortaleza has genuinely good nightlife around Iracema and Ponte dos Ingleses — go with hostel people and use app taxis after dark.

🚌Shuttle van Jericoacoara-Fortaleza ~£17

🛏Budget hotel or hostel in Meireles, Fortaleza (£12-18 pp)

• →Morning beach time or sandboarding
• →Iracema beach nightlife

Slow day. Jeri's beach is endless and the wind is relentless — perfect for windsurfing and kitesurfing, or just walking to the far end and back. A group surf lesson runs about £25-30 pp, SUP rental £8-10/hour; the operator's kite lesson rate of 550BRL pp is roughly £85. Or do nothing at all: there are dozens of beach barracas with hammocks and £3 caipirinhas.

🚌On foot — Jeri is car-free

🛏Pousada or hostel in Jericoacoara (£18-28 pp)

• →Surf lesson or SUP rental
• →Beach walk and windsurf watching
• →Barraca hopping on the sand

Morning flight Fortaleza to Salvador (about £90-120, 1h45m direct with GOL/Azul/LATAM). Check into a hostel in Pelourinho or Barra, then spend the afternoon walking the UNESCO-listed Pelourinho — the pastel colonial facades, the Largo do Pelourinho, and the boats along the port at Cidade Baixa after taking the Elevador Lacerda (£0.05). A local city tour is about £7 pp (45BRL) or you can simply self-walk it; a capoeira performance is around £12 (80BRL).

🚌Flight Fortaleza-Salvador ~£105

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in Pelourinho (£14-22 pp)

• →Self-guided Pelourinho walk
• →Elevador Lacerda to Cidade Baixa
• →Optional capoeira performance (~£12)

Long-distance coach from Salvador's rodoviária to Lençóis with Águia Branca or Cidade do Sol — about 6-7 hours, roughly £15-20, and a scenic run inland into the mountains. On arrival check into a guesthouse and spend the evening on Lençóis' pretty cobbled streets; this is the base town for the whole national park. Book tomorrow's guiding with a local guide or through your pousada (£25-40 per day for shared group walks).

🚌Salvador-Lençóis coach ~£17

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Lençóis (£12-18 pp)

• →Arrival wander of Lençóis old town
• →Book local park guide

Classic first day in the park: hike to Poço Encantado or Poço Azul, the caves with impossibly clear blue water where you can float in an inner tube, and the Cascata da Fumaça if you're up for the steep descent. Local guides are essential for most routes and cost £25-35 pp in a shared small group, transport included. Pack lunch, water, sunscreen and shoes with grip.

🚌Shared 4x4 or van with local guide (included in guiding fee)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Lençóis (£12-18 pp)

• →Poço Encantado or Poço Azul cave pool float
• →Cachoeira da Fumaça hike
• →Swim in natural pools

Second full park day — either the Vale do Capão side for more waterfalls and the Morro do Pai Inácio plateau lookout (free, and the best sunrise/sunset spot in the park), or a longer hike to Cachoeira do Mixila/Mucugezinho depending on what your guide recommends. Another £25-35 for the shared guide and transport. Keep the evening slow and dry — tomorrow is a travel day.

🚌Shared van/4x4 with local guide

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Lençóis (£12-18 pp)

• →Morro do Pai Inácio viewpoint
• →Waterfall hike
• →Sunset from a mesa top

Afternoon coach back to Salvador (~£17, 6-7h) or night bus if you'd rather save a hotel night. Back in the city, head to Barra beach for sunset and an acarajé from a street vendor — the classic Bahian street food, £2-3. This is your last full evening; the Pelourinho is lively and generally safe in groups, and use app taxis late at night.

🚌Lençóis-Salvador coach ~£17

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in Pelourinho or Barra (£14-22 pp)

• →Barra beach sunset
• →Acarajé street food tasting

Morning at leisure — the Mercado Modelo for handicrafts, the Igreja do Bonfim for the famous coloured ribbon wall, or a final swim at Porto da Barra. Salvador airport is a 40-50 minute bus ride (~£1) or a £15-20 Uber from the centre. Depart, or extend independently along the Bahian coast toward Itacaré or Morro de São Paulo — both easy bus/ferry hops from Salvador.

🚌City bus to airport ~£1 or Uber ~£17

🛏None — departure day

• →Mercado Modelo and Bonfim church
• →Optional extension to Morro de São Paulo