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	Brazil Program Travel Itinerary Thursday, March 13: DES MOINES / ATLANTA (D–in flight) Depart Des Moines on Delta Airlines Flight #4418 (operated by Atlantic Southeast) at 11:48AM. Arrive at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport at 2:54PM. Connect to Delta Airlines Flight # 61, departing at 8:35PM. Friday, March 14: RIO DE JANEIRO / SALVADOR DA BAHIA (L) Arrive Rio de Janeiro at 7:10AM. Clear Customs and Immigration prior to checking in for Tam Airlines Flight # 3040, departing at 12:33PM. Arrive in Salvador at 2:33PM. Welcome to Salvador da Bahia, the cultural heartland of Brazil! You are met by your guide and transferred to the MONTE PASCOAL HOTEL, located in front of Barra Beach. Your guide assists you with check-in, gives you a briefing on the hotel and neighborhood. Enjoy lunch at Sal e Braza, one of the best Churrascarias in the city, prior to the start of your Half Day Historical City Tour, which includes the following: Pelourinho, also known as the Colonial City, with its imposing Baroque architecture - declared part of World Heritage by UNESCO due to its historical significance and the intense variety of cultural activities. Here you notice the diversity of restaurants; bars and little shops line the stones streets. Continue on to the Afro Brazilian Museum, which traces the West African origins of the city, and see the superb wooden sculpted panels of the orixá's by Salvador's most celebrated artist, Carybé. Then we visit the church of São Francisco with its exuberant gold-leafed Baroque interior and the Pelourinho square, the heart of the old town. Our day ends with a Welcome Reception at Jorge Amado Foundation. Saturday, March 15: SALVADOR DA BAHIA (B, L) This morning, after breakfast, you are met by your guide for the Urban Development Tour. Like most Brazilian cities, Salvador is has grown immensely, however not always in a controlled fashion. This tour takes you to side of the city not always seen by the majority of visitors to Salvador. Witness the different realities of urban life for the fortunate and the less fortunate. This tour ends in a local community,deep in the heart of some of the most exclusive residential areas of Salvador. You are met by the community leaders and are given a detailed explanation of the work being done within the community. There is primary school (Escola Aberta do Calabar), a children’s day-care center, medical center and small business project within the community itself. This is a warming example of a community action. Lunch at Porteira. In the afternoon, we will go to the Mercado Modelo, a thriving market for local artifacts and souvenirs. This is also where you can test your bargaining talents! Then we visit a Candomblé Temple, which is a traditional Candomblé House of Worship, established at the turn of the century, a long way from the then center of the city. The expansion of the city has meant that the temples grounds have been surrounding by the burgeoning metropolis but the temple maintains the traditional religious and social values of African daily life. This visit focuses on the religious and social traditions of the temple. Visit the primary school whose curriculum includes Yorubá language studies, the study of the spiritual and medicinal properties of sacred plants, as well as the normal academic studies. Evening at leisure. Sunday, March 16: SALVADOR DA BAHIA / CACHOEIRA / BOIPEBA ISLAND (B, L & D) This morning, after breakfast, depart by air-conditioned motor-coach, stopping in Santo Amaro for a visit to the local market. Continue on to a formal experimental cocoa farm that, until recently, was in private hands but was appropriated and handed over to the National Popular Movement for Agrarian Reform. Here you have the opportunity to meet with the settlers to discuss one of Brazil’s most pressing social problems to continue on to Cachoeira. After lunch, proceed for a visit to the *Irmandade da Boa Morte* (Sisterhood of the Good Death), a sorority of women dating back to slavery days, to then stroll through the town, looking in on sculptors as they work. Take the speed boat to Boipeba. Boipeba Island is bathed by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Inferno River estuary on the other, Boipeba Island is remarkable for its rare natural beauty and the vast variety of its ecosystems. The island contains surviving areas of the Atlantic Forest, extensive mangroves and scenic beaches. It is part of the Environmental Preservation Area encompassing the islands of Tinharé to the north and Boipeba. The pace of life is slow, and everything brings to mind the simple life of a community that was completely isolated a little over 10 years ago, even lacking electricity. Now 3,000 people live in the island’s four settlements, which still retain many legacies of their historic past. Its remote location has safeguarded Boipeba Island from human activity, further preserving its natural beauty. There are no cars on the island, with most goods being transported by mule; the only form of mechanized transport is by tractor. Local environmental organizations help improve the lives of the island’s residents and provide a benchmark in Bahia’s Southern Lowlands for the development of economic activities, particularly tourism, without degrading the environment. The purpose of these projects is to serve as a model for local sustainable development, thereby contributing to environmental protection on a global level. Upon arrival in Boipeba Island, you are transferred to the POUSADA SANTA CLARA. Here, your three (3) night stay includes hotel taxes and full board. Your guide assists you with check-in, gives you a briefing on the Pousada and neighborhood. Monday, March 17: BOIPEBA ISLAND (B, L & D) This morning, after breakfast, you are met by your guide for a 12-kilometer trek to the southern tip of the island, São Sebastião. Here, you begin your adventure by walking through the village of Boipeba, stopping to witness how Palm Oil is made from the Dende fruit at the local Rodão, as well as visiting the local manioc flour mill. Continue on your hike passing remnants of the Atlantic Forest, getting to know much of the local fauna. This evening, after some time to freshen up, meet your group for an informal dinner at the Pousada with local residents to discuss island life and local sustainable tourism and development. Tuesday, March 18: BOIPEBA ISLAND (B, L & D) After breakfast, you are met by your guide to enjoy a walk along the beach and then follow the trails from the Boca da Barra Beach to Tassimirim to Coeira Beach, with beautiful hilltop coastal views and enjoy a swim at the natural pools. Hike back to the pousada for lunch. Afternoon is free to relax on the beach. This evening, after some time to freshen up, meet your group for more one-on one interview with the locals. Wednesday, March 19: BOIPEBA ISLAND/SALVADOR (B, L) This morning, after breakfast, return to Salvador, stopping along the way at Magorigipinho, a riverside ceramic cottage industry and the largest in South America. Here you have the opportunity to see artisans at work and even test your talents at the potter’s wheel. Remainder of the day in Salvador is free. Thursday, March 20: SALVADOR (B, D) After breakfast, you are met by your guide for a visit to a local University, where you interact with professors and students and learn of their academic studies and everyday lives. (TBC) This afternoon visit the Steve Bilko Institute/School. This evening you are met by your guide for your Farewell to Bahia Dinner and Show. The Bahia Folklore Company (Balé Folclórico da Bahia) is one of the most respected folklore dance troupes in the world. The company performs in the intimate Miguel Santana Theater in the Pelourinho in a seamless presentation of the multiple African traditions that underpin Bahian culture. See the sacred dances of the Candomble, the Maculele (a stick and sword dance from the cane fields), and the dance of the Caboclo (an Amerindian hunting dance), the Capoeira (martial arts / dance of Angolan origin) and the Samba de Roda (a spinning, swirling version of this exuberant national dance). Dinner takes place at UaUa, a local Bahian restaurant with delicious selection of typical and international dishes, after which you will have some time to shop in the Pelourinho. Friday, March 21: SALVADOR DA BAHIA / RIO DE JANEIRO (B, D) This morning, after breakfast check out of the hotel. You will be met by your guide to be transferred to the airport in time for Tam Airlines Flight # 3041, departing at 2:15PM. Arrive in Rio at 4:25PM. Upon arrival in Rio de Janeiro, you are met by your guide and transferred to the MARTINIQUE HOTEL, located a block from the beach. Welcome to the “cidade maravilhosa”! Your guide assists you with check-in, gives you a briefing on the hotel and neighborhood and advises you of the meeting time for this evening’s event. Bask in the lights of Rio at night on your way to dinner at Mio Restaurant, the local’s favorite for Italian cuisine. It’s a very special and sophisticated place, established on one of the most charming streets of Ipanema, the Farme de Amoedo. Its environments: the porch, the ballroom and the American bar are extremely comfortable and cozy; and for those who enjoy more privacy the second floor is perfect. Refined and customer oriented impressive reception. The kitchen, with its Italian specialty plus the good wines from the air-conditioned wine cellar, dominates the styles of the house. After dinner, you will proceed to Rio Scenárium, an unusual bar; whici is a mix between an antique shop and an auction room, where the locals come to listen to traditional Brazilian jazz and samba. Saturday, March 22: RIO DE JANEIRO (B, L) This morning, after breakfast, you will be met by your guide for your jeep tour of Corcovado Mountain, and Santa Teresa, a traditional district with a mild climate and big houses from the beginning of the century, built mainly by English railroad managers. In our days, it became an art center with lots of craftsmanship galleries and the only district in Rio where we can find the tram visit the Sambodromo the place for the Carnival parade. After tour stop for shopping and lunch at Confeitaria Colombo. Return to the hotel, where you can relax and enjoy your free evening in Rio. Sunday, March 23: RIO DE JANEIRO (B, D, D-in flight) After your check out you will be met by your guide for a stop at the Hippie Fair for a quick look at the crafts on display and continue on to the world famous Sugar Loaf Mountain in the middle of the Guanabara Bay, from where one of the most breathtaking views of the city of Rio can be seen. Take the two-stage car up to the top of the Mountain and admire the marvelous view from up above. The tour also offers a panoramic tour to downtown Rio, which is a great opportunity to see some of the historical sites of the city such as the Cathedral and the Municipal Theatre. After the tour, you will proceed to Porcao Rio’s, a famous Brazilian steak house, for your farewell lunch where you will experience a unique dining sensation. An “all you can eat” restaurant style, with a special way of roasting the meat on a special Brazilian grill that conserves the natural flavor or each portion and leaves each cut full of it’s natural juices. Besides a variety of 30 different assortment of the finest meat (served Brazilian style, sliced to your preference right at the table), the restaurant keeps a buffet of unbeatable salads as well as hot dishes – especially created by chef Wilson Leal. The Churrascaria Porcão Rio's is a gastronomic reference in Rio de Janeiro, at an astonishing landscape, in front of one of the most beautiful sights in Rio de Janeiro, the Guanabara’s Bay and the Sugar Loaf. After lunch, return to the hotel to pick up your luggage and transfer to Rio de Janeiro International Airport in time for Delta Airlines Flight # 60, departing at 10:55PM. Monday, March 24: ATLANTA / DES MOINES Arrive at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport at 7:45AM. Clear Customs and Immigrations. Connect on to Delta Airlines Flight # 4186 (operated by Atlantic Southeast), departing at 10:20AM. Arrive in Des Moines at 11:24AM.. Welcome Home!