Friday 21 February 2020. Your Rio Rainbow Carnival Tour begins as our guide meets you at the airport and describes the Marvellous City to you during the journey to your hotel. A spectacular introduction to Rio comes from the cable car ride to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain, guarding the entrance to Guanabara Bay, with views over the city and its mountains and beaches. You can then enjoy the afternoon, perhaps with a first look at the renowned Posto 9 on Ipanema Beach, the section most frequented by the LGBT crowd. The whole weekend will be as busy as it will be friendly, the same as with Farme do Amoedo, perhaps the busiest street in Rio during Carnival!

Saturday 22 February 2020. Carnival Saturday in Rio de Janeiro. With a lot to squeeze in over the weekend, Saturday morning might be the best time to visit the statue of Christ the Redeemer for more marvellous city views! Afternoon can be free for the beach, before the Ipanema streets are taken over by Banda de Ipanema! One of the traditional and most famous block parties (blocos), the true Rio Rainbow Carnival celebrations begin with the colourful parade along the beach and around to the square, replete with the best drag queens in Rio (and that really is saying something!) in the most fabulous and creative outfits! Saturday evening can continue into the morning at clubs such as The Week.

Sunday 23 February 2020. Sunday is free to relax around the beaches, enjoy the music and capoeira displays. In the evening, you transfer to the Sambodromo where the world's largest parade takes place. From 9pm through until dawn on both Sunday & Monday night, 6 of Rio's 12 main samba schools compete with spectacular floats of costumed dancers and drums batteries. The parade is a riot of colours & costumes, feathers & flesh as each school has 80mins to impress judges with their hand-built, hand-powered floats. You can either watch from the stands and private boxes, or you can participate with your very own costume as you make your way down the Sambodromo parade ground!

Monday 24 February 2020. With the Carnival Parade lasting until dawn an easy Monday is recommended! Fresh fruit juices from the colourful bars on every Rio corner help to replenish vitamins. The samba beats return to the streets in the afternoon and may begin to move your feet once more. Festivities continue in clubs and masked balls across the city, not just in the Sambodromo. The magic of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is that you can feel part of the spectacle in any part of the city. The atmosphere is as lively and colourful as the costumes, and dressing up is all part of the fun. Weird and wonderful sights are guaranteed on the streets of Rio during Carnival!

Tuesday 25 February 2020. After a free day, evening can be spent at the famous Gay Masked Ball, which takes place at the Scala Theatre in the city centre. The costumes date back to when Rio Carnaval was more of an exclusive affair, and based around the masked balls of Venice, with waltz as the main music. Samba Beats took over Rio in the early part of the 20thC and now dominate the whole Carnaval scene, but the masks and their parties are still going strong, with the Gay Ball being perhaps the wildest of them all! Dressing up in colourful costumes is essential, although your outfit is unlikely to be the most outrageous to walk the pink carpet. An alternative is the riotous Banda das Quengas bloco in Lapa.

Wednesday 26 February 2020. Your Rio Rainbow Carnival Tour is over! Your transfer to the airport will be arranged to get you there in time for your flight away. If you have more time to spend in Rio than the Carnival Weekend, then you could consider some time to relax after the hectic weekend. The beaches of Buzios or Ilha Grande are good options to unwind close by. Iguazu Falls is another obvious extension, with a couple of nights there before or after to tick off one of the natural wonders of the world. However you prefer to organise your time in Brazil, then we can help with all the details, and make sure that your Rio Rainbow Carnival is as memorable as it is fun...