The Brazilian Amazon & Primal Pantanal

As you touch down in sassy Sao Paulo, your private transfer is waiting to take you to your hotel. With an early morning arrival, you can check in, freshen up and prepare to hit the town. Sao Paulo is an evocative place, and as the gateway to the backwaters of Brazil it means the city boasts a melting pot of cultures. From the far-flung corners of Japan to Lebanon, everyone floods to the third largest metropolis on earth.

Admire the modern masters at the Museum of Art, visit the formal gardens and twinkling fountains at Independence Park and go gourmet at the best bistros in town.

This morning after breakfast and a dreamy Brazilian espresso, it's time for your transfer back to Sao Paulo airport for a swift 35-minute flight to Campo Grande, ready for your overland journey to the Pantanal. As you leave the city of Campo Grande behind, the landscape starts to change - the Pantanal is the world's largest wetland, covering 81,000 square miles. The skies are thick with birds, the marshes brim with reptiles and rare amphibians, and the waterholes are dense with mammals both big and small.

Arrive at your lodge and witness your first fiery Pantanal sunset with a celebratory drink in hand.

Spend the dawn hours in sheer bliss at your lodge, listening to the natural world waking up. Today there is plenty of time to explore the rich surroundings. Your lodge will offer a whirlwind of activity for those who want to throw themselves into the flora and fauna of Brazil. From walking trails in the dappled forests to photography tours in special vehicles and Canadian canoe trips - experts in the eco-system will accompany you on all adventures.

When night falls, the fun doesn't stop. Grab a flashlight for a nocturnal safari and see which critters prefer to show their faces by moonlight.

Today is a highlight of the tour - the chance to track down the highly elusive jaguar. Spending the day with the Jaguar Project Team gifts a rare opportunity to walk with trained trackers, and the chance to get up close and personal with the mythical creatures. For three hours in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three after dark (when the nocturnal jaguars are stirring), you can follow the trail left by the cats, check data from satellites and even locate the animals to help further the project. Few have the chance to be involved with an experience like this, making it a once in a lifetime adventure.

Another glorious day at the lodge. Fill the hours with birdwatching tours, bicycle rides, or a jeep safari to cover even more ground in the southern Pantanal. On sweltering afternoons, there is nothing more refreshing than a dip in the pool or a wander in the shaded woodlands.

Make the most of your final morning in the depths of the Pantanal - perhaps one last glide in the canoe across the mirrored waterways, or to seek out brightly plumed parrots and gossiping macaws. After a lingering lunch, your guide will return to transfer you via road back to Campo Grande. Spend the night here.

After the shortest city break, it's time to head back into the wild with a trip to the untamed Amazon. From Campo Grande airport you will take a six-hour connecting flight to touch down in Manaus. A guide will be waiting to take you to the docks where (weather depending) you will take a private seaplane ride to your rainforest accommodation for the next few days: another amazing lodge.

This area is known as the greatest river archipelago in the world, home to 400 islands, rare pink dolphins and wildlife filled lakes and virginal forests.

For three days, you can immerse yourself in the exotica of the Amazon. Head out with a guide down the vast waterways in a traditional caboclo canoe seeking monkeys and strange birds in the overhanging trees. Travel along the Rio Negro and visit local communities. Trail the river archipelago to spot pink dolphins, and fish for razor piranhas.

Back at the lodge, you can splash in the pool, sip South American wine on the floating deck and purchase local handicrafts from the boutique selling regional handicrafts. Other activities we can arrange include piranha fishing, boat expeditions, local village tours and hiking along local trails.

This morning you can enjoy one last sunrise over the splendour of the Amazon before taking a transfer back to Manaus Airport for your onward journey. Chances are your flight will be via Sao Paulo again, and overnight.