14 days in Brazil: itinerary

Brazil is larger than the contiguous United States, so a 14-day trip is three bases, not a loop. The parent guide's 14-day build — Rio de Janeiro 5 nights, Salvador 4, Manaus 1, an Amazon lodge 3, Manaus 1 — is the version most first-timers should take: one city of beaches and mountains, one of Afro-Brazilian culture, and one rainforest block that justifies the long flights.

Two swaps change the trip. In July–October the Pantanal replaces the Amazon: jaguar sightings are at their best and the Transpantaneira road is dry. If falls beat rainforest for you, Iguaçu takes the lodge slot and you fly Rio → Foz do Iguaçu → Salvador or home. Both swaps keep the same three-base shape.

Book domestic flights before you book hotels. Rio–Salvador and Salvador–Manaus seats on the days you want are what actually constrain the itinerary, and Amazon lodge transfers run on fixed boat and van times.

The line runs northeast then northwest: Rio de Janeiro on the coast, Salvador 1,200 km up the same coast, then Manaus deep in the Amazon, with the lodge reached by road and boat from the city.

You do not need a car anywhere on this route. Rio and Salvador are app-car and metro cities; Manaus is app cars plus your lodge's own transfer; the lodge handles everything once you arrive.

Treat the first Rio morning as a soft landing: Copacabana or Ipanema promenade, then Arpoador for sunset. Corcovado and Sugarloaf each take half a day with queues, and the weather cam decides which day you go up — clouds hide the view on many summer afternoons. Keep one Rio day free for a beach or a favela tour run by a licensed operator.

Salvador's Pelourinho is a day-and-evening district, not a single sight: churches and museums by day, capoeira and music after dark. Add one beach day (Itapuã or the islands in All Saints' Bay) and one day for the lower city and Mercado Modelo. Take app cars back to your hotel at night.

In Manaus, the opera house and the Meeting of the Waters fill the first afternoon. The lodge days are structured by your guide — usually a dawn boat, a jungle walk and a night canoe — so do not plan anything else. The last Manaus night is buffer for delayed flights.

Fly between the three regions. Bus is not an option on this route: Salvador–Manaus by road is several days, and Rio–Salvador is about 25 hours. Domestic fares in Brazil move a lot, so book early and compare GOL, LATAM and Azul on the same dates.

Inside cities, use app cars after dark and the metro in Rio and São Paulo where it exists. In Salvador, the historic centre is walkable but hilly; the Elevador Lacerda links the upper and lower city. In Manaus, agree the airport transfer with your hotel or lodge rather than hailing at the curb late at night.

Amazon lodge transfers are included in most packages and leave Manaus on a fixed morning schedule. If your international flight lands in the afternoon, sleep in Manaus and join the next day's transfer.

Rio: Ipanema and Leblon for a calm base near the beach, Copacabana for cheaper hotels and metro access, Botafogo for restaurants and a local feel. Santa Teresa suits people who want guesthouses and hills, but you will use app cars more.

Salvador: stay in or beside Pelourinho for atmosphere, or in Barra for the beach and a safer-feeling evening walk. Barra to Pelourinho is a short app-car ride.

Manaus: a hotel near the opera house puts you in the old centre; a hotel near the airport is only worth it for a very early flight. Amazon lodges range from simple screened rooms to full eco-resorts — the price gap is mostly comfort, not wildlife.

Excluding international flights, plan R$9,000–18,000 (roughly US$1,600–3,200) per person for 14 days at mid-range level: domestic flights are the single biggest line, then the lodge, then hotels. Backpacker travel with hostels and buses where possible lands nearer R$6,000; a lodge with private guiding and four-star city hotels pushes past R$25,000.

Cash still matters. Carry some reais for taxis, small restaurants and market stalls, but use cards for hotels and flights. Notify your bank before you travel, and expect to pay in reais rather than dollars.

Swap the Amazon for the Pantanal in July–October: fly Rio → Salvador → Cuiabá or Campo Grande, then 3–4 nights at a lodge on the Transpantaneira. Book jaguar boat trips months ahead for that window.

Swap the Amazon for Iguaçu if you want the falls: Rio → Foz do Iguaçu (2 nights, both sides if your schedule allows) → Salvador, or straight home from IGU via São Paulo. This is the parent guide's 7-day trip stretched with Salvador.

If you have less time, the 10-day version drops Salvador and adds Paraty and Ilha Grande; the 7-day version is Rio plus Iguaçu only. If you have more, add Ouro Preto or the Lençóis Maranhenses between Rio and Salvador.