Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Rio – Ask Santa for a Speedo
December 23, 2007 – January 2, 2008                                    Request more information
Per person: $4,450*                                                                                         Details

The most relaxing Christmas you’ve ever had. You’ll have: a massage, beaches, a lesson in “slow food” Brazilian cooking from market to finished product, and a trip through old Rio. On New Year’s Eve you’ll join two million people, all clad in white, to stand along the white sand beach and watch the fireworks overhead!

Copacabana: people of every color, class and creed in all shapes and sizes congregate along its white sands. It is one of the world’s most famous beaches, and is a spectacular sight lying out before the ocean and backed by very steep hills.

Copacabana runs three miles along the Atlantic. There is always something happening on the beach during the day and along the footpaths at night: drinking, singing, eating and all kinds of people checking out the scene. Tourists watch Brazilians and Brazilians watch tourists; the poor from the favelas eye the rich.

Southwest of Copacabana is Arpoador, a small beach with good surfing, even at night when the beach is lit. There's a giant rock that juts out into the ocean where you can enjoy a great view.

Corcovado rises straight up from the city, at 2,700 feet. Corcovado (Hunchback) offers spectacular panoramas of Rio and its surrounds. Its prominent feature is the statue Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer). At night, the brightly lit statue is visible from all over the city. Cable cars make the journey up the mountain easy without interfering with the view.

Ipanema is Rio's richest and most chic beach. It's less frenzied than Copacabana, as well as safer and cleaner. Different parts of the beach attract different crowds. Garota de Ipanema beach, right off Rua Vinícius de Moraes, is also known as the Cemitério dos Elefantes because of the old leftists, hippies and artists who hang out there, but is also known for the young and beautiful.

The beach in front of Rua Farme de Amoedo, also called Land of Marlboro, is the gay beach. Ipanema is an Indian word for 'dangerous, bad waters.' The waves can get big and the undertow is often feisty. Be careful, and swim only where the locals are swimming.

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* Price quoted is per person, double occupancy.
Solo travelers may choose single occupancy and pay an additional $650.
Ask about our free roommate matching service.