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Peru and Brazil
  • Kristyna Collins
  • Kristyna Collins

Peru and Brazil

Follow along as we adventure into new places! Read more
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  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
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    Day 37

    July 22 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Today we had our boat trip which was AMAZING! We met our guide and thankfully the group was incredibly small- only 1 other person!! We then boarded the speed boat and headed off to Combu island on the edge of the Amazon. We went down various estuaries enjoying seeing the local way of life. Small houses perching on stilts - certainly a much simpler way of life! We saw the locals going about their day, zooming up and down in small speed boats. The shores lined with palm trees, and mangroves protecting the houses from erosion and extreme weather. We then “docked” although feels like a glamorous word to use for clinging on to the side of the building and trusting some very creaky old wooden stairs.

    Arriving in a local merchants shop we taste tested locally grown chocolate, including 100% dark chocolate which was too much for me but Keira loved!

    Moving through the shop we began exploring the island seeing the local primary school. Then headed deeper into the forest to meet a family. The leader- an 83 year old man, welcomed us and headed into his house to grab something. He then produced the larger machete I have ever seen!! He proceeded to show how he uses it to open the large seed pods that contain Brazilian nuts. I watched slightly worried he might lose a finger! Keira had a go to crack it open too! Once we got it open we tasted the nuts which were delicious! He then waved for us to follow him around the back of his house where he showed us two green parrots! Completely wild and able to fly to and from the house as they please. He has been looking after them since they were born and they were very friendly- we got to hold them!

    We then headed deeper into the forest for an hours walk with our guide Jeff. He explained so much about the rainforest, showing us various different plants along the way and thier medicinal purposes. We ended the tour at a HUGE tree- 450years old and sky rocketing into the canopy it’s hard to put scale on it!

    We then headed back to the speedboat to get taken back to Belem. An incredible experience we absolutely LOVED it!!    Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 38 and 39

    July 24 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Day 38
    Today we travelled to Rio from Belem- short flight only about 3 1/2 hours!

    Day 39
    We started this morning at Rio’s botanical gardens which were pretty impressive. The tallest palm trees I’ve ever seen and lots of fountains and trees with huge roots. We also managed to spot and get quite close to some monkeys! Sadly it was raining so not the start to Rio we had imagined! After this we headed down to Ipanema to wander around and we found a market where we picked up some fruit. We accidentally bough 4kg of apples rather than 4 LOL! Not sure how we are going to get through all of those!! We also bought a Brazil top each!

    I then headed off to a Churrascaria which is basically unlimited beef and meat on tap. They bring around these huge skewers of various different cuts, all seasoned and cooked differently. As someone who has stupidly expensive taste in steak for a 21 year old this was my idea of HEAVEN!!! I have eaten my body weight in meat I think. I also got a glass of wine (Malbec!!) on the house for befriending one of the waiters so I’ll take that!! Keira not being a big meat eater stayed back at the air bnb to chill out. A fun first day in Rio!    Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
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    Day 40 and 41

    July 25 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We started off today at the largest vintage market in Rio and it was absolutely HUGE! It went on for streets and streets with hundreds of stalls selling jewellery, clothes, vintage cameras, everything you could imagine. It being a busy market I kept my phone away so don’t have any pictures but was pretty impressive! We then grabbed some lunch and debated what to do in the afternoon. The weather still isn’t great so not beach weather. Keira wanted to get her nails done so we walked around trying to find somewhere but they were all very expensive or not the right type. Eventually we gave up, stopped at a supermarket to grab some dinner and headed back for an early night as we have Christ the redeemer bright and early tomorrow morning!

    Day 41
    A very early start this morning when the alarm went off at 4.45am! Why are we getting up so early? Well we are trying to beat the crowds to see Christ the Redeemer! We pre booked our train tickets that take you up so we arrived early and joined the queue. Everyone had warned us to arrive super early and to get the first train up, so arriving an hour early we were second in the queue. We eventually boarded the train and set off up the mountain side. The views of Rio on the way up were lovely too. Once we arrived it was a bit of a bum fight to get out. You can either take the lift and then a set of escalators or the stairs. Seeing those long the queue was we ditched that and legged it up the stairs, we were probably within the first 20 people up there! Then of course the huge statue! It is pretty impressive but actually I think the views from up there are better! Huge sweeping views across the bay with the morning light was beautiful! We took our pictures and within 10 minutes the people from the escalator started arriving and it all got a lot busier. I can’t imagine how packed it would be with multiple trains up there! I thought it would maybe feel more spiritual- being a statue of Jesus but it didn’t at all. I don’t think anyone really goes up there for that, more to take pictures and look at the view! But still impressive all the same! We then headed back down on the train and saw the masses queuing up- definitely worth getting up early!

    We then headed back to our air bnb for breakfast and to chill for a bit before heading to Copacabana beach which is right in front of where we are staying. Now that the weather is better we wanted the Rio beach experience! And wow the beach was PACKED! As far as the eye can see there is a sea of people and umbrellas it’s insane. Hundreds of vendors come up to you offering food, drinks, sunglasses, bikinis everything you can think of really. We have discovered the Brazilian men are a little too friendly for our liking with them often trying to chat us up and Keira even being offered a kiss! Thankfully not all of them spoke English so we were slightly spared.

    After a couple hours on the beach we headed to a beach bar for a cocktail to finish off the day.    Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 42

    July 27 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    WOW what an amazing day!!!

    We got up at the crack of the dawn this morning to catch a flight to Foz do Iguacú in order to visit Iguaçu falls. This has been on both of our bucket lists so we are very excited! Our flight landed at 9.30am so we jumped in an uber and headed straight for the falls. We have read arriving as early as possible makes a big difference in queues and overall experience. We jumped on the internal bus that stops at various points that you can get off at. We opted to take the longer walk along and up to the falls for the views which most people seem to go for. Getting off the bus you can already hear the roaring of the waterfalls! You start further away, and as you follow the trail along you begin to get closer up, with amazing views back across the falls. It’s very hard to put into words how BIG this is. The falls themselves can be visited from Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay and Brazil is just a small portion! You wouldn’t be able to tell from the thundering waterfalls that pelt down the landscape. The sheer quantity of water is immense. As we started to get closer the spray picked up so we packed our cameras and phones away in our dry bags and prepared to get very wet! Keira wore her waterproofs whilst I just wore my swimming costume and shorts but everyone seemed to be dressed in rather silly plastic ponchos. As you get closer there’s a long bridge walkway and you get absolutely SOAKED. The spray comes off the main waterfall drop horizontally to the point you can barely see or open your eyes. It’s just insane. As you creep along you get to some beautiful viewpoints back across the falls. This was so much fun and we honestly didn’t stop laughing. What was even more amusing was the influencer type people trying to get thier Instagram photos but not get wet, with many of them running through the wet parts. This was so bizarre to us - it’s all part of the experience! And we LOVED it!! You definitely need a good couple of hours and it’s a view you could never get tired of. Finding a slightly quieter spot we just soaked in the view for 20 minutes.

    Eventually we joined the queue to get the bus back to the entrance and we were shocked by how long the queue was. We only queued probably 10-15 minutes for the bus and this queue was out the building, at least an hour long! Definitely shows the importance of getting your timing right !!

    With the early start catching up with us we had a quick bit of lunch before heading to our hotel in Foz do Iguacu city to check in and relax.

    A really awesome day, definitely one of our favourite destinations we have visited so far!    Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 43

    July 28 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Our original plan today was to cross into Argentina for the day to visit Iguacu falls from the other side. However we actually decided against this in the end! Brazil is known as the more immersive side and the favourite and we absolutely LOVED it. We almost felt that we could be disappointed with the Argentinian side. It is also quite a mission. Stories of huge border crossing queues and unreliable buses not always stopping in the right customs made us a bit nervous. This with the added factor that our cards are often rejected as they are international and we had no Argentinian cash it felt like it was going to be a saga.

    Instead we had a very leisurely start to the morning making the most of the free hotel breakfast before heading to a bird sanctuary. Located very close to the national park entrance it’s a sanctuary who has rescued birds from exotic bird trafficking circles. It was absolutely MASSIVE! You could walk through several aviary which were huge. They had several staff making sure no one was getting too close or going off the path, it was nice to see that the birds welfare came first. We saw Parrots, Flamingos, Toucans, Macaws, all with dazzling bright colours and long tails. It was really incredible and we really enjoyed taking photos of all of them on our cameras too! We were there about 3/4 hours it was massive!! Very sad that so many birds are being trafficked but good to see that organisations are working on stopping it and looking after the injured birds!    Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 44

    July 29 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    This morning we are heading back to Rio! We’ve liked Foz do Iguacu, it has a nice vibe but definitely just a gateway stop over to Iguacu falls. The flight back to Rio was a bit of a mess. They had overbooked baggage space and everyone had suitcases they wanted to take on the flight so everyone had to check their bags but it was entirely disorganised. At one point she said everyone from our group had to check their bags and we only had two small rucksacks, we pointed this out and she let us take them on the plane. All a bit of a faff but eventually we took off about an hour late.

    Arriving in Rio we headed back to the apartment to quickly call home and then we headed to Ipanema beach. This is THE picture perfect beach on Rio so we were super excited. We arrived in glorious sunshine and walked down the beach for a while until we found an area that we felt was more families and young people. We grabbed some chairs and settled in for what we thought would be a lovely few hours with a sunset.

    Ipanema felt a bit safer, less pushy vendors who actually took no for an answer. We both tried some food from the vendors, Keira getting some shrimps and I got a barbecued stick of chicken wrapped in Bacon. They both went down very well they were excellent.

    We were throughly enjoying our time until completely out of no where, the sun went in, and the wind picked up. When I say picked up it was awful. Umbrellas flying down the beach and tables and chairs became lethal objects to avoid and the Brazilians flooded off the beach running carrying their belongings. Feeling very nervous we got off the beach and tried to order an uber, but struggling to walk against the wind with whipping sand we headed further away trying to find some shelter. We also moved quickly away from a building which was being constructed that looked like something was about to fly off it. We managed to get an uber and felt much better about the situation. Using google translate we listened to the radio in the uber. Gusts of wind up to 100 km/h and large power cuts across the city had brought the city more to a stand still. The metro had completely stopped and lots of the traffic lights were out. As a result we sat in traffic with horns blaring making very little progress. It took us 2 hours to get back to our apartment this is normally a 25 min drive.

    Feeling pretty tired we made a quick dinner and chilled out. The weather warning ends at midnight tonight so hopefully tomorrow it’s all cleared up but a pretty dramatic afternoon!!    Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 45

    July 30 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    After a lie in we started the morning at a beautiful old library that we had seen online. Some of its books date back to the 1400s and its building is seriously impressive. It was really mesmerising! We then wandered around as this is a part of Rio we haven’t seen before. It was much less modern, still scattered with colonial buildings, although they were looking pretty shabby.

    We then grabbed some lunch before heading to Ipanema beach to try have a better experience than yesterday! Sadly the sun went in after 20 mins and got quite cold, with the winds picking up again it felt like the weather was turning with very threatening clouds in the sky. So sadly we didn’t get our sunset on Ipanema - maybe next time Rio!

    Tomorrow we are getting up at the crack of dawn to head to Ilha Grande Island which is renowned for its beaches so hopefully we will have better luck there!!    Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 46

    July 31 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We got up super early today to catch the 5am bus down the Magratiba in order to catch the ferry at 8am to Ilha Grande. There are speedboat options and transfers but being such a tourist route these were super expensive and this route only cost us £15 each. Arriving at the ferry port we saw a nice sunrise before boarding and getting a nice seat outside to enjoy the view. We set off at snails pace and enjoyed the dramatic landscapes and boats going past, it also gave me a good opportunity to get further into my next book!

    Arriving in Ilha Grande we dropped our bags at the hostel and then went to explore. This was quite bizarre as very set up for tourists and we saw so many westerners which we really haven’t been this trip! We had lunch at a beach cafe enjoying soaking in the sun and the view before hitting a supermarket to stock up on some bits for the next few days. Luckily our room was ready early so we checked in and headed down to the beach to enjoy the afternoon relaxing with a book in the sun. Tomorrow we are doing a boat trip to the “paradise islands” with snorkelling planned- should be fun!!    Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 47

    August 1 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today is boat trip day!

    We set off on a small speed boat with about 15 other people. First stop was paradise islands with beautifully clear waters and white sandy beaches it was absolutely stunning. We also had a few snorkelling spots where I saw some of the largest most colourful fish of my life as well as lots of zebra fish! We then visited the “blue lagoon” with more crystal clear waters. Everywhere we went felt like a scene out of a bond movie it was idyllic.

    The driver of the speedboat was a bit scary driving with one hand on the wheel and one on the phone over waves never fills me with confidence. Thankfully we made it back in one piece shattered after a super fun day!!    Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 48 and 49

    August 3 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Day 48
    Today was a beach day, the boat tours are quite expensive so we are balancing out boat tours/activities with relaxed beach days! We walked to a beach that was much quieter today, more of a locals beach. Lots of lads playing football although I don’t think they are the next Brazilian football stars by the amount of times they apologised to us for the ball nearly hitting us! A gorgeous day soaking up the paradise of this island, with regular swim breaks as today reached 34°c - the hottest yet so we baked on the beach. I know for those in the UK that is the new norm but not for us! We’ve been thoroughly enjoying the 25°c heat. We then went for drinks at “the beach bar” which was nice but not sure I get why everyone is saying it’s THE place to be!

    Day 49
    Sadly we couldn’t get onto a boat tour today so we have booked onto one tomorrow. Instead we just had another relaxed beach day!    Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
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    Day 50 and 51

    August 4 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Can’t believe I’m writing day 50! The end of the trip is near approaching! It’s going so quickly 🫣🫣

    Today we did our last boat trip, the weather wasn’t as nice but we did a couple snorkelling spots and we saw cuttle fish and trigger fish which was pretty cool! We did see a turtle very briefly but sadly didn’t get to swim with one.

    The most interesting and scary spot was the cave. The boat pulls up to this island and you have to use a ladder to climb up onto the island and then use a rope to get to the stairs. They then show you the way in, a ladder that just leads into the dark depths of a cave. We were slightly intimidated but continued on! You then have to scramble through this very tight cave to reach the fluorescent waters. It was really beautiful, we didn’t take our phones with us but I will pull a photo off Google to show you. After being mesmerised by it for a few minutes we then both decided we had had enough of the cave and quickly scrambled out again!

    After the boat trip we ended our last night in Ilha Grande by going for drinks with one of the girls we had met at our hostel a few nights before!

    Day 51
    Today we are leaving Ilha grande to travel to Paraty - our final stop!! We took the ferry at 10am back to the mainland, after some complex queuing and ticket system! We then managed to use Google translate to get pointed in the right direction of the bus stop. After about a 10 minute walk we found it and waited for the public bus to Paraty to arrive. Luckily we managed to shove our bags in a spare space and then shuffled into some seats to try get comfy. Sadly this was not achieved as the bus was very windy and Keira had to try hold our bags with her feet to stop them falling out the bus. Eventually, a bit hot a bothered we arrived in Paraty and headed to our hotel. Our next challenge was the fact we thought we had paid and they didn’t. We got there eventually but took quite a while! We then just had a relaxed dinner and an early night!    Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 52

    August 6 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    After a shoddy nights sleep due to loud French neighbours and barking dogs we emerged from the hotel blurry eyed and headed straight to find caffeine. After breakfast we enjoyed exploring Paraty today, it has a beautiful historical centre with cobbled paths, coffee shops, independent stores, and a great atmosphere. We wandered through and ended up on the water front, enjoying a Coke staring out at the sea reflecting on our trip, what it would feel like to go home, and how the next year was panning out for us! After today we have 2 full days left and both days are filled with planned activities !Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 53

    August 7 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Today we did a tour of 4 waterfalls! We swam, Tarzan swung, and slid (see videos!!) into them! It was a lot of fun and really beautiful nature!! We also did a tour of a chachua distillery which is a liquor made with sugar cane! It was very strong and after tasting about 6 different ones, we felt we still hadn’t found one we liked!!Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 54

    August 8 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Our last full day in paradise before our travel day back to Rio tomorrow! We started this morning with brunch, something the Brazilians are yet to nail, I have to say I’m looking forward to some English food! Taking a final wander around Paraty before our kayaking tour! We met on the beach and had our instructions before climbing into the kayak, me at the front and Keira at the back. We set off, leaving the rest of the group behind as we effortlessly glided through the water!! We made a pretty good team! We saw loads of birds diving into the sea to catch fish it was really cool to get so close to them! We kayaked around an island before entering a river in order to kayak amongst the mangroves. It was beautifully still and tranquil (bar our noisy group). It was really beautiful with lots of birds soaring above. Sadly we didn’t see any capybaras but I think sometimes people forget in order to see the animals they need to be quiet to not scare them off! We then continued up the river doing a big loop to come out to the bay once more.

    Navigating waves made by speed boats was a little nerve wracking with our kayak rocking around. Neither of us were brave enough to get our phones out of our dry bags so you will just have to take my word for it that it was lovely!

    After the kayaking we had a dinner on the beach enjoying watching the sun go down and chatting about our trip, it really is crazy it’s coming to an end!!    Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 55

    August 9 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Today we travelled back to Rio on the bus for 5 hours. Our bus was originally 9am but it got pushed to 2pm so we didn’t arrive into Rio until the evening so sadly missed our planned sunset trip for the last night! We crashed, ordered food, and are planning on watching a movie! A very relaxed final night in Brazil !!Read more

  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
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    Day 56

    August 13 in England ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We made it home! 20 hours of travelling later with a stop in Portugal we finally walked through arrivals at Gatwick! What an amazing trip it as been and so sad it’s coming to an end 💗

    Trip end
    August 11, 2026