Carnival Adventure 2023 - Rio de Janeiro

Trip Highlights

Excitement is building up as the Rio Carnival 2023 approaches. This festivity is considered the biggest carnival in the world with over two million people per day on the streets. You will attend the heart of Carnival at the Sambodromo Parade and witness the spectacles of handmade extravagant costumes, the lavishly decorated floats and the choreographed dances with beats and rhythms pulsating from every direction. Be ready to witness thousands of people and cariocas dancing to the beat of Samba along the streets of Rio for a bloco party. You will enjoy a mesmerizing tour of the breathtaking panoramic views of Rio's topography, while visiting the iconic destinations Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain. Save your appetite as you will explore old city neighbourhoods for visits to food markets and local restaurants for a true authentic food tasting experience. 

Hotels and lodges described in the itinerary are recommended by Craft Travel but there are numerous options in each destination and we will customize your itinerary based upon your preferences. With your feedback, we will similarly customize suggested activities, time spent in each location and trip extensions to additional destinations of interest nearby.

Dates for Sambadrome Parade in 2023 are February 18, 19 and 20.

Detailed Itinerary

Upon arrival into Rio de Janeiro’s International Airport, meet your guide and driver for your transfer to your hotel for check-in. Your guide will provide you with the travel vouchers for your services and review them with you in detail. Relax after your long journey at your rooftop pool or at the world's most famous beach just across the street.

Feeling reenergized? Get in the mood at Carnival with one of Rio's most famous "blocos", or street festivals, with live music, and it is free! There will probably be one happening right in front of you! These lively parties are centered around an orchestra which marches along a pre-determined route and is followed by hordes of enthusiastic samba dancers dressed in elaborate costumes, bathing suits or just plain clothes. While the street carnival can be found all over the city, it isn’t always easy to know what is happening at what time and where. Ask your Travel Designer at at Craft Travel for the most famous blocos and we will let you know when and where they are happening. You definitely don’t want to miss the Banda de Ipanema!

Overnight at Emiliano Hotel (no meals included)

Try to have a light breakfast today as you'll be venturing out around noon for an authentic culinary tour of Rio de Janeiro. This daytime walking food tour is the perfect introduction to Rio. You will explore Rio’s most interesting neighborhoods, visit buzzing street markets, backstreet bars and ancient hole-in-the-wall restaurants. By the end of the tour you’ll be satisfied, happy and excited about the rest of your time in Rio. You’ll also know how to get around the city, what dishes to order, where to go for great coffee/cocktails/live samba and the answers to any other questions you might have.

You will experience a really authentic introduction to the most delicious and diverse dishes from across the different regions of Brazil. Over the course of 5-6 hours you’ll taste Amazonian delicacies, exotic fruits and street food dishes, traditional Brazilian comfort food, caipirinha cocktails, local beers and lots of other goodies. Our style is informal and easygoing – you’ll feel like a friend of a friend is showing you the best bits of this magical city and by the end of the day you’ll feel like you’ve known the guide and your fellow guests for years.

Note: Excursion is on a small group basis. Private tour can be arranged upon request.

Overnight at Emiliano hotel (Breakfast)

After breakfast your guide will meet you at your hotel and you will both depart towards the Cosme Velho neighborhood. From there you will board the train taking you up to the beautiful mountainside before arriving at the feet of Christ the Redeemer, one of the seven “New Wonders of the World”, located 2,300ft above sea level. From here you will head toward Santa Teresa, a traditional neighborhood located high upon the hills of the city, overlooking downtown and Guanabara Bay. Home to several Twentieth century mansions, cultural houses, galleries and gourmet restaurants, Santa Teresa’s charming cobbled streets are also a haven for local artists and intellectuals.

Tonight is the night to attend the Samba Parade at the Sambodromo and see what Carnival in Rio is truly all about! This unique experience cannot be missed as this is the heart of Carnival and the energy in the stadium is unreal! The best performing samba schools will parade on February 14 and 15 in this fierce competition and dance until the sun arises. Each samba school that you see represents a neighborhood or social club from different areas across Rio, narrating their theme and story by dancing to their music. Each school parades through with thousands of sambistas (participants in the parade) divided into sections of dancers, musicians and floats. The schools prepares for an entire year and by December, full rehearsals have begun and the samba music is recorded and released to record shops.  Each samba parade must last between 65 to 75 minutes and their performance is evaluated by a judge.

For purposes of this itinerary, the Grandstand tickets have been included in this itinerary, but upgrades to a more exclusive location in the stadium is available upon request. Please see Important Notes below for more information.

Feeling more daring? Ask about the opportunity to dance in the parade with a Samba School and have your very own costume tailored made.

Overnight at Emiliano hotel (Breakfast)

After a reenergizing breakfast, you will be picked up at your hotel by your guide to embark towards Sugar Loaf Mountain, one of Rio's most iconic landmarks. After reaching the mountain's top via its famed cable cars, this special sunset visit will give you some of the most spectacular views that the "Cidade Maravilhosa" has to offer. After the visit, enjoy an afternoon at leisure or ask one of our specialist about hiking through the famous “Dois Irmaos” mountains or visiting the nearby beaches of Barra da Tijuca and Prainha. There are just so many options, so let your Travel Designer at Craft Travel Group know how we can best tailor-make your itinerary.

Still eager for more evening fun? Ask us about the Magic Carnival Ball, one of the most extravagant events of Carnival season in Rio, full of the masqueraded rich and famous. High fashion, five star service, a live band and open bar are some of the charms of this high-profile party. Guests have included celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Gerard Butler and Vincent Cassel.

Overnight at Emiliano hotel (Breakfast)

As it is time to depart this Marvelous City, your driver will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the international airport for your departing flight home.

(Breakfast)

To enhance your carnival experience, we recommend attending the Sambadrome Samba Parade, where samba dancers are a quintessential part of this celebration. There are as many as 30,000 annual participants and 90,000 ticketed spectators; it is, without a doubt, a lifetime experience to witness the spectacles of handmade extravagant costumes, the lavishly decorated floats and the choreographed dances with beats and rhythms pulsating from every direction.  

There are three types of tickets and each one of them will give you a different perspective and experience, as well as a different price point. For the purpose of this itinerary, we are including the Grandstand tickets, which is further detailed below.

• Camarotes: These are the luxury “Skyboxes” of the Sambodromo. Think bottle service, delicious food and of course the best and most comfortable seats in the house. Most are by invitation only and the ones that are for purchase are really expensive, but this is by far the ultimate VIP Carnival experience. Get ready to rub shoulders all night with beautiful Brazilian celebrities, along with ones from your own country too! Madonna, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Fergie are just a few of the superstars to have been seen there in recent years.

• Frisas: If you’re not a celeb yet but willing to make a more modest splurge for comfort and viewing, frisas might be for you. These are the front box seats and are great for groups of 6 as they seat all 6 tickets together. They are located at street level and offer a great view of the parade.

• Grandstand: These are the bleacher seats (Arquibancandas), not individual seats, and are the most reasonably priced.  The seats shouldn’t be disregarded however, as their elevated position provides a great view of the samba parade. These tickets are not numbered, except for the VIP bleachers in Sector 9 which are more expensive, but a great option for small groups that would like to secure a section together.

Getting an itch to participate and dance in the parade yourself? What better way to feel the beats and energy of this festival by dancing your own way down the parade like a Native. Become an honored guest at on one of Rio’s fabled “Samba Schools” and you will be tailored into your very own costume. Ask one of the Travel Designers at Craft Travel Group about this unique experience!

Want to experience one of the most extravagant parties in Rio de Janeiro during Carnival season? As your Travel Designer about attending one of the Carnival Gala Balls, a high fashion, five-star experience with a live band and open bar.

If you have more days to explore, definitely plan for a few nights in the nearby beach town of Buzios, famous for good-looking crowds, hip bars and restaurants and world-class beaches. Feeling in need to detox all that partying for those that are nature lovers? Explore the Amazon Rainforest or the Pantanal region to discover Brazil’s wildlife paradise.