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Plus an add-on trip to the colonial town of Paraty, March 1 - 4, 2017!.
Or, check out our pre trip to Buenos Aires and Iguacu Falls, February 16 - 23, 2017.
Rio's Carnival (spelled Carnaval in Potuguese) is perhaps the world's most famous celebration. Carnival is a spectacular time to come to Rio de Janeiro, especially for gay travelers! There are several gay festivals including one in front of our hotel, and people joke that everyone seems a little gay during carnival!
Experience the unmatched beauty and charm of this famous city, as well as its friendly, captivating people, known as Cariocas. Located between the mountains and sea, Rio de Janeiro is a tropical urban resort that offers delicious cuisine, terrific shopping, and stunning scenery. The beaches are loaded with eye candy as far as the eye can see, and the night scene explodes with some of the best venues and music in the world.
 During Carnival, in addition to gay pool parties and large dance events, you can also join street festivals and parades all over the city; and there is an attitude of good will and harmony that pervades everything.
This trip combines the perfect hotel, exclusive Zoom events, Zoom Concierge services, plus plenty of free time to give you a vacation that is fabulous, fun, safe, and customized to your specific interests. Let Zoom Vacations treat you to the vacation of your dreams in stunning Rio de Janeiro!
• A welcome cocktail reception and sumptuous Brazilian dinner
• 5 nights accommodations at the luxury famous Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel, one of Rio's icons
• A helicopter tour of Sugarloaf and Corcovado, with a fantastic buffet lunch with unbeatable views
• We have upgraded the hotel experience to the 5 star Copacabana Palace, a legendary icon in Rio that is a destination in and of itself.
• Private sunrise breakfast on Corcovado, so that you can see The Christ and all of Rio before the general public arrives later that morning.
• Excellent tickets to the not-to-be-missed Sambadromo Carnaval Parade
• Arrival transfer in luxury vehicle
• A hearty Brazilian Buffet Breakfast daily
• All transfers to Zoom Vacations events
• Services of a Zoom Vacations Concierge throughout the trip
• Rio de Janeiro gay survival guide, complete with information on nightlife, restaurants, beaches, shopping, and much more
• Optional Sambadrome (Sambodromo) tickets. We can even arrange for you to dance in costume in the parade--an amazing experience you will never forget!
• Optional excursions such as hang-gliding, Favela tour, Tijuca Forest, Corcovado, Sugar Loaf, and Samba party tickets
• Advance ticket purchase options for the best dance events of the week, exclusively for Zoom Vacations travelers
• Optional private tour of Brazil's imperial city, Petropolis, located in the mountains near Rio, where the King of Portugal and Emperor of Brazil would summer with his entire court
• All this and more . . . Exclusively for Zoom Vacations travelers
Day 1 - Friday, February 24, 2017
Rio de Janeiro
Late Evening:
Welcome Dinner, Cocktails Enjoy a sumptuous dinner as well as an open bar of caipirinhas, wine, Brazilian beer, water, soft drinks, and juices throughout the entire evening! Mix and mingle with fellow Zoom travelers in a beautiful setting.
Accommodations: Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel
Meals Included: Welcome Dinner and open bar
Day 2 - Saturday, February 25, 2017
Rio de Janeiro
Included Buffet Breakfast is served, poolside at the hotel.
 Included CORCOVADO EXPERIENCE:
Experience one of the most unique things to do in Rio de Janeiro with our spiritual excursion to Corcovado Mountain. Savor a breakfast picnic at the feet of the Christ the Redeemer statue and watch as the sun rises over the vibrant city.
Afternoon at leisure to enjoy the beach or take in a little shopping.
Optional Copacabana Palace Magic Ball,
Rio Carnaval's most luxurious and exclusive ball attended by Rio's local "who's who" and international guests. It is a themed extravaganza of decorated sets, Carnaval entertainment, samba dancing, champagne, and food galore at the iconic and elegant Copacabana Palace Hotel. Black tie is required for men (we can arrange a tux rental). Luxurious costumes can be worn in place of a black tie (we can arrange a luxurious costume for you to wear as well).
Accommodations: Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel
Meals Included: Buffet Breakfast
Day 3 - Sunday, February 26, 2017
Rio de Janeiro
Included Buffet Breakfast is served, poolside at the hotel.
Handcrafts & Art Fair of Ipanema
 The official name is Feira de Artezanato de Ipanema (Handcrafts & Art Fair of Ipanema), but everybody still uses the original name, Hippy Market, reminiscent of the 70´s. Typical foods, handmade art, Brazilian leather goods, paintings, jewelry, and many more attractions are found at this weekly event. It is the perfect place to find a souvenir with local colors. Or just walk around leisurely, and enjoy the moment. This is a short walk from the hotel, and once there, you may choose to wander on your own within the market plaza and return to the hotel (or beach) whenever you choose. This market only takes place on Sundays.
Afternoon: Sugarloaf, helicopter tour, and lunch.
We will begin with a delicious Brazilian buffet lunch at a restaurant with a breathtaking view of Sugar Loaf Mountain. This afternoon we will see Rio from above while on a helicopter tour with breathtaking views of Rio's best sites.
Today's optional excursions include a favella tour and tickets to Rio's Sambadromo parade.
Accommodations: Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel
Meals Included: Buffet Breakfast and Lunch
Day 4 - Monday, February 27, 2017
Rio de Janeiro
Included Buffet Breakfast is served, poolside at the hotel.
Morning at leisure.
 Late Morning/Early Afternoon: Carnaval Brunch, poolside
The buffet is situated in a long air-conditioned conservatory, set against the perfect blue swimming pool on one side and the sparkling green of the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Limitless champagne is served by creaseless waiters who pour with a smile. The ten meter-long buffet awaiting the mixture of Palace guests, well-to-do Cariocas, and intrigued others is straight out of a medieval costume drama, piled high with oysters, caviar, slow-cooked lamb, salmon, hams, and cheeses. A chef dressed in pressed whites cooks pasta on demand. The desert counter is divine, boasting five types of cheesecake. It really is all about the details. Suggested attire: country club casual, no jackets.
Tonight, enjoy what is widely considered to be the greatest show on Earth: Rio's Carnaval parade and celebration at the Sambadromo.
Accommodations: Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel
Meals Included: Buffet breakfast and lavish champagne brunch
Day 5 - Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Rio de Janeiro
Included Buffet Breakfast is served, poolside at the hotel.
4 PM (approximately):
Banda de Ipanema
 Enjoy Canrival like a local and check out the Banda de Ipanema. There's much more to Carnaval than the Samba Parade. Street Carnivals are loads of fun, free, and happen all over the city. You are more than welcome to watch and participate. Today the Banda de Ipanema takes Ipanema by storm, starting at around 4 PM at the Hippy Market (Praça General Osório). The Banda of Ipanema is Rio's most popular "neighborhood" parade, and the paraders are mostly drag-queens and others in flamboyant costumes. They come from all parts of the country and from abroad, to make it big in Ipanema. It was founded in 1964, and today it is listed as part of the city cultural heritage, attracting as many as fifteen thousand people! The end result is a whacky, wild, moving street celebration. There are many police too, ensuring that the chaos is safe and well, orderly. The easiest thing to do is to walk to the corner of Rua Farme Amoedo and Avenida Vieira Souto (the street in front of the beach). You can't miss it.
Today's optional excursions include tickets to our favorite dance party of the week.
Accommodations: Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel
Meals Included: Buffet Breakfast
Day 6 - Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Rio de Janeiro
Included Buffet Breakfast is served, poolside at the hotel.
Departure for Paraty or for flights home.
9:30 AM - 10 AM:
Paraty Travelers Only
 Check out of the Copacabana Palace Hotel early, meet at the Copacabana Palace Hotel Lobby, and load luggage onto bus for departure to Paraty.
10 AM (sharp): Paraty Departure for the group attending the Paraty add-on.
12 Noon: Hotel Check Out
If you are leaving Rio today and not joining Zoom on the Paraty extension, the Copacabana Palace Hotel will gladly store your luggage while you explore the day in Rio prior to your flight. Please be sure to put your Zoom Luggage tags on your bags to help them identify your bags easily. As the hotel will be sold out on this night a late check out is unlikely unless you prepay the night of March 9. However, you are welcome to use the showers in the gym area if you wish to freshen up before your flight home.
Meals Included: Buffet Breakfast
Carnaval is Rio's main event. It happens at the peak of summer, when Cariocas are at their best. Festivities attract thousands of people from all corners of the world. Carnaval, as spelled in Portuguese, is a 4-day celebration. It starts on Saturday, and ends on FatTuesday, or Mardi-Gras. Dates change every year, and Carnaval Sunday is seven weeks before Easter Sunday. The origins of Carnaval are unclear, but most agree that it started as a pagan celebration in ancient Rome, or Greece. Carnaval balls were imported from Italy in the late nineteenth century, and had their golden era in the thirties, with legendary balls at the Copacabana Palace, and the Municipal Theater. The Samba Parade began in the 30's - first timidly at Praça XI, and later on Av. Presidente Vargas. It found a permanent home in 1984 at the Sambodrome, in the downtown area. Today the event is broadcast to dozens of countries, and all Brazilian states. Many people think of it as the greatest show on earth.
Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel
 This glamorous landmark is pre-eminent among the best hotels in Rio de Janeiro. Since its Art Deco doors swung open in 1923, Belmond Copacabana Palace has been welcoming the rich and famous.
A truly iconic city-centre hotel, Copacabana Beach only a heartbeat away, this is the best place to stay in Rio. Soak up the sun in the magnificent pool or join Brazil's style setters at the Piano Bar. And don't miss the hotel's top restaurants, whether for great local dishes or fine Italian dining at the Hotel Cipriani Restaurant.
The elegant 5-star Belmond Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel offers luxurious rooms with marbled bathrooms and panoramic ocean views, located on Rio de Janeiro´s Copacabana Beachfront. Services include a wellness spa and 3 gastronomic restaurants.
 The spacious rooms at the Belmond Copacabana Palace are individually decorated with English antique furniture and original artworks. All offer king-size beds, free use of internet and a free pair of Havaianas flip flops. Some include private balconies with panoramic city or ocean views.
Guests can enjoy a daily breakfast served in Pérgula restaurant, which also offers Brazilian specialties and fresh seafood delicacies. Breakfast can also be served in-room and additional charges apply.
Top Italian dishes are served in Cipriani restaurant and a selection of drinks are available at the Copacabana Piano Bar. The new MEE Restaurant offers Pan Asian cuisine, with a menu created by the chefs Kazuo Harada and Rafael Hidaka. A large selection of Japanese Sakes is also available.
Frequently asked questions, specific to our trip to Rio for Carnival
Is the  TAM flight upgradeable?
Currently, you will accrue miles on United and Air France . However, we recommend you check directly with TAM for their current frequent flyer partners as partnerships tend to change frequently.
Will I receive miles on a partner airline if I take the TAM flight?
Currently, you will accrue miles on United and Air France.
Is safety a concern in Rio?
Our experience is that Rio is a safe destination, and that using common sense will go a long way in providing a fun, carefree holiday.
Is Carnaval too "crazy"?
For Most people, Carnaval is less "crazy" and more organized than they expect it will be. It is a celebration of life, love, humanity, and of course Samba! It is a beautiful cultural celebration and so much more than just a party.
Do I need a visa to travel to Brazil?
If you are a United States citizen and/or are traveling from the United States, you will need a visa to travel to Brazil. You must wait until 90 days prior to arrival into Brazil before you apply for your visa, and visa forms are available on our website. We will provide you with answers to several of the visa questions before you go obtain your visa. It's a relatively easy procedure, and Zoom is always here to help in any way possible.
Into which airport do I need to fly?
You need to fly into the Rio de Janeiro International Airport (GIG).
What day should I depart my home country?
You must depart your home country for arrival into Rio de Janeiro on February 13th. Our first event is our welcome rooftop party, which starts at about 8:00 PM. For those coming from the States, most flights depart the States the evening of February 12th.
Can Zoom book extra days for me at the beginning or end of this trip?
Absolutely! Simply let us know the amount of days you need at the beginning and/or end of the trip, and we will book the nights you need (additional room night charges will apply).
If I am traveling as a single, does Zoom offer a roommate pairing program?
Absolutely! Before the trip, we will get to know all of our travelers, and we will use what we know about you to make the best pairing possible.
May I travel as a single without a roommate?
Absolutely, you may travel as a single and pay a single supplement, which varies depending on your time of booking.
What is the fitness level required for this trip?
This trip is easily accessible to a variety of fitness levels. None of our included activities require a high degree of athletic skill. However, your optional activities will give you the opportunity to make your vacation as active and/or adventuresome as you choose.
Is it possible to join the famous parade?
Absolutely! Zoom Vacations can arrange for you to march in the parade in costume with one of the Samba schools. The amazing costume is yours to keep after the parade!
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