Odyssey Overland South American Explorer 2012: Around Brazil in 51 days

On a journey like this where every day holds something new - be it a taste, a smell, a sight or an experience - it can be easy to forget where we have been and what we have done. So here is what we got up to in our 51 days and 11,331km around Brazil…

We have been drenched by the awe-inspiring Iguacu Falls and snorkelled in crystal clear rivers in Bonito. We have caught piranhas and caiman, and watched macaws and toucans fly past us in the Pantanal wetlands. We have hopped from island to island around Paraty on the Emerald Coast without a care in the world, and seen the other side of life on a favela tour. We have gazed up through the fog to catch a glimpse of Cristo Redentor high above Rio. We have celebrated an engagement. We have walked through streets that doubled as rivers admiring the churches of Ouro Preto. We have bbq’d on the beach, and sat in the sand watching the stars. We have eaten grilled cheese on a stick and deep-fried goodness, drunk cachaca and caipirinhas. We have partied in Salvador. We have explored the caves and waterfalls of Chapada Diamantina and been baffled and bemused by order and progress in Brasilia. We have been lost in Cuiaba (twice). We have swum beneath waterfalls in Chapada dos Guimaraes. We have had an epic 3 day journey along one of South America’s biggest rivers. We have slept in the jungle. We have driven on washed away dirt roads and brand new tar roads. We have found places we want to come back to and other places we never want to see again (Cuaiba with its endless roadworks and un-signposted diversions springs to mind!). We have learned the value of a quality umbrella. We have had more time changes than we can count. We have seen endless farmland, dense jungle, hills, plains, rivers and the coast. We have had torrential rain and blazing sun without a cloud in the sky. We have been clean, manky, showered twice a day and not showered for days. We have seen Brazil from the air, on water, on land and underwater.

And we have loved it.