Carnival in Rio Cruise: Parati

by Bethany Explores March 15, 2023

In this sixth post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores the next Brazilian port on her Carnival in Rio cruise on Azamara: Parati.

Back for my second cruise on Azamara…this time I am exploring South America. The 15-night Carnival in Rio cruise is round-trip from Buenos Aires, going up to Rio de Janeiro and back. Join me as I explore the many wonderful ports in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil along the way!

Carnival in Rio Full Itinerary

Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about Cruise Day 7: Parati, Brazil. Looking for info on earlier stops? Check out the ‘Links’ section at the end of this post!

Pre-Cruise – February 9 & 10: Buenos Aires, Argentina (embarkation)
Cruise Day 1 & 2 – February 11 & 12: Montevideo, Uruguay
Cruise Day 3 & 4 – February 13 & 14: At Sea
Cruise Day 5 – February 15: Santos, Brazil
Cruise Day 6 – February 16: Ilhabela, Brazil
Cruise Day 7 – February 17: Parati, Brazil
Cruise Day 8 – February 18: Buzios, Brazil
Cruise Day 9-11 – February 19-21: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Cruise Day 12 & 13 – February 22 & 23: At Sea
Cruise Day 14 – February 24: Punta del Este, Uruguay
Post-Cruise Day 1 – February 25: Buenos Aires (disembarkation)
Post-Cruise Day 2 – February 26: Iguazu Falls, Brazil
Post-Cruise Day 3 – February 27: Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Cruise Day 7

February 17th marks day seven of my fantastic Carnival in Rio cruise! There was yet another pretty sunrise to greet me when I threw open the curtains in my stateroom this morning. I enjoyed the scenery as we sailed into Parati. This was also another tender port for us, so the ship docked in the harbor, and we took tender boats to get to and from Parati.

A Colorful Pier

I was in for a pleasant surprise when we reached the pier in Parati – there are hundreds of fun and colorful boats as far as the eye can see here! Each one is more elaborately decorated than the last. It was fun to walk the length of the pier and admire all of the boats along the way to the meeting spot for my excursion.

Heading Out on the 4×4 Tour

After admiring all of the boats, my group and I met up with our drivers and guides for the “Parati by 4×4: Waterfalls, Cachaca, and Gold Trail” excursion. As the name implies, we did our adventure in rugged 4×4 Land Rovers. Each one held 8 of us, so we split up into smaller groups and boarded our vehicles. We got a brief tour of the town as we headed out through the Serra da Bocaina National Park for our first stop of the day.

Exploring the Pedra Branca Waterfalls

The first stop was the Pedra Branca Waterfalls, which are some of the highest in the region. We had a nice, easy hike through part of the rainforest to the first viewpoint. From this viewpoint we could see several smaller falls and some of the lush surroundings.

After enjoying the views from the first viewpoint, we continued the hike a bit further up to the second viewpoint. At this point we could actually swim in the clear pool under the falls! The water was cool, clear, and very refreshing on yet another hot and humid day.

We had plenty of time to swim, relax, and soak in the amazing views before we dried off and jumped back into the 4x4s to head to our next stop.

Pedra Branca Cachaça Distillery

Our journey continued back through the National Park onto our next stop, the Engenho D’Ouro do Pedra Branca Cachaça Distillery. By now I was very familiar with cachaça after our tour in Ilhabela (and perhaps sipping a caipirinha or two since then!), but it was interesting to learn more about the process here at this small, family-owned distillery. It is also set in a gorgeous spot, so the views here were pretty incredible.

The distillery tour was very interesting, and we learned about the various stages of the production process as the liquor is distilled from sugarcane. And because it’s carnival season, there was some fun and festive decor throughout the facility!

Of course, a visit to a distillery would never be complete without a tasting…and we got to enjoy many different types and flavors of the cachaça here. My favorite one here was flavored with a local Brazilian fruit (the diligent blogger in me should have noted its name, but I was way too busy enjoying the tasting to do so!).

Gold Trail and Toboga Waterfall

The last stop of the excursion was to the starting point of the famous Gold Trail. Here we got a brief history lesson from our guide of the trail itself and the history of gold mining in the area. Just behind this starting point is the Toboga Waterfall, which is a massive rock over which the water runs rapidly. This is a popular spot for locals to play and have some fun as they ride the water down the rock…our guide referred to it as “surfing.” There was one local favorite here today, and he performed a few tricks for us…going down the rock very fast at first, then doing it again while skipping over a vine (jump-rope style!), and finally blindfolded. He was quite entertaining!

Wrapping up in Parati

After the fun excursion ended, we were dropped off at the main pier, which is right by the center of town. I wanted to spend some time walking around the quaint little town, but it was ridiculously hot by this point mid-day…I did a quick walk down one main street, snapped a couple of pictures, and promptly returned to the pier to catch a ride back to the ship! But the small part of the town that I did see was beautiful, with a lot of colonial architecture, cobblestone streets, and elaborate iron balconies.

Back on the Ship

Once back on the ship I relaxed by the pool again for a bit before dinner. The views here in the harbor are absolutely stunning, with small ships coming and going, all surrounded by the lush countryside and the tranquil turquoise water.

Dinner at Prime C

The finale to this fabulous day was dinner at one of the specialty restaurants onboard the ship: Prime C. This is a steakhouse, and I enjoyed a wonderful meal with a “prime” seat (every pun intended, of course!) right at the aft (back) of the ship. I got to soak in the breathtaking views as I started my dinner, and I even got a glimpse of the sun setting behind the hills as we started our sail-away.

My meal included (shown from left to right, top to bottom):

Amuse buche: grilled scallop with kimchi
Starter: tuna tartare and tempura shrimp
Salad: lobster salad
Entree: steak Diane with Pont Neuf potatoes and creamed spinach
A small treat before dessert, what I affectionately call ‘pre-dessert’ of some cookies
Dessert: limoncello souffle (which, honestly, is one of the best desserts I have ever had!)

Conclusion

I had a pleasant day in picture-perfect Parati! The 4×4 excursion was a unique and fun way to see the area. The waterfalls were wonderful, and the swim was a refreshing pause in a hot day. I also really enjoyed the cachaça distillery and being able to sample some different types and flavors. Dinner at Prime C is always a great experience, and tonight was no exception. From start to finish, my day in Parati was yet another terrific experience on the cruise. Next up is beautiful Buzios…stay tuned!

Carnival in Rio Cruise: Parati

In this sixth post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores the next Brazilian port on her Carnival in Rio cruise on Azamara: Parati.

Carnival in Rio Full Itinerary