"The ship is one of a kind," says Operations Manager Jeff Russill about the Tocorimé, a 120-foot traditional colonial vessel, hand-built by local craftsmen along Brazil's Tapajós River. "Sixteen travelers cruise up the coast of Brazil on a colonial-style tall ship and learn to sail her in the process. "G Adventures's first ever excursion aboard the Tocorimé launched last year from Paraty, a historic merchant town on the southeast coast famous for seafood, bossa nova, and potent cachaça liquor. From there, the ship ventures out into the surrounding tropical bay, which has more than 65 islands and dozens of isolated beaches to explore, and heads north up the coast toward the bright lights of Rio de Janeiro.
You'll stop at remote Mamanguá Ecological Reserve, a fjord on the Brazilian coastline with a magnificent five-mile sea entrancce and a protected mangrove forest; Ilha Grande, a 17-square-mile state park that is home to Brazilian thrushes, endangered bugio monkeys and scarlet ibis (once thought to be locally extinct); and Lagoa Azul, where bioluminescent sea plankton put on a glowing nighttime show. Off-ship excursions include rain-forest hikes, waterfall hunting, snorkeling, and kayaking. Along the way, you'll clamber up the masts and learn to navigate the blue-green waters - enough of a taste of the sailing life to make you want to jump ship from your day job.