Our adventure took us to three completely different parts of Brazil,  beginning with a few days exploring the incredible Iguazu Falls, followed by a few days in  Rio de Janeiro, and finally ten days on the remote island paradise of Fernando de Noronha. Our first stop was Iguazu Falls, one of the largest and most spectacular waterfall systems  in the world, located along the border of Brazil and Argentina. With approximately 275  individual waterfalls stretching nearly two miles across, it is almost impossible to describe  the sheer power and beauty of this place. We spent our time hiking the trails on both the  Argentine and Brazilian sides, experiencing the falls from completely different  perspectives. On the Argentine side, we walked along trails and elevated pathways that  brought us remarkably close to the rushing water, while the Brazilian side offered  breathtaking panoramic views of the enormous waterfalls stretching across the jungle. The  thunderous roar, clouds of mist, and incredible volume of water were unlike anything we  had ever experienced. The surrounding rainforest was just as memorable! We encountered  curious coatis (raccoon-like animals), caimans (small crocodile relatives), colorful  toucans, and beautiful macaws. It was an incredible introduction to Brazil’s wildlife and  natural beauty. 

From there, we flew to Rio de Janeiro, one of the most recognizable cities in the world. We  spent a few days exploring its famous beaches, dramatic coastline, and iconic landmarks.  We visited Christ the Redeemer, the enormous statue of Jesus standing high above the city  with spectacular views in every direction. We also rode the famous cable cars to the top of  Sugarloaf Mountain, where the views of Rio’s beaches, mountains, and harbor were absolutely breathtaking. One of the things that makes Rio so unique is how the massive city  is surrounded by steep, lush mountains rising directly out of the ocean. We even  encountered monkeys during our sightseeing! Between the beaches, incredible viewpoints,  tropical scenery, and lively atmosphere, Rio was a fascinating place to explore. That said,  Rio’s beaches are definitely not the type we typically enjoy. We prefer quiet, secluded  stretches of sand, and Rio’s famous beaches were incredibly crowded! Still, it’s pretty cool  to say we’ve been to the world-famous Copacabana Beach, even if we have absolutely no  desire to go back! 

But the part of the trip we were most excited about was still ahead of us. We boarded  another flight to Fernando de Noronha, a tiny, remote Brazilian island in the Atlantic  Ocean, hundreds of miles off the mainland. The island is famous for its protected marine  environment, spectacular volcanic cliffs, crystal-clear water, and some of the most  beautiful beaches in the world. We have traveled to quite a few Caribbean islands over the  years, always searching for beautiful, secluded beaches, but Fernando de Noronha was  something entirely different. Imagine the empty, turquoise-water beaches of the Caribbean  combined with the dramatic cliffs and lush green mountains of Hawaii. It was absolutely  stunning! We also discovered that Americans are extremely uncommon on the island. We  didn’t encounter a single other American during our stay, and several of the local workers  told us they had never met an American visiting the island before. That’s when we knew we  had found exactly the kind of place we love! Almost nobody spoke English, so we quickly  learned a few Portuguese words and relied heavily on Google Translate. And if you’re  curious how we ever discovered that this tiny island even existed, next time you’re in the  office, ask Marty — there’s a story behind that! 

Our accommodations were equally incredible. We stayed in a beautiful oceanfront  pousada (a small Brazilian inn), perched above the water with the ocean only about 100  feet away. We could watch the sunrise from one window and the sunset from another! Even  more amazing, we were the only guests staying at the inn, so we practically had the entire  property and staff all to ourselves. Every morning began with a delicious, customized  breakfast prepared just for us and served on our private patio overlooking the ocean. Sitting  together as a family, enjoying breakfast while looking out over the Atlantic, was the perfect  way to begin each day. And something that might surprise people is just how affordable a  place like this can actually be! For the incredible location, personalized service, and  experience, most people would probably be shocked at how reasonable the cost was. Then  we would load up our rental SUV with towels, snorkeling equipment, snacks, and beach  supplies and head out for another adventure. 

The beaches were unlike anything we had ever experienced, and getting to them was  often half the adventure! We visited incredible places like Baía dos Porcos, Sancho, Leão,  Bode, and Americano, each with its own unique scenery and personality. Some required  driving down rough, pothole-filled dirt tracks (if you could even call them roads!), hiking  along rocky trails, or scrambling over volcanic rocks, while one particularly memorable  beach required us to put on protective helmets, squeeze through narrow crevices in the  cliffs, climb down tiny ladders, and then descend roughly 200 steps to reach the sand! Over  the years, our kids have learned something about our beach adventures: the harder a  beach is to reach, the better it usually turns out to be. We like to joke that God keeps some of His most beautiful creations hidden away, and if you want to discover the really special  ones, you have to be willing to work a little harder to get there! And Fernando de Noronha  certainly proved that theory. Every challenging approach rewarded us with another  spectacular beach. Some days we had an entire beach completely to ourselves. On others,  we might see 50 people spread across a mile-long stretch of sand throughout the entire  day. The kids spent their days swimming, building in the sand, exploring, reading books,  and enjoying the freedom of having so much beautiful coastline almost entirely to  ourselves. We spent nearly every day from late morning until afternoon on a different  beach, and it never got old. 

The snorkeling was some of the best we have ever experienced outside of Hawaii. The  water was unbelievably clear, sometimes offering visibility of 80–100 feet, and the marine  life was everywhere. We swam alongside stingrays, octopuses, colorful tropical fish, and  nurse sharks, some of which were swimming in shallow water just feet from shore. We also  encountered enormous nurse sharks while snorkeling farther out. One of the absolute  highlights of the entire trip happened when the kids and I were snorkeling together and  suddenly looked down to see several massive lemon sharks, approximately eight feet long,  swimming only about ten feet beneath us! We counted around eight sharks passing below  and followed along from above, completely amazed by what we were seeing. It was one of  those experiences none of us will ever forget. We also discovered fascinating bright blue bodied crabs among the island’s rocks and saw incredible wildlife nearly everywhere we  went. 

One morning we chartered a private boat with two local captains who took us along the  coastline, giving us an entirely different perspective of the island’s towering cliffs, hidden  beaches, and turquoise bays. They brought us to some of the best snorkeling locations and  prepared fresh fish and ceviche for us right on the boat. Another unforgettable moment  came when we encountered a pod of spinner dolphins! These beautiful dolphins are known  for leaping out of the water and spinning through the air. We followed alongside them for a  while as they swam just feet from our boat. Watching them move so effortlessly through the  ocean was incredible, and having the boat to ourselves made the entire experience even  more special. 

We also completed two amazing hikes on the island, including one that was easily the most  intense hike we have ever attempted with the kids. The trail climbed steeply uphill for about  40 minutes, with sections barely two feet wide and steep rocky stretches where we had to  use our hands to scramble upward. There were moments when I wondered what we had  gotten ourselves into! The kids handled it incredibly well, while I was struggling to keep up  and wondering why I had thought this was such a great idea. But when we finally reached  the summit, the reward was worth every difficult step. We had spectacular 360-degree  views of Fernando de Noronha, with dramatic green mountains, rocky cliffs, secluded  beaches, and endless blue ocean stretching in every direction. It was one of the most  breathtaking viewpoints we have ever seen and a proud moment watching the kids  accomplish something so challenging. 

After more than two weeks of waterfalls, rainforest wildlife, famous landmarks, remote  beaches, incredible snorkeling, dolphins, sharks, and adventurous hikes, it was finally time  to head home. Getting back to Idaho was an adventure of its own! From the moment we left our doorstep in Fernando de Noronha until we arrived back in Boise, we traveled  for 28 hours on four different airplanes. Considering this was the kids’ first experience  with overnight international travel, they were absolutely amazing. They handled the long  flights, airport connections, unfamiliar foods, different languages, and all the unexpected  challenges of international travel better than we could have hoped. And while we missed  having Cali with us, it was wonderful making these memories with Bryley, Lyla, and Judah.  Perhaps one of our biggest takeaways was realizing that the kids can now handle just about  any adventure we throw their way. After this trip, we feel like we can take them anywhere in  the world — and we’re already excited to figure out where that might be next!