overview
The long-lasting impression most visitors leave Brazil with is of carefree, colourful people dancing and celebrating in the street parades at Carnival, and of a passion for life and exuberance of spirit that charms visitors from around the world. Being so vast, larger than continental United States, Brazil offers a variety of cultures and landscapes. From the Amazon rain forest to the mountain towns of Minas Gerais, the urban jungle of Sao Paulo and the vast central plateau around Brasilia and the world-famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema. It all adds up to an exotic and exciting Latin American mix where the common denominators are samba, sunshine, sultry smiles and soccer.
Rio de Janeiro
Mention Rio to anyone and immediately the name evokes images of sultry street parades, the Sugarloaf Mountain, Corcovado Christ statue and the 'itsy-bitsy teeny weeny' bikinis on the beach at Ipanema. The exuberant cultural capital of Brazil is tucked between the mountains and the sea and is endowed with a natural beauty that ranges from the beaches to the mountain peaks. It also contains the biggest urban forest in the world, the Tijuca Forest, which was completely replanted during the second half of the 19th century.
The city throbs to the infectious beat of Brazilian music, the choro, the samba and the bossa nova, and is the main source of Brazil's national culture. Its annual carnival, known simply as Carnaval, draws together the population of the city (known as the 'Cariocas') ranging from rich to very poor who take to the streets for the world's largest samba parade on the Sambodromo. The city is full of energy and Cariocas, the locals of Rio, are known for their care free spirit and charm. Whether you are looking to experience Carnival, relax in a natural environment, or enjoy all the luxuries of a cosmopolitan city, Rio de Janeiro has it all!
Salvador
de Bahia
The oldest city in Brazil and its first capital Salvador was a major post for the slave trade and is now a thriving center of Afro-Brazilian life. Salvador is considered the country’s soul and the birthplace of Brazilian culture. The local cuisine, music, dance and vibrant visual arts are all testaments to this pervasive African influence. As one of Brazil’s greatest historical destinations, the city is filled with churches, homes and forts that reflect stunning Portuguese architecture from the Baroque period. Outside the city lie some of Northeastern Brazil’s most pristine beaches, including the renowned Praia do Forte and Costa do Sauípe. Considered Brazil's most artistic city, Salvador has a lively art scene and its streets are filled with dance and music all year round.
The Amazon and Manaus
The Amazon is a vast rainforest, the largest on the planet, comprising an expansive system of rivers that covers more than half of Brazil, and invades large tracts of its neighbouring countries. The Rio Solimoes is a powerful navigable stretch of river that enters Brazil from Peru, just above the city of Manaus.
M
anaus
serves as the capital of Brazil’s largest state Amazonas, and is located in the Northwest of the country. It is also an ideal point of departure for visiting the rest of the Amazon region. Tour boats leave Manaus to see the Meeting of the Waters, where the black waters of the NegroRiver meet the white
waters of the SolimoesRiver, flowing side by side without mixing for several miles. Visitors can also explore riverbanks and "igarapes", swim and canoe in placid lakes or simply walk in the lush forest. The most adventurous may even choose to venture deep into the jungle to spend time in the jungle and experience the Brazilian Amazon and all its flora and fauna face-to-face.
The Amazon and its tributaries together create approximately 30,888 square miles (80,000 sq km) of navigable river systems. Large areas of the Amazon forest still remain unexplored, however, and tens of thousands of rare and unknown species of animals, birds, insects, fish and plants are sheltered in and beneath the thick tree canopies.