Advertisement
For help, call:
A dizzying country home for more than two hundred million people, Brazil conjures up a diversity of striking images, from samba dances and carnival celebrations to stunning natural attractions and a colorful mix of cultures forged through a desirable history.
It’s a country that can rival entire continents in terms of herbal beauty, from the Iguazu Falls or the Pantanal wetlands to much of the Amazon, one of the world’s last frontiers.
And its villages are no less charming. Rio de Janeiro, with its party atmosphere and pristine beaches, is arguably the model of Brazilian tourism, but places like Sao Paulo and Salvador offer visitors plenty to discover.
A warm welcome, an immersion in the local cultures and some paradisiacal settings makes Brazil a bucket-list destination for many. Here are some of the very best places to visit.
Rio de Janeiro is often seen as the face of the country, with its samba culture, enormous Carnival celebrations and long stretches of golden sands having become synonymous with Brazil in more recent years. Few cities in the world can claim the same level of natural beauty as Rio. Surrounded by verdant peaks, such as Sugarloaf Mountain, and fronted by coastlines like Copacabana and Ipanema, the city has been blessed with incredible scenery; it is best enjoyed from the high site of Christ the Redeemer, one of the world’s most famous landmarks. Walks, hikes, swims and football on the beach are all within easy reach.
Learn more about South America:
Brazil Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
Why Your Next Safari Should Take Place in Argentina
Brazil’s Maximum Beaches
Though the partying reputation that has been made famous by Carnival isn’t present every month in Rio, it is still buzzing day and night, from the caipirinhas on Copacabana to the bars and restaurants of Lapa. Santa Teresa is another bohemian neighbourhood with abundant arts and culture on show, while pilgrims of a certain sporting type will want to head to the Maracana, home of Fluminense and Flamengo, to catch a football match at one of the game’s spiritual homes.
The largest city in the country is a veritable concrete jungle, with trees and gardens interspersed with huge buildings, where a decidedly cosmopolitan atmosphere reigns. It resembles Rio in some tactics (from the long beach to the bustling lifestyle) but radically in others. from its skyscraper-filled cityscape to its dizzying number of arts and cultural hubs.
The state of Sao Paulo is the economic and agricultural center of the country, and this state capital is full of things that visitors can see. It would be a smart idea to start with the eclectic diversity of museums, covering everything from football and from the Portuguese language to Afro-Brazilian history and artifacts from Amazonian tribes. Art lovers make a stop at the city’s Museum of Art and the Pina Luz to see works dating back to El Greco or Manet, all the way to the day of the offer.
For an oasis close to the center, the largest green space in the city, Ibirapuera Park. Alternatively, those with a penchant for the finer things in life can walk along the tree-lined Rua Oscar Freire, Sao Paulo’s most ostentatious street and Brazil’s answer to Fifth Avenue or Rodeo Drive in the United States. In a city of skyscrapers, it would make sense to take a look around to get a great view as well; Some of the most productive come from the 161-metre-high Santander Lighthouse or the 46-storey Italia Building.
The Amazon rainforest remains one of the least explored spaces in the world and is home to approximately 10% of the world’s biodiversity. Luckily for the more intrepid travelers, Brazil offers one of the best parts of the river and jungle, with Amazon and jungle cruises. exploration possible.
Manaus, one of two cities in the Amazon with a population of more than one million, is the gateway to Brazil. These include the magnificent 19th-century Amazon Theater, the 100-square-kilometer Adolpho Ducke Botanical Garden, and the confluence of the “Meeting of the Waters,” where the dark waters of the Rio Negro rub shoulders with the brown waters of the Solimoes River.
But while it’s worth taking some time to explore Manaus, if you’re in town, it’s probably for a reason. The Amazon and the surrounding rainforest remain etched in folklore; Visited by few and known even by few, the radically different environment, proliferation of wildlife, and sometimes unforgiving nature make it one of the most attractive destinations in the world. June is the most productive time to make a stopover in search of less rain. maximum water levels and wildlife viewing, with plenty of jungle cruises and lodges features for lodging and tours.
Iguacu sits in a beautiful location on the borders between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. A waterfall system consisting of around 275 different falls, it is a truly paradisal area, where the water dramatically pours off rugged cliffs and the sight of the verdant clifftops is complemented by murky waters and the odd rainbow.
Only about 20% of waterfalls are found in Brazil, and the remaining 80% in Argentina, where they are known as Iguaçu. The city of Foz do Iguacu is the most productive point into Brazil (and also has an airport), with the Brazilian segment offering panoramic perspectives and the Argentinian segment being larger for guided boat tours on the river. If possible, visit for the best view of the Devil’s Throat, with a drop in altitude of about 260 feet and a width of about 500 feet.
That Salvador de Bahia used to be Portugal’s colonial capital shows the importance of this city, and goes some way to explaining its modern-day iteration. Though it has some of the skyscrapers of Sao Paulo and the beaches of Rio, this city has forged its own identity since colonial times – one marked by Afro-Brazilian culture, surrounding natural beauty and dashes of colour and rhythm.
The city starts on the coast at the startlingly blue All Saints Bay, where long sections of golden sands stretch down a coastline that is lined with tropical islands and fishing villages. Moving inland, a sea of skyscrapers and other high-rise buildings hides a slew of colonial buildings, and nowhere is this more prominent than in Pelourinho, the city’s Unesco-listed historic centre. Cobblestone streets are lined with colourful, pastel-hued colonial architecture, and this is heart of the city’s Afro-Brazilian culture, from capoeira schools to street food and cultural centres (a visit to the area is complemented by a tour of the the Afro-Brasileiro museum and the Archaeology and Ethnology Museum, near the city’s eastern coast).
The city’s Nautical Museum completes a tour of its sober medieval history with other highlights, adding the 18th-century NS do Bonfim Church, Largo do Pelourinho Square and Fort Santo Antonio da Barra. If you manage to plan your stopover well, Salvador is also home to the country’s most prominent carnival celebration.
Located in southern Brazil, the Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland in the world, as well as the largest flooded grasslands on the planet. Along with the Amazon, it is one of the most ecologically varied regions in the country, making it popular for bird watching.
The landscape is filled with dense plants and ranges from jaguars and crocodiles to more than 656 species of birds. The time between June and September is the most productive time to see the locals, with 4×4 and riverboat tours featured elsewhere and plenty of accommodation. Whether you’re an aspiring photographer or a safari veteran who doesn’t want to see Brazil’s ‘Big Five’: jaguars, anteaters, tapirs, giant otters and maned wolves.
Ouro Preto, translated as “black gold” in English, is a city in the state of Minas Gerais, a giant state known for its colonial-era mining and ancient significance. Once the state capital until 1897, it’s about two hours from Belo Horizonte, the current state capital and Brazil’s third-largest city.
This once-great mining town was a centre for the Brazilian gold rush, but its surroundings of steep hills and creeks prevented further expansion. This has benefited the modern city, which has a strikingly colonial feel to a lot of its architecture. Though perhaps obvious, it is startlingly similar to parts of Portuguese cities like Funchal, with intricate facades and russet roofs adorning many buildings, and the odd pastel shade dotted among the mainly white-washed structures of the Unesco-listed historic town.
Ouro Preto is a smaller city with fewer stopovers, so it’s more productive to combine a stopover in Belo Horizonte. Either way, take the time to explore its devoted buildings, learn about a piece of Brazilian history, stop at art museums like Casa Guignard, and even dive into a mine at Minas de Passagem, the world’s largest available to the public.
Read our reviews of hotels in the sun in winter
Advertising
Advertisement
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertising