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Rio De Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is an enchanting holiday resort in Brazil, home to the famous beach at Ipanema, sultry street parades, the Corcovado Christ statue and Sugarloaf Mountain. 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 rhythmic beat of the samba, the bossa nova and the choro throbs through the city of Rio as a part of Brazil's national culture and 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.
Rio is the capital of the state Rio de Janeiro and contains one hundred and fifty districts with unique features like Santa Teresa, which is reached by taking an old tram across an ancient aqueduct called Arcos da Lapa. In the central city area Rio boasts historic monuments and public buildings like the Municipal Theatre, the National Museum of Fine Art, the Itamaraty Palace, the National History Museum and the National Library. There are also beautiful examples of religious architecture such as the Sao Bento Monastery. No matter how long you spend exploring the city, it will always deliver new surprises.
The Lakes region of Brazil is to the north of Rio and is home to over sixty miles of beautiful beaches and sea-water lagoons, this is also the location of the main tourist resorts of Búzios, Cabo Frio, Arrial do Cabo, Rio das Ostras, Maricá and Saquarema.
Corcovado
The world famous statue of the Christ the Redeemer is a popular historical and religious attraction in Rio and rests on top of Rio de Janeiro's Corcovado mountain, 2,330ft (710m) above the beaches below, and is accessed via a miniature train that runs from the Cosme Vehlo District through the Atlantic rainforest to the foot of the statue. The train ride offers stunning vistas of Rio, and the view from the summit is breathtaking. Spread out beneath the statue is the Tijuca Forest, resplendent with attractions to enchant visitors in the cool of the rainforest among natural pools and waterfalls. There is for example the Mayrink chapel, which features murals painted by Candido Portinari, one of Brazil's best-known modern artists, and the Museu do Acude, housing colonial furniture and a collection of china from the East India Company.
Telephone: (21) 2558 1329; Opening time: Daily 8am to 6pm; Admission: R$20 includes the train to the top
Sugar Loaf
Rio's famed Sugar Loaf Mountain bears a strong resemblance to the loaves of sugar once used by colonists from Portugal and a two-stage cable car can be used to meet the unique eight hundred foot high belvedere at the summit. The first stage takes visitors up 550ft (168m) to the Morro da Urca, where there is a restaurant, amphitheatre, heliport and spectacular view of the Yacht Club and Botafogo Bay. The second stage takes one the rest of the way to the summit for a panoramic view of the city, and the whole of Copacabana beach.
Address: Av. Pasteur 520; Telephone: (21) 2546 8400; Opening time: Daily 8am to 10pm; Admission: R$18
Botanical Gardens
The Portuguese Prince Regent first opened the Rio Botanical Gardens as a temporary site for imported plants to be acclimatised in 1808. Now it is home to some 2,600 species of plant life, particularly bromeliads and orchids. Colour is added to the botanical treasures by a wealth of wildlife, such as Toucans, Tanagers, Marmoset monkeys and brilliantly coloured butterflies.
Address: Rua Jardim Botânico; Telephone: (21) 2294 9349; Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday 8am to 5pm; Admission: R$4
Ipanema
The beach of Ipanema has be made famous worldwide by the song 'The girl from Ipanema' and is a legendary beach offering a vast range of busy nightlife, sophisticated shopping opportunities and quality restaurants, all within walking distance of each other. Ipanema (the name, incongruously, means 'bad water') is famous for setting fashion trends, particularly in the line of skimpy swimwear, and fashion wear should look out for the famous bikini boutiques like Salinas, Blue Man and Bum-Bum. Also do not miss exploring the Rua Garcia D'Avila to shop for designer fashion, jewellery and furniture. Visit the Amsterdam Sauer Museum of Gems here for a workshop tour. There are numerous other streets in Ipanema to explore as well, including the attractive commercial street Visconde de Piraja that is lined with speciality shops, bars, restaurants and some of Rio's best boutiques. Visit the hippie fair at General Osorio Square on Sundays for wooden sculptures, handcrafts, exotic musical instruments and artworks.
Copacabana
Another famous Rio beach is the Copacabana, which was originally a tiny fishing village until the new highway brought it to life in the 1900s. The Copacabana Palace Hotel first opened its doors in 1923, and since then the area mushroomed with Neoclassical and Art Nouveau skyscrapers, penthouses and apartments. Visitors still flock, as they have always done, to the glamorous Palace Hotel, the place to be seen. Sometimes the visit is only to have tea or a meal at the famed Cipriani restaurant. The beach itself has white sand and calm water and is festooned with kiosks. It is a popular spot for beach sports like soccer and volleyball, and a good place to sunbathe. Copacabana beach is particularly popular on New Year's. According to tradition, visitors dress in white and congregate here to celebrate in their droves, counting more than two million people during this time.
Buzios
The Buzios peninsula is just over a hundred miles north east of Rio and was once home to pirates and slave traders, now the rich and famous flock to it's sun kissed shores to relax on the twenty enchanting beaches in the Region. The peninsula was popularised by legendary movie star Brigitte Bardot in the 1960s, and her statue still graces the main street of Buzios, the Rua des Pedras. The peninsula is a sophisticated beach resort with a very active nightlife and fine restaurants. The west coast beaches offer calm, clear waters while the east coast ones, facing the open sea, are a little wilder and draw the surfers and water sports enthusiasts. Among the most popular beaches are Azeda Beach, Joao Fernandinho Beach with several bars and known for its seafood, Ferradura Beach, and Geriba beach, popular for surfing.
Transport: Buzios can be reached by road from Rio via the Rio-Niteroi toll bridge, or by bus from the Novo Rio Bus Station
Iguaçu Falls
The Rio Iguaçu rises in the Paraná Mountains and the Santa Catarina Mountains and then snakes west for over three hundred miles before widening majestically around the jungles and crashing into the Iguaçu Falls, which are tiered at the border of Argentina and Paraguay. The Foz do Iguaçu (Iguaçu Falls) are over two miles (three km) wide and 262ft (80m) high and their beauty is unsurpassed. Their name, fittingly, comes from the Guarani Indian word meaning 'great waters'. The deep flowing waters of the river tumble down 275 falls (almost twice the height of Niagara Falls) the most famous of which is Devils Throat, which, on the border with Argentina, drops 230ft (70m). As well as taking in the stunning views, visitors can enjoy kayaking and other water sports in the river. The best time of year to visit is August to November, when there is least risk of floodwaters hindering the approach to the catwalks. The falls are surrounded by the Iguaçu National Park, a huge sub-tropical rainforest covering 135,000 acres that is home to thousands of different species of flora and birds including parrots and hummingbirds.
Transport: The easiest way to get to the falls is by air from Rio. Alternatively you can take a bus via Curitiba
