Attractions of Brazil

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most beautiful and vibrant cities in the world. Known as the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvellous City), its setting is almost unparalleled - crammed between stunning white beaches and soaring mountains with the peaks of Sugarloaf Mountain and the Corcovado guarding its bay. The 1,300-metre long cable car ride to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain gives you spectacular views across the city and Guanabara Bay, which are matched by those on Corcovado on top of which lies the magnificent statue of Christ the Redeemer, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Back in the city, Rio's famous beaches (Ipanema, Copacabana and Leblon) are filled with sun worshippers, the colonial part of the city has many historic buildings and museums and the picturesque barrio of Santa Teresa is known as 'The Montmartre of Rio'. Its at night when Rio really comes alive though, with the samba bars of Lapa and the bars and restaurants of Ipanema and Copacabana filled with live music, energy and people having fun. The whole city goes wild with parades and parties in the week leading up to the Mardi Gras Carnival every year in February. The contrast between the opulent downtown and the poverty in the hillside favelas can be seen on a tour of Rocinha (the largest in South America). Another must-see attraction is a football game at the world famous 95,000 seat Maracena Stadium to experience the unique Brazilian football atmosphere. For quiet time away from the city's bustle, the beautiful Botanical Gardens or tropical rainforest of Tijuca National Park provides a welcome break from the concrete jungle.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea

Paraty was an important port town during the height of the Brazilian gold rush and today is a beautifully preserved Portuguese colonial town. Its town centre is filled with colonial whitewashed buildings and pedestrianised cobbled streets, some of which are partly covered with seawater at high tide. There are four impressive colonial churches, the most imposing of which is the Nossa Senhora dos Remedios. As well as exploring the atmospheric town, its bay has islands with excellent beaches and inland the town is surrounded by mountainous national parks filled with trails and wildlife.

Ihla Grande is an island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro renowned for its beautiful beaches, rich vegetation and rocky landscapes. With no cars on the island, it's the perfect spot for relaxation and exploration on foot or by boat. The entire island is a protected area with an abundance of endangered wildlife that can be viewed on the 150km of trails through the pristine rainforest. The animal species here include red-browed Amazon parrot, broad-snouted caiman, maned sloth and brown howler monkey. Elsewhere the 6-7 hour hike to the Pico do Papagaio at 982 metres offers superb views of the island and surrounding waters while Antigo Presídio has the ruins of a once infamous prison for political prisoners.

Iguazu Falls can lay reasonable claim to being the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. Certainly, the sheer breadth of them, 275 distinct waterfalls across 2.5km, is without parallel while they are higher than Niagara Falls with heights of up to 80 metres. Located at the confluence of the Rio Iguazu and the Rio Alto Parana, the Falls can be viewed from both the Argentine and Brazilian side of the border - the Brazilian side gives great panoramic views, especially of the Devil's Throat area, with the Argentine side allowing you to get closer to the waters from above and below. A short helicopter ride over the waterfalls offers a different and spectacular vista. Close to the national park is the Parque das Aves which contains many examples of Brazil's subtropical birds as well as mammals and reptiles. There is also the option to visit the Itaipu Dam, one of the engineering wonders of the world and second only in size to the Three Gorges Dam in China. With a dam 8km long and 65 storeys high and a reservoir that covers 1400 km², Itaipu supplies 80& of Paraguay's electricity and 25% of Brazil's.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Iguaçu National Park

Five Jesuit missions were built in the land of the Guarani Indians in the 17th and 18th centuries, four of these are in present day Argentina and one in Brazil - the ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes. The missions were all laid out in the same pattern with a large open square surrounded by the church, residence of the Fathers and houses of the Indians. The Jesuits purpose was to educate the natives and convert them to Christianity and they also sought to protect them from capture and abuse from Spanish and Portuguese colonists.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: San Ignacio Mini, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria Mayor (Argentina), Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes (Brazil)

The town of Ouro Preto (Black Gold) played a leading role in Brazil's Golden Age and its gold rush in the 18th century. Attracted by local gold deposits, the town was founded by prospectors who were followed by artists who created outstanding buildings fusing European Baroque and Rococo with Brazilian influences. The town contains many works of art by the famous sculptor Aleijadinho including the Church of Sao Francisco de Assis in addition to imposing buildings such as the Parliament House and Palace of Governors. The irregular urban landscape following the contours of its hilly location as well as the cobbled streets and beautiful churches, bridges and fountains make Ouro Preto a beautiful historic town. You can visit the gold mine of Minas de Passagem and the Museum of Mineralogy to learn more about the importance of the region's mining history.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Town of Ouro Preto

The sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas in Minais Gerais was completed in the 1770s after 60 years construction. After its completion, the church was given a magnificent Rococo interior of Italian inspiration. Additionally the artist Aleijadinho created an outdoor stairway was constructed and decorated with 12 soapstone statues of the prophets and seven chapels illustrating the Stations of the Cross and sculpted in wood. The sanctuary is one of the most important examples of Christian art in Latin America.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas

The colonial town of Diamantina is located in a mountainous landscape north of Rio and dates to the diamond prospectors of the 18th century. The Portuguese colonial architecture displays Baroque and local influences and the town is characterised by colourful 18th and 19th century semi-detached houses and picturesquely paved streets. Buildings of note in Diamantina include the Old Market Hall built in 1835, the Passadico - a footbridge covered in blue and white wood, and the Rua Direita sculptured fountain.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina

There are 25 reserved in the south-east of Brazil that contain extensive examples of the remaining Atlantic forests of Brazil, one of the world's richest and most endangered habitats. These complex ecosystems range from forested mountains to wetlands and islands and have high levels of endemism, including 70% of tree species and 40% of mammals. Animals of note found in these reserves include jaguar, bush dog, black-faced lion tamarin, muriqui and brown howler monkey.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves

The Serra Verde Express is Brazil's most famous railway and connects the town of Curitiba with the coastal harbour of Paranaguá, travelling through the Serra do Mar mountains. It was constructed between 1880 and 1885 by Belgian engineers and European immigrants and is a masterpiece of railway design. The tracks descend almost 1,000 metres en route, traversing a landscape of high cliffs, plunging waterfalls and dense Atlantic rainforest to reach sea level, making for a spectacular journey. There are two types of train on the route - regular and the more expensive tourist train.

The city of Brasilia was designed and created in the 1950s to be the country's new capital. Urban planner Lucio Costa and architect Oscar Niemeyer turned an unpopulated swamp in the centre of the country into a masterpiece of the modern movement in architecture. The overall layout has been compared to a bird in flight, with the residential districts situated on the north-south axis and the administrative sections along the Monumental (east-west) Axis. The most impressive structures include the Metropolitan Cathedral shaped in a crown of thorns and the incredible blue glass of Dom Bosco. The television tower provides superb panoramic views of the city.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Brasilia

The Pantanal is a vast area of wetlands in central Brazil that is one of the best areas in South America for wildlife viewing. Covering some 230,000 km², it is one of the world's largest freshwater wetland ecosystems. The diversity of animal species in the Pantanal is staggering - over 650 bird species, 400 fish, 50 reptile and 80 mammalian, with the landscape ensuring they are much easier to see than in other parts of the continent. Animals include jacare, giant anteater, ocelot, jaguar, cougar, giant river otter, capybara and pamba and march deer while some of the bird species of note are the hyacinth macaw (the world's largest parrot), jabiru storks and roseate spoonbill. The wetlands can be explored on foot, horseback, boat rides or on vehicles depending on the terrain and time of year.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Pantanal Conservation Area

The town of Bonito is located within the beautiful Serre da Bodoquena National Park. Surrounded by lush forests, rivers, waterfalls and caves, this is an area both of exceptional natural beauty and a place to try some exciting activities. These include abseiling into a cave at Anhumas abyss, rafting and kayaking on the rivers, exploring the caves and swimming and snorkelling in underground lakes and rappelling, as well as horse riding and trekking.

Goiás was a mining town in central Brazil in the 18th and 19th centuries and is a testament to the colonisation of the interior of the country and the evolution in urban architecture of South American colonial settlements. The layout shows the town's organic development from a modest village to a subdistrict capital and has changed little since the 19th century.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Centre of the Town of Goiás

The Cerrado is one of the world’s oldest and most diverse tropical ecosystems which has served as refuge for several species during periods of climate change for millennia. Its two protected areas, the Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks, are home to many threatened and endemic species including the Pantanal deer, jaguar, maned Wolf, rhea, giant armadillo, giant anteater, capybara and tapir. The natural features of Chapada Dos Veadeiros are spectacular - the Rio Preto Falls are 120 metres high and the canyons in the park have depths up to 40 metres. Chapada dos Veadeiros is also the most luminous place on earth according to NASA due to the high levels of quartz crystal in its soil.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks

Salvador is the capital of the state of Bahia and is one of Brazil's greatest historic cities and the centre of Afro-Brazilian culture. Its roots date back to 1501 when the navigator Amerigo Vespucci first sailed into its bay and the city, later founded by the Portuguese, was capital of Brazil between 1549 and 1763. The city prospered with the nearby sugar cane and tobacco plantations and Salvador saw a major influx of slaves from Africa to work on these. Most of the city's residents are descendants from these workers, giving Salvador a rich a distinctive culture fusing African and Brazilian influences, seen in its cuisine, music and the religion of Candomble which mixes African and Christian deities and rites. The Portuguese colonial architecture in Salvador has been well preserved, particularly in the Pelourinho area which overlooks the bay. Colourful churches and other buildings lie amongst spacious plazas and narrow cobbled streets.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia

The historic town of Olinda is located on Brazil's north-eastern coast and dates back to the 16th century when it was founded by the Portuguese. Its historic centre now dates mostly to the 18th century and includes outstanding Baroque buildings such as the Episcopal Church, the Church of Graca, the Convent do Carmo and numerous Franciscan, Carmelite and Benedictine monasteries and convents. The richly decorated religious buildings contrast with the charming simplicity of the brightly painted houses in the town.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda

São Luís, located on Brazil's northern coast, was founded by the French in 1612 and occupied by the Dutch before coming under Portuguese rule. Economic stagnation in the 20th century ensured the survival of numerous historic buildings in the town, with some 4,000 within its historic centre. These are mostly private dwellings characterised by courtyards, painted or tiled facades, tall narrow windows bays and balconies with forged or cast-iron railings.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Centre of São Luís

The historic town of São Cristóvão is centred on São Francisco Square, a quadrilateral open space surrounded by buildings such as São Francisco Church and convent, the Church and Santa Casa da Misericórdia, the Provincial Palace and numerous 18th and 19th century houses.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: São Francisco Square in the Town of São Cristóvão

The Serra da Capivara National Park contains over 300 archaeological sites which include rock shelters with cave paintings that are believed to be more than 25,000 years old. The paintings depict aspects of religious beliefs and practices and are testimony to one of the oldest human communities of South America.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Serra da Capivara National Park

The Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves consists of eight protected areas in the states of Bahia and Espirito Santo. The 1,120 km² of Atlantic forest are the world's richest in terms of biodiversity with high levels of endemism and are important for conservation and scientific study.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves

The islands of the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago and Rocas Atoll off the north-eastern coast of Brazil represent more than half of the surface area of South Atlantic islands. The waters around the islands are important for the breeding and feeding of tuna, shark, turtle and marine mammals and are home to the largest concentration of tropical seabirds in the Western Atlantic.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Brazilian Atlantic Islands: Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas Reserves

The Amazon Rainforest is one of the most extraordinary and important ecosystems on earth, vital for the maintenance of life on the planet as well as for its own hugely diverse animal and plant populations. Staying in lodges in the jungle allows you to explore the pristine natural environment, learn about the variety of plant life and their uses by indigenous people and spot the myriad animal and bird life present. Fishing for piranhas, spotting caiman by torchlight, visiting indigenous communities and searching for pink dolphins on boat trips are some of the fascinating activities available. A boat journey along the Amazon or one of its many tributaries will also allow you to experience life on the waterways which are often the main means of communication and transportation in the region. Visiting riverside settlements, watching the jungle as you glide past and sleeping in a hammock underneath the stars makes for an unforgettable experience. The journey is best taken on a small, traditional two-decked riverboat for a more authentic experience and to allow you to get closer to the rainforest.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Central Amazon Conservation Complex

Manaus is located deep in the rainforest where the two great rivers Solimoes and Negro merge to form the Amazon River. The city grew rich on the rubber boom and the legacy of this time is seen in the Teatro Amazonas opera house which still hosts opera and ballet, Palacio Rio Negro and the old British customs house. Today the capital of the region is expanding as a free trade zone and it is the launching point for trips into the Amazon rainforest or boat rides along the Amazon River and its tributaries. Close to Manaus you can see the 'Meeting of the Waters' phenomenon, where after merging the black waters of the Negro and the muddy brown waters of the Solimoes do not mix and run side by side with a clearly defined colour contrast.