Brazil

From vibrant cities to majestic rainforests and world-class beaches, Brazil is truly the carnival capital of the world.

This South American beauty is all about the colour, music and dancing, and even outside of carnival time, the rhythm can be felt beating throughout the country, ensuring Brazil holidays are truly captivating.

Its most famous city, Rio de Janeiro on the Atlantic coast, attracts more than two million visitors per year thanks to its stunning natural sights including Sugarloaf Mountain and Copacabana Beach. The world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue is also not to be missed.

But Rio isn’t Brazil’s only city worth visiting. Olinda, on the north-east coast, is an incredible place to visit any time of year, but especially for Carnival, where the streets come alive with colour and music. The colonial city centre is steeped in history, from the wonderfully preserved buildings, including cathedrals, to the many museums it offers. It’s also easy to hop down to Recife, another historical city worth visiting.

Of course, holidays in Brazil also offer stunning natural scenery. The Amazon rainforest is obviously a big draw for tourists, home to jaguars, macaws, poison dart frogs and pink river dolphins in the Amazon River, but it’s far from the only attraction.

Just north of Recife and Olinda, you’ll find Dunas de Genipabu where adventurous travellers can enjoy camel treks, buggy rides and sledging down the dunes.

Located on the border with Paraguay and Argentina, Foz do Iguacu is one of the country’s most breath-taking sights. Hundreds on waterfalls converge in this area, creating a wonderful natural landscape. The most famous, Devil’s Throat, allows visitors to peer over the 80-metre drop from a wooden platform – not for the faint-hearted! Nearby, Aquamania Foz is a great day trip for family holidays in Brazil, as well as Vale de Dinossauros.

Head slightly further north along the Paraguay border and you’ll reach the jaw-dropping and somewhat mysterious spot of Gruta do Lago Azul in Bonita. The mesmerising underground cavity is filled with water, yet the source of the underground river has yet to be established. Here, you’ll also find prehistoric fossils of creatures such as sabre-toothed tigers.