Brazil holidays

Holiday highlights

•   The great Amazon River basin covers almost half of Brazil, its waterways meandering through dense rainforest.
•   Iguaçu Falls plundering into the river below is a magical sight.
•   Taste Brazilian beach life on the sweeping sands of world-renowned Copacabana.
•   The vast tropical wetlands of the Pantanal thrive with wildlife.
•   Rio de Janeiro is the heartbeat of Brazil. This lively, vibrant, sometimes hectic city and its citizens have a genuine passion for life and music.
•   Truly mesmerising panoramic views can be seen from Brazilian icon Christ the Redeemer, which stands 2,300 feet above Rio's streets, bays and beaches.
•   Búzios is a sophisticated beach resort dubbed the ‘St Tropez of Latin America’.
•   Brazil’s best known beaches dot the Atlantic coast of Bahia, the musical heart and soul of Brazil.
•   Porto de Galinhas is an award-winning beach resort. The nearby natural pools house nature’s own aquarium.
•   The charming town of Paraty has hardly changed since its heyday during the 18th Century gold trade.
•   Pantanal is the world's largest tropical wetland, sprawled over 54,000 square miles.
•   The unique ecosystem of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park boasts sweeping white sand dunes, rivers, lakes and lagoons.
•   Fernando de Noronha's pristine sandy beaches and clear blue seas are a haven to a host of wildlife including sea turtles and dolphins.

The Essentials

•    As with the rest of Latin America, Brazilians tend to stand quite close when

conversing and may touch you lightly on the hands, arms or shoulders.

•   Steady eye contact is associated with sincerity.

•   Take care and be vigilant. Valuables should not be on display.

•   Always arrive late - nobody ever arrives on time for social meetings or parties and if you do you'll have quite a wait!

Random Fact

Ingrained deep within the Brazilian national identity, the samba is a lively, rhythmical dance with African roots. Both a dance and music genre, it is best witnessed during the vibrant Rio Carnival, although there are  samba schools and musicians all over the country. It is said that a  great samba dancer speaks with their feet and this can be observed in  two main forms of the dance – the ‘samba no pe’ and the ‘samba gafieiro’.