Brazil is a vast country, accounting for over half the land mass of South America, and is larger than mainland US. Rio de Janeiro, has one of the most incredible settings of any city on earth, where the lush, tropical mountains roll into the Atlantic Ocean. Much of life is conducted on Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, where the beautiful people play football and volleyball. Palm-fringed beaches stretch along the Emerald Coast, south of Rio, with warm waters all year round. On this coast, the picturesque town of Paraty is one of Brazil’s hidden gems. With beautiful colonial architecture and cobbled streets, the town makes the perfect base for exploring the Atlantic rainforest or just relaxing on one of the stunning beaches in the area.

A visit to Rio and the surrounding area is a wonderful holiday in itself, or you can combine this with a visit to the incredible Iguazu Falls and onto Argentina and Chile to make a truly stunning Latin American adventure.