COUNTRY PROFILE
Brazil B
Capital city: Brasilia | Language: Portuguese | Currency: Real | Visas: Not required by British citizens | Time zone: GMT -3hrs to -5hrs ENJOYING THE GOOD LIFE
razil is probably the Latin American destination most
familiar to the UK market, known for its extravagant annual carnivals, majestically-set city of Rio de Janeiro, the sprawling Amazon rainforest and a diverse, fun-loving and football-mad population. While Brazil is already considered
a mainstream destination, its role as host to both the 2014 Fifa World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games will see investment in tourism infrastructure across the country that should cement its position as Latin America's jewel in the crown for the foreseeable future. Embratur, the country's tourist
board is already concocting plans and strategic partnerships to capitalise on the events, but it will also be aiming to draw attention to the countless lesser-known gems that lie in the shadow of the country's headline attractions. The biodiversity of the Amazon
rainforest, for example, is almost matched by the Pantanal in the southwest of the country, while carnival in Salvador de Bahia is a great alternative to Rio, where hotel rates skyrocket during the festivities. The fact remains, however, that almost all first-time visitors to Brazil will spend at least a few days in Latin America's most glamorous
city, and justifiably so. It parties year-round and has a stunning natural setting on the south Atlantic coast, with world-famous features such as Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, Sugar Loaf Mountain and Corcovado, home to the distinctive Christ Redeemer statue. City-slickers should also consider a
trip to trendy São Paulo where working hard and playing hard is the name of the game, or Brasilia, the purpose-built capital city at the centre of the country, admired for its striking architecture and influential design and fashion scene.
■ Rio de Janeiro's Sugarloaf Mountain TIPS FROM
THE TOP “The Brazilian Amazon offers an abundance of flora, fauna, wildlife and rainforest. The Amazon river basin covers almost half of the land area of Brazil. There are many different ways to explore this mighty rainforest – stay in an eco-lodge on the river bank, go wildlife spotting on a river cruise or explore the port city of Manaus, the gateway to the Amazon.”
Sarah Beckwith, Kuoni Market Manager, Latin America
The pace of life slows down in
northeast Brazil, where the country's African culture is at its most vivid. The city of Salvador also stands out for its distinctive Portuguese heritage, with elaborate churches sitting alongside rows of brightly coloured buildings on sloping cobbled streets. Further north, the cities of
Fortaleza and Recife, as well as Salvador, are the principal gateways for beach breaks along the hundreds of miles of palm-fringed coastline, where accommodation
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