Brazil holidays

Brazil is South America's largest, loudest and most-varied country — Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana-Ipanema-Sugarloaf-Christ-the-Redeemer headliner; the colonial Salvador da Bahia and the Afro-Brazilian cultural heartland; Iguaçu Falls on the Argentine border; the Amazon at Manaus or Belém; the Pantanal wetlands (the world's largest tropical wetland — better than the Amazon for actually-seeing jaguars and wildlife); the unspoiled Northeast beach coasts of Jericoacoara, Fernando de Noronha and Pipa; and the colonial mining towns of Minas Gerais (Ouro Preto, Tiradentes). Brazil rewards two-week-plus trips; the country is the size of Western Europe.

A 14-day classic Brazil itinerary: Rio de Janeiro (3-4 nights — Sugarloaf, Christ the Redeemer, Tijuca rainforest, the Lapa nightlife, the beach culture at Copacabana and Ipanema, samba at Carioca da Gema or Lapa) → Iguaçu Falls (2 nights, both sides) → Salvador da Bahia (3 nights — Pelourinho UNESCO old town, capoeira shows, the seafood-and-dende-oil cuisine of Bahia) → optional Amazon (Manaus, 3-4 nights on a riverboat or jungle lodge) OR Pantanal safari (4 nights, the world's best big-cat sightings on land) OR Northeast beach (Jericoacoara, 4 nights for the most photogenic Brazilian beach).