Regions in Brazil

With an impossibly beautiful natural setting between mountains and the sea, stunning white-sand beaches, gregarious, gorgeous people – and potent caipirinhas – Rio de Janeiro is intoxicating in more ways than one. Throw in the world famous carnival and must-see landmarks like Sugar Loaf mountain and the distinctive statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain, and you’ll fully understand why Rio is the most visited city in the whole of the southern hemisphere. Fasano Rio is the pick of the city’s luxury hotels.

The Amazon Rainforest, which sprawls across nine countries covering six million square kilometres of land, is home to the greatest number of different species of wildlife and plant life on the planet. Home to sixty per cent of the Amazon jungle, Brazil is also the point from which this mighty flow of water, several hundred feet wide, empties into the Atlantic. The best way to explore the Brazilian Amazon is in the hands of capable, professional guides and we recommend Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge in Manaus for informative guided treks, night-time canoe safaris and encounters with the river’s unique pink dolphins.

The cultural melting pot that is Salvador da Bahia, Brazil’s music and culture capital, is your gateway to some of the most beautiful beaches Brazil has to offer. We love trendy Trancoso - and so do the Brazilians – where you’ll find a selection of hot hotels and villas including boutique Uxua Casa and the gorgeous Villas de Trancoso. If surfing’s your thing, head to Fazenda da Lagoa near Itacare on Bahia’s southern coast; or get away from it all at Fazenda Sao Francisco on the white sands of Corombau, also on Bahia’s south coast.

Wildlife lovers should head to this vast wetland that throngs with thousands of species of birds and animals: 10 million caiman share this area roughly half the size of France along with anacondas, anteaters, jaguars, capybaras, macaws, jabiru storks and much, much more.  Most expeditions in the Pantanal are on horseback or in an open jeep, but piranha fishing and canoeing down the river are just some of the other options.

Minas Gerais remains largely under the radar of Brazil’s tourist throngs, despite being home to beautiful natural landscapes, richly traditional Brazilian culture, and more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than anywhere else in the country. The capital of Minas Gerais is Belo Horizonte, Brazil’s third-largest city and a thriving hub of cuisine, culture and cosmopolitanism.

For wild, unspoilt, off the beaten track beaches with great options for surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing and some of the best diving and snorkelling in the country, the North East of Brazil is THE place to head. Our top picks would be Pipa Beach for surfing, Jericoacoara for windsurfing and kitesurfing and Fernando de Noronha, a remote archipelago 200 miles of the North East coast of Brazil, for diving. In our opinion, Fernando de Noronha is the Number One dive spot in the whole of Brazil.

As you’d expect from the largest city in the southern hemisphere, Sao Paulo has a lot on offer. From an enviable collection of drinking holes and eateries (be sure to sample the particularly brilliant Japanese cuisine), to vibrant art and music scenes. The nightlife isn’t bad, either, and Sao Paulo gives New York a run for its money as a city that never sleeps.