Why should you holiday in Brazil?

Brazil is one of the world’s largest countries, where you will also find some of the world’s biggest attractions such as the world’s biggest waterfall, Iguazú, the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon, and the world’s biggest carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

So big experiences await you on a holiday in Brazil, including overwhelming outdoor experiences as well as cultural diversity and sights.

Our tours to Brazil

Our tours take you to some of Brazil’s biggest experiences, offering something for nature lovers, for history buffs and for those of you who dream of stunning white sandy beaches.

Our tours to Brazil feature the following highlights:

Rio de Janeiro – an iconic city

Brazil is almost synonymous with Rio de Janeiro, its most famous city. The city enjoys the most stunning coastal location, with mountains, beautiful forests and fabulous beaches.

Rio is perhaps best known for its carnival and its beautiful beaches, Copacabana and Ipanema, where you will encounter lots of tanned beach bodies playing beach football or sipping a “caipirinha” at one of the many beach kiosks.

Rio has it all, and the city is a veritable melting pot of interesting sights, beautiful scenery and buzzing city life, oozing Brazilian joie de vivre. If you are in a sporty mood, you can experience the city’s popular beaches and big lagoons on a cycling tour.

The Christ the Redeemer Statue

One of Rio’s main attractions is the 38-metre-high and 1100-tonne Christ the Redeemer Statue, located on the top of Corcovado mountain.

The statue has been named one of the seven new wonders of the world, and watches over Rio from its location 710 metres above sea level.

The statue can be seen from all over the city, and you really get a feel of its greatness when you stand at the foot of the statue on top of the mountain. Prepare to enjoy stunning views of the Tijuca National Park, Guanabara Bay and Rio’s wonderful beaches from here.

Sugar Loaf Mountain

Sugar Loaf Mountain, or Pão de Açúcar in Portuguese, is one of Rio’s landmarks and consists of a 396-metre-high granite rock at the end of Copacabana Beach.

You get to the top via a cable car, first to the top of the mountain Urca and then on to Sugar Loaf, where a fabulous 360-degree view awaits you of Rio’s bustling metropolis, which has helped earn Rio de Janeiro its title of the “world’s most beautiful city”.

Home to the Samba

Brazil is home to the samba, and Rio de Janeiro is one of the best places to experience the seductive dance and music.

You can also learn to dance these seductive rhythms yourself, if you have the courage for it. Get training from a local on one of our extra excursions, and conclude your evening at a Brazilian night club, where you can try your new moves on the dance floor.

All of our tours take you to Rio and you have a treat in store for you. Rio de Janeiro is an iconic city where you enjoy the experience of a lifetime!

Iguazú Falls

Iguazú Falls, or Foz do Iguaçu, is the world’s largest waterfall. Iguazú consists of 275 waterfalls, large and small, spread over almost 2.7 km and varying between 60 and 82 metres in height. Garganta del Diablo (or the Devil’s Throat) is the largest and best-known of the waterfalls.

Iguazú is located on the border between Brazil and Argentina. On our tours, you will experience the mighty waterfalls from both sides of the border, offering two very different experiences. On the Argentine side, you can see the waterfall up close, whereas the Brazilian side offers a more panoramic view of the waterfalls.

Both experiences are out of this world and a must-see on the tour. If you would like to experience the immense size of the waterfalls from above, you can purchase a helicopter tour and see these breath-taking falls from a bird’s eye view.

Colonial Brazil

Salvador – Where history and culture merge

Salvador is a charming historical city known as the city where Brazil was born. Originally a Portuguese colony, but today a fusion of cultures where you feel the Brazilian soul.

Salvador was one of the most important cities in the Portuguese empire. Today, the city offers a mix of historical experiences, with colonial pastel-coloured buildings, African cultures and a festive atmosphere.

Discover the old town, Pelourinho, where you will find many of the colonial buildings and churches. Pelourinho was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Salvador is also known for its carnival in February. Where the carnival in Rio has its roots in samba, the carnival in Salvador has its roots in Axa, a mix of African and Brazilian pop music.

Paraty

In Paraty, you find another one of Brazil’s interesting colonial pearls. Paraty was once an important port town, and gold, sugar, coffee and slaves were shipped in and out here. This area is also the origin of the renowned Brazilian liquor, cachaça, which is used for the Brazilian drink Caipirinha.

Today, the town is home to countless beautiful, whitewashed buildings with colourful door frames and window panes from the colonial era, and you can admire these as you take a walk through the cobblestone streets. A city tour also offers some looks into the exciting history of the town.

Nature experiences

Brazil overflows with experiences for those interested in nature and animals.

• The Amazon is both the name for the world’s biggest rainforest and for the river with the largest volume of water. Here you will sail on rivers, hike through the jungle, and if you want to, you can go on a survival trip, where you spend the night in a primitive jungle camp. Along the way, you can experience enormous amounts of nature and animal life, such as caimans, exotic birds, and monkeys.

• Pantanal, covering an area of 210,000 square kilometres, is the world’s largest tropical wetlands, and like the Amazon – a paradise for nature and animal lovers. See animals such as the blue macaw, crocodiles or the capybara – the world’s largest rodent.

• Bonito is the hub of eco-tourism in southern Brazil. Here, just 150 km south of Pantanal, is a trove of beautiful, natural sights: Rivers of the very clearest water, exotic fish, grottos, waterfalls and jungles, and of course, exciting animal life

Beach holiday in Brazil

Conclude your tour with a beach holiday at one of Brazil’s many exotic beach areas:

• Ilha Grande is a heavenly island with no roads, and therefore no cars either. Here you will find lush, untouched nature, exciting animal life and more than 100 beaches. Visit locations including Lopes Mendes, which is one of Brazil’s most beautiful beaches. This hilly island is also the centre of many exciting hiking trails, if you would like to be active.

• The Buzios Peninsula was originally a small fishing village, but today is a highly-prized beach town, where you can find shopping opportunities, culinary experiences and more than 20 wonderful beaches. Buzios is a clear destination for a beach holiday lasting a few days

• Praia do Forte is a clear beach holiday destination, if you are going to Salvador. Praia do Forte is a small fishing village with a gorgeous sandy beach surrounded by palm trees, where you can snorkel in the water or just unwind.

Do you have any questions about Brazil?

We’ve compiled all the practical information about Brazil on our “Practical information about Brazil” page, where you can, for example, find more information about visas, the weather and much more besides.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact our travel specialists. They know all there is to know about Brazil and other tours in South America and Central America.

We look forward to helping you on a holiday of a lifetime.

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller