Rio might not be the capital of Brazil any more, but it’s the country’s most visited city and one of the most icon-packed in the Southern Hemisphere with: Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado; Sugar Loaf Mountain; Ipanema and Copacabana beaches; and the annual Mardi Gras Carnival, unrivalled still for scale, glamour, beads and bikinis.

• Visit between May and August for temperatures between 22 and 30˚ and cooling breezes to temper the city’s notoriously high humidity. December to March is the humid rainy season with temperatures up to 40˚.
• The area around legendary Copacabana and Leme beaches is best for family-friendly three and four-star family hotels with views of the ocean and Sugar Loaf Mountain.
• Take the 20 minute train journey to the foot of Christ the Redeemer. The 38m high Art Deco statue and view of Guanabara Bay make an awe-inspiring duo.
• Arraial do Cabo is two hours east of Rio for white sand beaches, fewer crowds and world-class diving.
• Don’t miss: the cable car up Sugar Loaf Mountain; Mureta da Urca district for sunsets over Guanabara Bay; art galleries and museums in the restored Docklands’ quarter; Aqua Rio, the largest aquarium in South America; Marapendi Lagoon cruises; rio4fun themed city tours.

The north east region of Brazil has the country’s most temperate climate and thousands of kilometres of tropical beaches.

• Visit the regional capital of Salvador for: a Mardi Gras Carnival second only to Rio’s; beaches round Todos os Santos Bay; tropical island hopping; Capoeira fight-dancing performance; traditional Afro-Brazilian culture.
• Porto Seguro, south of Salvador, is best for beaches, colonial history and also gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Costa do Descobrimento.
• Chapada Diamantina National Park in the heart of Bahia is one of Brazil’s leading walking and hiking destinations.

Amazonas in the far north west of Brazil is the country’s largest state and has South America’s biggest portion of Amazon Rainforest. It’s a major eco-tourism destination and almost all activities are centred around historic Manaus.

• Manaus, sometimes known as, ‘Paris of the tropics’, is the capital of Amazonas and the largest city in the region. It was founded in 1499 but most of the extravagantly grand architecture only dates back to the late 19^th century’s rubber boom: the outrageously opulent Amazonas Theatre’s a great example.
• The easiest base for exploring the rainforest and river with kids, Manaus has excellent hotels and resorts, a wide range of cruise companies and guided tours.
• Don’t miss: Moon Beach on the banks of the Rio Negro; 9000ha Lake Janauari Ecological Park; 19^th century Manaus Port; Ponta Negra Beach; Anavilhanas National Park.

The Pantanal is one of the world’s great wilderness landscapes, the largest wetlands on earth and it’s almost all in the south west of Brazil, right on the Paraguayan border. The area’s second only to Amazonas as an eco-destination and the best way to adventure here as a family is on an eco-cruise or as guests of an eco-resort specialising in local area tours and experiences.

• The tiny town of Miranda is the centre for Pantanal tourism. This is where to fine eco-lodges, camps and guided eco-tours. Miranda Pantanal Escapes
• The best time to visit is from mid-June to mid-September. October to March is the rainy season.

The largest city in the Southern Hemisphere, São Paulo’s the creative and cultured heart of Brazil with over 100 museums and galleries, almost 200 theatres and dozens of parks, gardens and exhibition spaces. Sampa, as it’s known locally, is as hectic and crowded as Rio but it’s a lot less touristy and the atmosphere’s more business-like than hedonistic.

• Good for museums and a couple of day’s exploring – there are direct flights from the UK to São Paulo all year round and connections from the city to regions like Mato Grosso do Sul, Amazonas and Bahia.
• In the city, don’t miss: Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP); Pinacoteca; Palacio Boa Vista; Amantakir; the Municipal Market.

Near São Paulo, don’t miss: Ubatuba’s 100 plus beaches on Anchieta Island; water sports on Cabras Island; the São Sebastião coastal region.