Brazil

At seven hundred metres it takes in the whole city and coast at once. You go up by cog railway or minibus, on a booked slot. Cloud is frequent, so go on a clear morning rather than saving it for later.

Two cable car stages, with the view already good from the intermediate peak. Going up near sunset gives you both daylight and the city lit. It faces differently from Corcovado, so you need both to understand the city.

Not one fall but close to 270, seen from both the Brazilian and Argentine sides. Brazil gives the panorama and Argentina puts you on walkways above the water, so see both if you can. The spray is heavy — bring waterproofs.

They sit against the city, so morning walks and evening beach life run as daily routine. Every guide repeats the same advice about not leaving valuables on the sand. Copacabana holds a very large new year celebration.

Just outside Manaus a black river and a brown one meet and run side by side without mixing. The usual approach is several nights at a lodge inside the forest, moving by boat and on foot. The water level swings between seasons and changes what you can do.

Rainwater collects between white dunes to form rows of blue lagoons. They only hold water for part of the year, roughly June to September. Access is by four-wheel drive and it is not an easy place to reach.

A hill town built during the eighteenth-century gold boom, dense with baroque churches. The cobbled slopes are steep enough to be a workout. About two hours by bus from Belo Horizonte.

A painted colonial old town where the music and food carried from Africa form the basis of the regional culture. Capoeira and drumming happen in the street. Be selective about where you walk at night.

Founded in 1960 to a city plan shaped like an aeroplane, with its modernist architecture listed as a whole. It was designed for cars rather than walking, so visiting it works differently. It matters most if you care about architecture.

Easier for wildlife than the Amazon, and known for jaguar sightings. In the dry season, roughly May to October, the water retreats and animals concentrate. Lodges are ranch-style and need booking ahead.

The landscape itself — the city wedged between peaks and ocean — is what is listed. Tijuca is a large tract of rainforest inside the city. The viewpoints make the structure legible at a glance.

Visitor numbers are capped and an environmental fee applies; the water is exceptionally clear. Dolphins and turtles are the main draw. Access is by domestic flight and seats sell out in season.

The famous images are concentrated here, so a first trip usually starts with it. Three days covers the main viewpoints and beaches. Safety varies sharply by neighbourhood — research the area around your accommodation.

Less about sights than about food, galleries and performance, with immigrant communities giving it unusual range. Most international flights land here, so it doubles as the gateway. Traffic is heavy.

The main city of the north-east coast, warm and culturally distinct. Slipping out to the beach towns nearby is common. Its carnival is huge in a different way from Rio’s.

Essentially a base for one attraction, reached by domestic flight. Crossing to the Argentine side means a border, so carry your passport. Two days covers both sides.

An opera house from the rubber boom still stands in the middle of the city. Boats into the forest leave from here. It is hot and humid and you will want mosquito protection.

Beaches of different character scattered around one island, good for surfing and for doing nothing. Being in the south, winters are cool. Argentine visitors fill it in summer.

Beach high season, and when carnival falls. Rio is hot and humid with frequent afternoon downpours. Accommodation is at its most expensive, and several times that during carnival week.

The south-east turns cool and dry, which suits the cities. The Pantanal and the Amazon are in their dry season, making wildlife and travel easier. The far south gets genuinely cold.

Set relative to Easter, so it shifts each year. Flights and rooms need booking months ahead and the cities run on festival time that week. If the festival is not the point, avoid it.

At high water you travel by boat between the trees; at low water you walk the forest and sandbanks appear. Choose the season by which you want. Either way it is hot and humid.

Visa exemption and electronic visa arrangements differ by passport and have changed over time. Check the current requirement for your nationality in official guidance. Proof of yellow fever vaccination is sometimes requested.

Vaccination is advised for the Amazon and parts of the interior, and other countries may ask for the certificate when you travel on. It takes time to become effective, so have it at least ten days before departure. Plan mosquito protection as well.

Avoid walking with your phone out or valuables visible, and use taxis or ride-hailing at night. Conditions can change within a block or two, so ask at your accommodation. Local advice is not to resist if you are robbed.

Rio to Manaus or Salvador is days by bus. The domestic network is dense, so plan around flights. São Paulo has two airports — check which one you need.

Not Spanish, and outside tourist areas English is rare. Keep a translation app and your address saved. A few words of greeting and thanks change the reception noticeably.

Police and ambulance have separate numbers. Private hospitals are good but expensive, so travel insurance is needed. Carry a copy of your passport and leave the original at your accommodation.