Spotlight on Brazil
![Test your nerve with a brave ride up to Sugarloaf Mountain](http://manage.worldtravelguide.net/images/MAIN430.jpg)
Test your nerve with a brave ride up to Sugarloaf Mountain
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Brazil is training up for a busy couple of years. Football mania is set to take over the country during 2014’s World Cup, and then it will be time for Rio to shine in the 2016 Olympics. Get to know this booming country’s best cities before all the action starts.
RIO DE JANEIRO – Barely-there bikinis, heart-stopping scenery and red-hot nightlife
![Brazil Feature Rio](http://manage.worldtravelguide.net/images/Rio250_0.jpg)
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Further afield: The tropical island of Ilha Grande, just off Rio’s coast, is the perfect place to spend a day or two at a slower pace. Trek, swim, sunbathe and wildlife watch to your heart’s content, surrounded by lush forests and quiet bays.
Insider tip: Got an appetite? Set aside an evening for an all-you-can-eat meat feast at one of Rio’s famed churrascaria restaurants. Porcão (Avenida Infante Dom Henrique, Aterro do Flamengo) is renowned for its endless supply of juicy cuts and succulent sauces.
SÃO PAULO – Cocktails, nightclubs and a dynamic arts scene in Brazil’s most driven city
![Brazil Feature Sao Paulo](http://manage.worldtravelguide.net/images/SaoPaulo250.jpg)
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Further afield: Can’t manage a few days without a beach fix? Do what the locals do and drive to the Paulista Coast to soak up some sun and feast on the terrific seafood.
Insider tip: Drag yourself out of bed for the Sunday morning market at Praça Dom Orione in Bixiga, where you’re bound to find a souvenir among the vintage Brazilian threads, antiques and posters.
SALVADOR – Discover a remarkable African heritage in a city bursting with character
![Brazil Feature Salvador](http://manage.worldtravelguide.net/images/Salvador250.jpg)
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Further afield: Take a day trip up the coast to Praia do Forte, where you can spend a few hours browsing in the boutiques, lunching by the shore and see Project TAMAR’s protected sea turtles.
Insider tips: Hands down, the best place to watch the sunset is Solar do Unhão, a preserved 18th-century complex with a restaurant, museum and gardens.
MANAUS – The starting point for an exhilarating jungle adventure
![Brazil Feature Manaus](http://manage.worldtravelguide.net/images/Manaus250_0.jpg)
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Further afield: Before you head off into the jungle, take a day to visit the Encontro das Águas. Just 20km (12 miles) downriver from Manaus, the dark water of the Rio Negro meets the light water of the Rio Solimões. Because of differences in flow and temperature, they don’t mix for several kilometres, but flow side by side instead.
Insider tip: Get up at the crack of dawn and go to the port to see countless different species of fish being loaded off the fishing boats, ready for market.
NATAL – It’s all about the sandy beaches in ‘The City of the Sun’
![Brazil Feature Natal](http://manage.worldtravelguide.net/images/Natal250_2.jpg)
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Further afield: Visit Maracajau, which is known as the ‘Brazilian Caribbean’. The diving is eye-popping here, with a deep reef formation and tropical fish to marvel at.
Insider tip: Order one of the finest cocktails in Brazil at Sgt Pepper’s Rock Bar (Rua Dr Manoel A B de Araújo 130, Rio Grande do Norte): the northeast caipirinha, a delicious concoction of pineapple, mint and cinnamon/clove-infused cachaca (Brazilian rum). There’s great live music here too.
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