Brazil: Itineraries

Brazil has a long history of immigration and wide cultural diversity across regions. One way of experiencing this is through its cuisine. Food lovers should linger long in São Paulo, with its great world cuisine, and sample dishes like camarões à paulista (marinated shrimp). Although Cariocas (Rio locals) didn't invent feijoada (bean and meat stew served with rice), they serve it with finesse, making Rio an essential stop (hint: it's served on Saturdays).

Churrascarias (barbecue meat restaurants) are widespread in Porto Alegre and other Gaucho cities; it's also the place to try erva maté , a tea-like beverage. Other southern delights are the vineyards near Bento Gonçalves and the German restaurants of Blumenau. Minas Gerais has its own typical cuisine and Ouro Prêto is a good place to try tutu á mineiro (mashed black beans and manioc) served aside many meat dishes.

Delicious fish is found in the Central West. Don't miss delicious dourado , pacu or the catfish pintado - available in Bonito among other places. The Northeast has many addictive Afro-Brazilian dishes including vatapa (a seafood dish in a thick, rich sauce), moqueca (fish stew) and acarajé (brown bean and dried shrimp fritters). Salvador is its culinary capital. The Amazon's diversity doesn't end at the waterline. Wonderfully flavored dishes like tacacá (a spicy soup), pato no tucupi (duck with spices) and many delicious fish ( surubim , tambaquí , and the prized tucunaré ) warrant the trip to Belém.

Brazil contains an astounding variety of fauna and flora with incomparable settings for spying wildlife. The winter (June to September) is probably the best time to go. Despite its urban facade, Rio boasts enticing natural attractions like the Floresta da Tijuca, home to coatis, ocelots, three-toed sloths and various species of monkeys. Yet more simians (including howler monkeys) can be spotted on Ilha Grande.

Sea turtles are making a comeback in Brazil, and you might see hatchlings in places like Praia do Forte and Mangue Seco. Whale-watching is unrivalled in certain parts of the country, including Parque Nacional Marinho de Abrolhos and Praia da Rosa, though by far the best place to see aquatic life is Fernando de Noronha. Bonito, with its crystal-clear rivers, makes for some great snorkeling among river fish, including meter-long catfish. Nearby canyons are home to numerous scarlet macaws.

High on any naturalist's list should be the Pantanal, where river otters, caiman, monkeys, jaguars, anacondas and capybara, plus numerous bird species, are all part of the mix. The Amazon, of course, has many places to see Brazil's wild side, from spotting river dolphins around Santarém to glimpsing toucans outside of Manaus.

Those looking for the soul of Brazil would do well to focus on the Northeast. Music, history and culture amid spectacular natural scenery make for an unforgettable journey.

Begin with the pretty towns of Arraial d'Ajuda and Trancoso, both blessed with great pousadas , attractive restaurants, laid-back nightlife and access to endless walks on the beach. Continue south to Itacaré, a lively town with great surf, then north to Salvador, Bahia's most vibrant and colorful city, where drum corps march through the cobblestone streets by day, and the nights are devoted to Candomblé, capoeira and catching dance parties about town.

Detour west to the Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina for crisp mountain streams, panoramic views and an endless network of trails. Back on the coast, Olinda is one of Brazil's largest and best-preserved colonial cities. It also happens to hold an outstanding Carnaval. From buzzing Recife, Olinda's sister city, fly out to Fernando de Noronha, an exquisite archipelago of rich marine life and splendid beaches.

Returning to the mainland, visit the beautiful and laid-back Praia da Pipa, a global village on the coast. The coast from Natal to Fortaleza and Jericoacoara is one of the most spectacular and least developed in Brazil, with scores of spectacular dune-backed beaches ripe for beach-buggy adventures and perfect winds for kitesurfing and windsurfing.

Jericoacoara itself is a gorgeous beach village with fantastic nightlife. West of there, the Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses has one of the most striking landscapes in Brazil, a surreal combination of dunes, lagoons and beaches. The final stop is São Luís, a city of colonial beauty that is also Brazil's unquestioned reggae capital!

For Carnaval, head to Paraty, where you can dance through the streets covered in mud. Afterwards, soak away in the mineral spa town of Caxambu or consult the mystics in São Tomé das Letras.

Catch a ride on an old locomotive in São João del Rei, or swim in a subterranean lake near Ouro Prêto. Next it's on to Brasília, where you can join a New Age cult before visiting Goiás' Aeroporto de UFO, a landing strip built for spaceships - and mystic rituals.

The Northeast has its own unusual attractions, from the lively cattle market of Feira de Santana to São Luís' folkloric festival, Bumba Meu Boi, which features music, dancing and a magical bull. Deep in the Amazon, Parintins has its own bull festival held in the Bumbódromo (modeled after Rio's Sambódromo).

The Amazon is also the place to see tidal bore surfing. Catch the action around the full moon near the March Equinox in São Domingos do Capim.

Finish up your oddities journey in São Paulo, with a visit to the Instituto Butantã snake farm, a herpetologist's paradise.