Category: Brazil

Ilha de Santa Catarina has a vibrant and varied coastline, from the calm, crowded bays of the north, to the wild, cliff-hugging beaches of the south. But it’s not just the beaches that make this island so enchanting. A forest of protected pines protect the east coast, while the dunes near Praia da Joaquina create a lunar landscape. The spine of mountains, luxuriant with the Mata Atlântica (Atlantic rain forest), drops precipitously down to the lovely Lagoa da Conceição. The gateway to the island is Florianópolis, political capital of Santa Catarina and cultural capital of southern Brazil.

For some, the picturesque holiday village of Morro de São Paulo has exceeded acceptable limits of touristiness. For others, it is Bahia’s best beach town. All agree it is charming. Remotely perched at the northern tip of the Ilha de Tinharé, Morro’s appeal stems from its relaxed pace (no cars on the island) and unique geography: three jungle-topped hills on a point at the meeting of the mangrove-lined Canal de Taperoá and a clear, shallow Atlantic. Wheelbarrows help lug cargo (and luggage) along sandy lanes, past pousadas, restaurants and boutiques. During the high season the village booms, and there are parties on the beaches every night.

Tabatinga is most notable as the place where the Amazon River enters Brazil; otherwise, it’s a nondescript border town. Boats headed down to Manaus and up to Iquitos depart from Tabatinga’s two ports, and its airport serves Brazilian and Peruvian destinations.

Just over 220km north of Brasília, this spectacular park showcases the unique landscape and flora of high-altitude cerrado. Big skies, hills rising like waves from the plains, scenic waterfalls and natural swimming pools make for a sublime landscape. Wildlife you’re likely to see includes maned wolves, giant anteaters and 7ft-tall rheas.

Belém is a surprisingly rewarding city, with streets and parks shaded by mango trees, and a number of fascinating monuments and museums. The sloping central park is quiet during the week and bustling on weekends, when locals come out en masse for free performances and tasty street food. Nightlife tends toward the bohemian intellectual sort: art house theaters, small music venues, heady café-bars. From Belém you can take overnight trips to Algodoal and Ilha de Marajó, both appealing coastal destinations, and it’s an important launch pad for journeys up the Rio Amazonas. The Amazon is not known for its cities, and Belém can’t compete with places like São Luis or Salvador for charm or urban flair. But given time to explore, most find Belém is not nearly as rough around the edges as they expected.

This oddly shaped island at the mouth of the Baía de Paranaguá is the most pristine and picturesque beach resort in all of southern Brazil. The island’s sense of tranquility and lack of development are thanks in part to its isolation. Accessible only by boat, the Ilha do Mel is traversed by sandy paths; it lacks even a single car. The fatter, northern half of the island is an ecological preserve, closed to any inland exploration. The hillier southern portion is the locale of three small villages: Nova Brasília and Praia do Farol near the isthmus; and Encantadas at the far southern tip. They can be rowdy during the summer holidays, when young crowds descend on the island. But for the most part, Ilha do Mel, or ‘honey island, ’ is the territory of surfers, campers, birders and other escapists in search of simplicity and serenity.

Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte, is a clean, bright and rather bland city that has swelled as the entry point for coastal package tourism. Surrounded by impressively large sand dunes, Natal’s main attractions are beaches, buggy rides and nightlife – don’t come here if you seek museums and theater.