The ease of accesibilty to the Brazilian Amazon makes it a great choice to get a sense of the jungle without extensive travel. You can reach a lodges within an hour of arriving at the airport and there are also a variety of cruises to go deep into the jungle. The unique 'Meeting of the Waters" is a fantastic sight as the two rivers flow side by side for 6 km without mixing.

Ninety percent of the falls are in Argentina, so the Brazilians say they have the best view. They do have the excellent bird Park on the Brazil side as well, and to make your visit even more impressive, stay at Hotel das Cataratas inside the National Park, giving you access to the Falls before the crowds arrive.

If Rio is the lively, loud and proud, glamorous beach metropolis, then Ilha Grande is her very distant cousin, surprisingly close at just 4 hours away by bus and boat. Peaceful and serene, with no cars, banks or phones, this is a picturesque, undeveloped relaxing paradise. Ilha Grande is a place to disconnect from the world. Sailing, swimming and spa treatments occupy your days and the fabulously fresh seafood in the beachfront restaurants take care of the nights.

The Amazon has much better PR than the Pantanal, but don’t let that prevent you discovering fabulous secret that is The Pantanal. The Pantanal is the world’s largest wetlands at 210,000 sq km (yep four 0’s), has few towns, even less people, and a huge array of wildlife. Vegetation is less dense than in the Amazon so animal viewing is much easier. A twitcher’s paradise and the best place for jaguar spotting, this less famous region could become your favourite please in Brazil.

Spectacularly surrounded by mountains, lush rainforests and white sand beaches, Rio is as beautiful as the locals are. She is unfairly endowed with many graces; confidence abounds, music dances through her veins, and her famous features of Corcovado, Sugar loaf, Copacabana and Ipanema, are the envy of other cities. You could almost be jealous of how good Rio is but before you realise it she has gotten under your skin and you are hooked.

Salvador, the African heart of Brazil, beats to the frenetic rhythm of the Capoeira drums. A large thriving city, it is Salvador’s brilliantly colourful historic centre of Pelourinho that lures visitors. A maze of cobbled lanes hiding 17th Century plazas, gold laden churches and buzzing cafes, this is the best preserved colonial architecture in the Americas, and the magnificent baroque design and gold-leaf interior of the São Francisco church is a stand out example.