Excursions:

Rio de Janeiro tugs visitors two ways on a daily basis: white sandy beaches in one direction, lush green mountains in another. In between can be found one of the world's greatest social scenes, set to the rhythm of samba and the annual schedule of carnival.

Beyond the city lie the famous Pantanal nature reserve, home to a huge percentage of all of the animal species found in the Americas; the Iguazú Falls, the largest waterfalls on the planet, and one of our most beautiful wonders; and, of course, the vast Amazon river and rainforest: unique, delicate, and still vast.

Nature-lovers and beach-combers sated, urbanites can head north to learn capoeira, or south to São Paulo, one of the world's largest cities and South America's fashion capital.