Brazil

Look at a photograph of Brazil and there stands “Cristo Redentor,” Christ the Redeemer, the undeniable symbol of a vibrant, cosmopolitan, pulsing city, Rio de Janeiro, beating to a Latin rhythm all its own.

But Brazil is a place of marvelous contrasts, a dichotomy of city sophistication standing amid a world of natural, untamed beauty, rainforests, and wildlife that stretches the imagination. The Amazon River flows from the highlands to the Atlantic Ocean, and along its course you will step into another world. The sounds of monkeys and birds echo from the rainforest canopy. Monitor lizards prowl the forest floor along with giant anteaters, unusual looking tapirs, and huge anacondas slither along, unheard. The rainforest is a fairy tale place, nothing on earth compares to it.

And what makes this all so extraordinary are the Brazilian people whose warmth and hospitality greet you at every turn, be it in the exhilaration of Rio or deep in the mystery of the Amazon jungle. You will never forget this place, and you will never forget its people.