Brazil is the largest country in South America and Latin America. It is the world’s fifth-largest country by area and one of the most populated countries. It is the only country in the Americas where Portuguese is an official language. Brazil is among the world’s most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations, due to over a century of mass immigration from around the world. Present-day Brazil was inhabited by numerous tribal nations prior to the landing of explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500. Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until 1808. Independence was achieved in 1822 with the creation of the Empire of Brazil.

Brazil occupies a large area along the eastern coast of South America and includes much of the continent’s interior. Its territory also encompasses a number of oceanic archipelagos. Brazil’s large territory comprises different ecosystems, such as the Amazon rainforest, with the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado sustaining the greatest biodiversity. In the south, the Araucaria moist forests grow under temperate conditions. The rich wildlife of Brazil reflects the variety of natural habitats.

Popular tourist destinations of Brazil are Brazilian Amazon, Wine Regions, Coastal Cities, as well as the second largest water fall, Iguazú Fallsm in the world. I only visited coastal city Rio de Janeiro and Iguazú Falls on this trip.

Iguazú Falls

Iguazú Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of Argentina and the Brazil. Popular activities are motorboat under the waterfalls, helicopter flights over the falls, and hike along the Iguazu River banks. On the Argentine side, you will walk above the river on boardwalks. On the Brazilian side, you walk on river banks which is lower than the water falls so the views from the Brazilian side are more dramatic. If you only want to do one side, take the Brazilian side but I highly recommend to visit both sides. There are rich wildlife in the area as well. You can find them at Parque Das Aves Bird Park.

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is a beautiful and romantic city. It’s characterized by a combination of mountains, beaches, and a large bay (Guanabara Bay) situated on a coastal plain, making its landscape quite distinct. Ipanema Beach was once voted the best beach in the world. A sunset tour can take you to visit the Sugarloaf, Christ the Redeemer, Cathedral, and Selaron. A helicopter flight can bring you face to face to the Christ the Redeemer, in the air. I did my first ever Hang Gliding in Rio, a wonderful experience! There is a urban park, Tijuca Forest and Botanical Garden, with rainforest and coastal views. Another interesting attraction is Santa Teresa and Lapa which are first Portuguese settlements. The Museum of Tomorrow truly has a outlook of “Tomorrow”.

Rio has the world famous Carnival. There are Carnival schools and locals spent the whole to prepare for the Carnival. I did visit one of Carnival schools and put on the Carnival costumes. The Ginga Tropical Show will showcase the Brazilian dance Zumba.

As Brazil has a short period of Kingdomship from 1815 to 1824, the Royals built a imperial city: Petropolis. A day trip can visit Petropolis which has some castles as well as a good shopping street.