Rio has a beach culture dominated by the two great bays - Copacabana and Ipanema. Both have wide sweeping promenades along which you can strut your stuff or sit back with a cool drink and people watch. Centre piece for the boyz is the Farme Gay on Ipanema Beach - just a little to the east of the junction with Farme de Amoeda. Pick a spot here and you're sure to meet new friends - and not just the locals. For many an International Celeb has been seen here sporting the latest swimwear fashions.
Say Brazil and the first thing people think of is Rio de Janeiro and Carnival. This week long celebration before the start of Lent attracts a mix of gay men and women from around the world. Its beaches are packed with tanned scantily clad boys and night time brings out the Samba and Bossa Nova. It's not a heavy gay scene and often mixed with straights welcome but always where there is rhythm, there is dance.
There's often a story behind a place name and Rio de Janeiro is no exception. In 1502 the Portuguese explorer André Gonçalves sailed over to the land now known as Brazil. He discovered the bay which today is known as Guanabara. However, he mistook it for the estuary of a river, rio, in Portuguese. Since the month was January (Janeiro), he coined the name Rio de Janeiro and the name stuck has stuck ever since.
Watching over all this is "El Redentor" - the huge statue of Christ built in the 1930's to celebrate Brazil as the country with largest catholic population. Regular tours up Corcovada by open top jeep or mountain train enable you to get up close and enjoy great views of the city.
Equally spectacular is the cable car ride up Sugar Loaf Mountain. This two stage trip taking 25 minutes, takes you 100m whilst allowing you to look down on Copacabana Beach whilst gently sipping a cappuccino from one on the many bars and terraces.
Whilst Rio is a natural place for any Brazil holiday, why not add some side trips - the spectacular Iguazu Falls higher than Niagara and wider than Victoria and surrounded by sub-tropical rain forest are just a short flight away. Only a few hours drive from Rio are Paraty - pronounced Para-chee - a former gold rush town and the finest example of Portuguese colonial rule remaining in Brazil or Buzios - Brazils's Caribbean style peninsula famed for its 24 beaches and chill-out lifestyle.
For a Tailor-made trip to Brazil please fill out our Amro a la Carte Enquiry form and we will be happy to quote and assist you with your travel requirements.