Those of you arriving on an international flight will be met at the airport by the tour leader or a local representative and escorted to the group hotel in Copacabana. The drive from here into the city gives a fleeting glimpse of the docks and commercial centre as you head towards the magnificent stretch of sand at Copacabana beach.

You spend 2 days in Rio, with time to explore this extraordinary city of extremes. Sumptuous apartments overlook the sparkling bays against a backdrop of half-built shanty towns, favelas, which cling precariously to the hillsides. Rio squats among towering jungle-clad granite mountains, fringed with white sand beaches which swoop down into the Atlantic surf.

There is an included tour of this iconic city, including the cable car up to Sugar Loaf mountain, a twin-peaked vertical mountain protruding over the ocean, and enjoy the views back over the city and into the lush mountains beyond. You'll also board a steep rack-and-pinion railway which glides up through tropical Tijuca National Park, the largest urban forest in the world dripping with fruit and flowers, to reach the summit of Corcovado Mountain. Here the famous 40m art deco Christ the Redeemer statue soars above the city, arms outspread benevolently. On a clear day the views over the city and out across the ocean and outlying islands are stupendous.

Travel by private bus (4.5 hours) down the scenic 'green coast' to the bay-side colonial town of Paraty; the road is fringed by steep mountains covered in Atlantic forest on one side, and the deep blue ocean on the other. Paraty, meaning 'river of fish' in the indigenous Tupi language, is located on a beautiful stretch of the bay of Ilha Grande. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is faced by tropical islands in the bay. Wander the town’s cobbled streets, explore baroque churches and check out the local art work in the many contemporary galleries. There are also some excellent places to eat fresh fish close to the front.

A scenic drive (5-6 hours) by private vehicle from Paraty takes you across the state border to São Paulo for the flight to the Iguazú Falls. Situated where the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay converge, the town of Foz do Iguaçu is your base for 2 days. A total of 275 falls thunder through dense forest over a 2.5km stretch. The u-shaped Devil's Throat is a thunderous gorge where the frothy water of the Iguazú River crashes over a 1km wide precipice and columns of vapour are thrown skyward. Elsewhere the river flows decorously through the rainforest breaking up into dozens of smaller falls. You can often spot colourful toucans perched in the foliage above the tumultuous waters.

From the Brazilian side there is a broad panorama of these magnificent falls, while a series of walkways on the Argentine side take you through the abundant forest, beneath and even behind some of the dramatic cataracts. Walking within touching distance of these thunderous cascades, your clothes and hair soaked with the spray, is one of the most invigorating experiences to be had.

Ride a horse across the savannah, motorboat down the local rivers or paddle a canoe on one of the numerous waterways. Set out to explore the countryside at night, when the Pantanal comes alive with the sounds of frogs and insects.

Over 3 full days knowledgeable local guides take you to areas inhabited by giant storks, caiman, giant anteaters, armadillos, howler monkeys and capybara. There is also an extraordinary variety of birdlife: in addition to the aquatic birds egrets, macaws, parakeets and toucans all provide clusters of colour in the low trees. Whatever the season, the wildlife is abundant.