Words like ‘jungle’, ‘waterfalls’ and ‘beaches’ are not generally ones you would associate with a big city of any description. Yet when you read more about Manaus, a city located towards the northern end of Brazil, you will find out that it packs in a lot more than you might imagine for the average city.

This is a big city with a history stretching back more than three hundred years. It has officially been a city for around half that time. It also has the distinct advantage of being adjacent to the rain forest. This means that anyone staying here will have the benefit of being able to explore the rain forest and all its wonders as well as the city of Manaus.

If we were to say that Manaus is an unusual city, we would only be scraping the surface of what you will find here. It is not that unusual for a city to have one or more beaches, but this one only has beaches you can visit for part of the year. This is not due to any man made restrictions or rules; rather it is due to the power of nature to render the beaches nonexistent for part of the year.

August sees the water level reducing and starting to reveal the beaches as a result. Come December, the level goes back up and they disappear. So if you want to see them you have to time it just right to make the most of it. During the rest of the time you can grab a boat to traverse the surroundings and see them in a very different light.

While Manaus is surrounded by the rain forest and indeed by other areas worth visiting, it is worthwhile staying in the city itself as well. It is dotted by various parks and other attractions worth seeing. The Municipal Park of Mindu is one such example – this contains several different eco-systems and plenty of things worth looking at.

There is no doubt that Manaus is something of an unusual city. But it is unusual in the very best of ways.

When you go and visit somewhere like Brazil, you would expect everything to be rather, well, Brazilian. But there is a corner of the country where you would be forgiven for sensing a German influence, and that corner is Joinville.

While it may sound more like a twee American town hailing from a Hollywood movie, Joinville is actually a charming and quite delightful Brazilian town. A vast proportion of its inhabitants however are German, and that has led to a fascinating difference between Joinville and many other areas in the country.

Your arrival in Joinville will reveal the extent of the German influence here, gleaned from the heritage of many of those who live here and call it home. You will spot German styled houses in the streets, and German influenced dishes on menus that you stop and glance at while in search of some lunch or dinner. This is a real experience that is definitely not to be missed. Furthermore since the people are on the whole extremely friendly and welcoming, you can see that you would be hard pushed to think of a reason not to pay Joinville a visit.

Make no mistake though – this is decidedly an industrial city. The good thing is that this doesn’t spoil the view. The city is very neat and tidy, as is the case with many other cities and locations in Germany itself. This pride in their surroundings is evident from the moment you arrive in Joinville, and it makes your stay here very pleasant indeed.

As you would expect of many cities around the world, there are some amazing views to be had here, especially at night. The whole city is lit up and looks quite inviting, and very different in many ways from how it looks during the day.

There may be no main tourist attractions here, but one thing is certain – the whole city is an attraction and a venue worth seeing. Every aspect of the German influenced infrastructure is worth looking at in more detail. It will certainly show you that some parts of Brazil are very different from what you would expect.

Most people who think about Brazil and the places it holds within it will think about various well known locations such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. This is understandable because they are the two biggest cities in the country. But coming in at number thirty five on the list of the biggest cities there is a city called Aracaju. Just because it cannot rank any higher on that list, it doesn’t mean it isn’t worth visiting.

So what can we discover from this city? Would it be worth booking a Brazilian holiday to that destination or is it somewhere you would just want to pop into?

Well it is easy enough to reach since it has an international airport there. If you fly into another Brazilian city you can easily connect with Aracaju from there anyway. In addition to this you have the temptation of visiting some of Aracaju’s many beaches – many of which are deemed to be among the nicest in the country. They are certainly hard to resist as they are largely unspoiled and so they can provide you with a good place to stay for your holiday in Brazil.

Surprisingly enough Aracaju is not one of the main tourist destinations in Brazil. You might be tempted to think that it has largely been undiscovered but it could also be that it has a little less to offer than some other destinations such as Rio for instance. However if you are staying for a week or so you would probably be just as happy here, thanks to the relaxing beaches that are on offer.

You can also enjoy some shopping here, and indeed the main shopping area tends to be quite laid back. You will also find an oceanarium and also some museums, so you can learn more about the city and about the rest of Brazil as well.

Aracaju may not be the first city you come across when it comes to finding out more about where to go in Brazil. But in reality it could be the last – because you might decide to stay there.

True beach holidays may not be the first thing on your mind when you are thinking about visiting Brazil. But you would be surprised at just how good they can be – provided, of course, you pick the right area to visit.

Take Barra Grande for example. This may not be the easiest place in Brazil to get to, but the trip is worth it. You might be wondering why it isn’t easy to get to; well, let’s just say hiring a car would be a bad idea. A ride in a small plane or a boat trip would be far better, and it is the way that most people arrive in Barra Grande. Remote is one word to describe this place – charming is another. So is delightful, and peaceful should not be left out either.

Clearly Barra Grande is the kind of place to come to in Brazil if you want to have a relaxing holiday far away from the big cities. There are beaches here too – beautiful beaches that have amazing stretches of sands on which you can lie back, relax and watch the waves coming onto the beach. It is said that some people came for a holiday and ended up never going home. Even if you don’t turn out to be one of that group, you will see why they did it. Barra Grande is more than just charming; it is seductive and it will captivate you with its many charms.

To think that Barra Grande is just an out of the way beach would be to make a mistake though. Every corner you turn here provides you with something else to wonder at and appreciate. Since there are so few cars you will be glad you picked the area for a quiet and relaxing time. But the houses and other buildings are charming to look at and the clear as can be waters will beg you to go swimming as well.

There are many surprises to find in Barra Grande. Most of them can be discovered on your own – and you’ll love every minute of doing so.

The capital of Brazil since the Sixties may be Brasilia, but it is not the place that is known as the Capital of Happiness. This accolade unofficially goes to Salvador, and it is just one of the reasons why you should take time out of a Brazilian holiday to go there. It has plenty to offer and if you like lively and exciting cities, it could well appeal to you in lots of different ways.

You may also see it referred to as Bahia, as it used to be known by this name. Even now Bahia is sometimes combined with Salvador to give it the name of Salvador da Bahia.

Salvador sits on the eastern coast of Brazil and the city itself is split into two distinct sections. This is thanks to the geography of the area, and it has created the Upper Town and the Lower Town. They were given these names as one is quite literally higher than the other; there is even a lift that goes between the two.

While you are holidaying in Salvador you should make the time to go and see the historic centre of the city. This has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status, thanks to its connections with the past and the divine surroundings you will find yourself in. It is known locally as the Pelourinho. The city began life over five hundred years ago and there are plenty of signs and buildings that bring to life how things would have been in centuries gone by.

The great thing about visiting this historic part of the city is that you cannot fail to spot something new wherever you go. Every area and every street has a new surprise to share with you, so wear some comfortable walking shoes and make sure you have plenty of time on your hands to enjoy there. Salvador is not a city you should visit when you don’t have much time to spare, because it is an amazing city with lots to offer.

Where will you head to first – the Upper Town, the Lower Town or straight to the Pelourinho?

When you think of Brazil the chances are several places immediately come to mind. For instance there is Rio de Janeiro and its Statue of Christ the Redeemer. Another place you will no doubt think about is Sao Paulo.

This is a major city and no visit to Brazil would be complete without discovering everything this city has to offer. The first thing to bear in mind before you see the city for yourself is the fact that it is huge. Ten million people live here and that doesn’t even take into account the number of people who work in Sao Paulo or visit it while in Brazil either. If you thought some other world cities were big, you will still be amazed at the size of Sao Paulo.

But what can you expect from the city? Well one of the most notable things about it is that the diversity of cultures here is huge. This has had the wonderful by product of allowing lots of different experiences and culinary delights to creep into all areas of the city. If you love your food you’ll love Sao Paulo – you can try something completely different at every meal time, let alone every day.

There are some notable venues worth visiting too while you are there. One good place to go to give you an idea of how big Sao Paulo is would be the Banespa Building. This was modelled on the Empire State Building and you can go up to the observation deck to look out over Sao Paulo and marvel at its size.

Elsewhere there are plenty of shopping malls dotted all over the city, giving you the chance to go shopping and see what you can find to take home with you. Perhaps some souvenirs of your time in the city would be ideal?

Ibirapuera Park is also worth a look, as it provides a large open green space to enjoy and relax in when you need a break from the main part of the city. This is just touching the surface of what Sao Paulo has to show you though, so be prepared to explore it for yourself.

A trip up a mountain named after sugar loaf may sound a little unlikely on first consideration. But you can indeed do this in Brazil if you visit Rio de Janeiro.

The Sugar Loaf title sounds like a nickname. But while it was given to the mountain because of its distinctive appearance, it is more than just a nickname. It may be called Pao de Acucar in Portuguese, but this is still called the Sugar Loaf Mountain in English.

Over the years it has actually been called by several different names, many of them ironically similar to each other. But its current name seems to have stuck, thankfully.

Whatever you might want to call it yourself, you can ascend it when you visit Rio during your time in Brazil. You don’t have to do this on foot though – the trip to the summit can easily and comfortably be made by taking two separate cable cars. The first one takes you about a third of the way up, and the second one covers nearly twice that distance to take you the remainder of the way.

It’s no wonder that the Sugar Loaf Mountain is one of the most popular venues for tourists to visit in Rio. The views you can get from the top are nothing short of amazing, and you will be glad you took the time to make the trip. Indeed you won’t want to do it on foot at all, although there is a tough path to the top that very few people try out. Most people will settle for the cable car, since this is the easiest and best way to do it.

The one thing you should have with you is a camera, because you won’t want to return down to the bottom of the mountain without photographic evidence of the sensational views from the top. You will be amazed just how far you can see, and the famous Copacabana Beach is just one of the sights available.

In short, if you visit Rio and you don’t head up this particular mountain, you will be all the poorer for it.