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Editor's Review |
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Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, carnival capital of the world, in one corner; the Iguacu Falls, one of the greatest natural phenomena on the globe, in the far corner. In between, thousands of miles of vast plains and Amazonian rainforest, huge tracts still as yet unseen by outsiders. The largest country in South America, 5th biggest in the world, boasting the greatest biological diversity on the planet – with over 2 million species. Brazil is quite a country. Rio lives up to everything you ever heard – Carnival takes 51 weeks to recover from, while Copacobana and Ipanema are packed with kids juggling footballs with Pele skills and samba-swaying Miss World contenders. Iguacu, on the Argentine/Brazil border, has more cataracts (275) than Victoria Falls and mind-blowing boat trips that take you almost under the downpour. Amazonia is immense, with Manaus a convenient starting point. Best explored by boat, the jungle is a strangely-lit underworld teeming with unfamiliar mammals, fish, amphibians, birds and … yes, people. Climb to a kapok tree observation platform above the canopy for the shrieking birdlife; with the help of a guide, visit a tiny tribal settlement and try your hand at using a blowpipe.
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