Rio de Janeiro is the most visited city in the southern hemisphere, owing at least partially to the 2,000,000 people that pour into its streets, hotels, clubs and restaurants each year for Rio's legendary Carnival celebration, but any time is a good time to visit Rio, and revelers flock to this exhilarating city to enjoy its stunning vistas, perfect weather, sizzling nightlife, and fabled white sand urban beaches with alluring names like Copacabana, and Ipanema, that evoke samba music, and a uniquly Brazilian sensuality.

Other famous landmarks here include the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer ('Cristo Redentor') perched at the top of Corcavado Mountain, and Rios's most recognizable natural monument, Sugarloaf mountain (Pćo de Aēścar) with its network of cable cars straddling the ocean and the Baia de Guanabara.

Rio has been selected to host, both the final match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 2016 Summer Olympics, the first South American country to ever be so honored, so in a city already passionate about sports, especially futball, one could assume that the parties have already started and will continue through 2016, unless that is Brazil wins the World Cup. In that case, all predicitions are off.

Rio de Janeiro is without question a city that people just love to visit, and the reasons for this are as inexhaustible as things to do in this electrifying city, With four and five star accommodations lining Rio's beachfront strips, and stylish boutiques available in its historic Harbor District, Rio make a perfect centaral hub for connections to and from just about all of Brazil's spectacular destinations. Our featured Rio itineraries, can help show you how to link the "Marvelous City," as it is know in Brazil, with the rest of this remarkable country. Samba anyone?

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Salvador da Bahia is the oldest colonial capital in Brazil, and is known for its Afro-Brazilian culture, early colonial architecture, and 30 miles of coastline beaches including the gorgeous Porto da Barra Beach.

Also, notable for its African influenced cuisine, fabulous music, and a Carnival celebration that is considered the largest street party on the planet, when 2,000,000 people pour into town for this massive spectacle.

"Bahia" is the third largest city in Brazil, and the heart of the African and Portuguese fusion that has been so influential in the art, music and cuisine that has become synonomous with Brazilian culture. This merging of influences has produced a profusion of creative innovations such as Capoeira, a combination of dance and martial arts; Samba de roda, and afoxe, which blend of African rhythms with traditional Brazilian music that has influenced many of the Carnaval groups; A cuisine that is renowned throughout Brazil for it's inique use of spices and unusual blending of flavors, and some of the most colorful and affordable crafts available anywhere in South America. It has also given us many of Brazil's most influential musicians and songwirters including the iconic Gilberto Gil, Cataeno Veloso, and many more.

Salvador da Bahia is one of Brazil's most colorful destinations and it's narrow streets, and steep hills that separate the upper city from the lower city, give it a unique charm. Accommodationshere feature elegant clolonial mansions, contemporary luxury, and small boutiques located within the historical districts, and scattered along the shore. Browse our featured itineraries and see how Salvador Bahia can be combined with any of Brazil's other incredible destinations. The length of your stay in each city, the selection of hotels, transportation options, and activities can all be custonmized to your opersonal preferences.

Salvador is known as "Brazil's Capital of Happiness", Find out why.

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