Brazil’s most famous city mixes golden coastlines, sprawling jungle, mountainous skylines and a diverse metropolis like no other in the world. By Sarah Brown Rio is a city incomparable to others. It’s edged by a world-famous coastline that ranges from the bustling beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema to the wild, untouched shores in the west. It’s a huge metropolis with a population of over six million, yet its size easily goes unnoticed thanks to the hilly skyline that separates neighbourhoods a

To the untrained eye, a grey seal and a common seal may look the same, yet there are key differences. Grey seals are huge. Males can weigh up to 300kg and grow to 2.5 metres long, whereas common seals are almost a third of the size. Grey seal pups are distinctly covered in white fur. Common seal pups, on the other hand, are born with a brown, waterproof coat, making them instantly adapted to swim. The easiest way to tell them apart is through their faces. “The common seals have more of a smushed

The herd of Pantaneiro cows wade through the flooded plain, before stopping to graze on a patch of lush vegetation. Their coats range from light cream to a deep chocolate. Some have deep claw marks on their flanks, yet their long, curved horns help ensure jaguar attacks result only in scars. These Pantaneiros (sometimes known as tucura or jofreano) form part of the 50-strong herd belonging to Marcus Ruiz, a farmer and breeder in the vast tropical wetland of Pantanal, which stretches over Brazil,

When Pabllo Vittar, a striking blond drag queen–cum–pop star, went on the Brazilian TV show Fantástico in August last year to say she likes to be both a woman and a man, she was proudly proclaiming a gender identity that is often the target of violence, even murder. The latest figures show that, in 2017, 445 LGBTQ people were killed in Brazil in homophobic attacks, up 30 percent from 343 in 2016. But Vittar is confident she’s finding acceptance. And there is growing evidence that she’s part of a

To get more background about the pink dolphins, Culture Trip spoke with Vera da Silva, a researcher at INPA, the National Institute of Amazonian Research. Da Silva explained how the threat to the botos vermelhos, or river dolphins, began when fishermen would accidentally catch them in their nets as both the fishermen and the dolphins were after the same resource—a catfish known as capaz. However, as the fisheries became increasingly depleted, the fishermen started hunting a new fish—piracatinga—

Okay, so rooftop bars have never not been popular – but nowadays it’s easier than ever to find a spot for #drinkswithviews shots and soak up a sunset with your Spritz. So how do you find somewhere that’s worth the hype and the money, where jaw-dropping views are matched with strong drinks and good vibes? That’s where the experts come in. We’ve tapped up local Time Out editors and well-travelled contributors to assemble our definitive list of the world’s best rooftop bars.

It’s a balmy November evening in Andaraí, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone not far from the iconic Maracanã soccer stadium, and the crowd outside the Salgueiro samba school is anxious. Lines of visitors spill out onto the narrow one-way street, some tapping out samba moves, others buying cold beer from the entrepreneurial vendors who mill about. When the doors open, the mass of people pours into a vast rehearsal room that’s decked out in the school’s colors, red and white.

Carnival gives Rio de Janeiro its party reputation. Yet this carefree week of extravagant floats and skintight leotards stems from a year’s worth of effort behind the scenes — work that’s done by dozens of groups whose membership is based on who you know and whose followers are as fiercely loyal as supporters of a sports team. “Throughout the year, we don’t stop,” says Alex Coutinho. He’s a choreographer of the samba dancers at Paraíso do Tuiuti samba school. Rio has more than 100 samba schools

For a step into the truly great outdoors, it doesn't get much better than Brazil's diverse wonderland of incredible natural attractions. Ask any nature lover to list their favorite natural wonders, and the result will be as varied as the destinations themselves. Whereas every country in the world has its own unique gift from mother nature, Brazil is one of the few that can confidently boast its ability to satisfy practically any whim when it comes to natural attractions. From vast deserts to fe

What’s the greatest city in the world? It’s not an easy question to answer – after all, cities are full of people and people are full of contradictions. Some urbanites want world-beating restaurants and unforgettable things to do at every turn. Others prefer affordability, good public transport or friendly neighbours. Still, we think we’ve found a way to discover what makes a city great – and which cities are leading the way as more and more of the world’s population joins the great urban migrat

Meet the Brazilian Performance Artist Teaching Conservation in the Amazon Against the jet-black paint that covers her face, Uýra carefully places dry, feathery leaves under her eyes that fan out like misplaced wings. She adds red flowers to the stems for a hint of color, lines her eyes with gold and places a white dab on the center of her lips. Uýra can take up to two hours to get ready, using only seeds, flowers and natural materials that she finds in the wild. She then leaves the house and go

Though the city is known as Brazil’s financial hub and a serious "concrete jungle," these labels don’t capture just how cosmopolitan and fascinating São Paulo can be. Its enormous size means that this isn't a city where you can show up and hope for the best: to make the most of it, you need to arrive with a plan. Start with booking a stay at one of the best hotels or top Airbnbs in town and then start browsing our list of best things to do in São Paulo. Sure, the city's glamorous restaurats and

How Ballet Is Inspiring Education and Activism in Rio de Janeiro Daiana Ferreira de Oliveira is a ballet instructor in Manguinhos, a favela in the north of Rio. For her, ballet provides an escape from the challenges of living in the city and offers hope for her growing group of eager and talented students. The Manguinhos complex is a medley of favelas in the north of Rio de Janeiro and a place that has seen more than its fair share of the city’s problems. The social disparity is evident in thi

Stand on the holiest mountain in Ireland The 7-km (4.3-mile) trail, which winds up Croagh Patrick, is an important site of pilgrimage in County Mayo. On the last Sunday of July, called Reek Sunday, thousands of people march up the well-trodden paths to the summit in honor of Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick. Throughout the rest of the year, the trail is a lot less crowded and enjoyed by those who want to take in the views of the 365 islands scattered across the Clew Bay below. The mountain i

Lying 93 miles off the coast of São Paulo, Ilha da Queimada is one of the most isolated islands in the country. With a rocky terrain and impenetrable vegetation, its 106 acres are deserted except for its most famous resident: Bothrops insularis, or the golden lancehead pit viper. The entire global population of this venomous snake exists only on Ilha da Queimada, and the rare reptiles survive by feasting on the migratory birds that pause there during their long migrations. How this snake got her

Paquetá, BRAZIL — The port drifts into the horizon and the city centre’s office blocks are replaced by a skyline of distant mountain ranges framing the steel-blue sea. I’d joined the weekday commuters on the one-hour boat trip from Rio de Janeiro’s downtown harbour to the island of Paquetá. What seems like a world of its own, Paquetá is, in fact, a neighbourhood in Rio located in a far-away point in Guanabara Bay. It’s a pocket of peace and calm against the complex and bustling metropolis it’s a

When Vivian da Silva Garelli Machado from Niterói, a city in southeast Brazil, meets her female friends to cycle each week, it’s more than just a bike ride with like-minded people. It’s a way of mapping safe routes in a city not made for cyclists. It’s also a way of sharing experiences of sexual harassment. It’s a “form of empowering our bodies, our destinies and our lives,” she says. Machado is part of an all-female cycle group called Pedal Maravilha that brings women together, while also deep