RIO DE JANEIRO


Rio is blessed with a wonderful natural setting. The city is situated on a 15-mile strip of land, wedged between the mountains, with contrasting peaks including Sugar Loaf and Corcovado, topped by the famous statue of Christ, and the sea. There are some thirty miles separating downtown Flamengo from far-flung Recreio, bordered on one side by the blue sea, on the other by verdant hills. Between them lies a colorful state of mind called carioca, with almost 8 million locals who samba their way, relaxed and high-spirited, through life.
The cariocas are known for their warmth, beauty and their fun loving attitude to life yet they are also hard-working and competent. This competence has made Rio one of Brazil's most important cities economically speaking.

Despite their many hardships, the Brazilians remain a happy people and this is something that rubs off on the visitor, who often has the opportunity to learn to have a more refreshing outlook on life from the cariocas.

The cariocas will certainly add a very special touch to your group tour, which will make it all the more memorable.

The city of Rio, one of the world's most exciting, is the venue for your incentive group. Lush vegetation, stunning scenery -- a city wedged in between the ocean and the mountains offers you the unique carioca way of life: lots of sun, engaging natives, excellent dinners in world-renowned gourmet restaurants, a gamut of cultural/entertainment options, the lure of aquamarines, emeralds and other precious stones, and boutique shopping that will keep you at it for days.

In Rio you will find the best of what Brazil has to offer regarding hotels of international standard. There are 5 star hotels spread all over the city, located along the famous Copacabana beach, where the pulse of Rio seems to beat with its highest intensity, or further away, on beautiful beaches like Sao Conrado and Vidigal.

DISCOVERING RIO
Despite their long and treacherous voyage, the very first Europeans to discover Rio de Janeiro knew that they had found a very special and privileged location. Five hundred years later, that very same location on the Tropic of Capricorn gives Rio not only its dramatic scenery, but also its comfortable tropical climate with near perfect weather throughout the year.

It has never taken visitors long to discover that Rio de Janeiro is one of the world's most beautiful cities. A beauty that comes from its natural tropical environment where mountains, forests, beaches, lagoons, vegetation and the South Atlantic blend to form one dramatic back-drop, a back-drop which is an attraction in its own right.

Corcovado Mountain (the hunchback), with its statue of Christ the Redeemer, dominates much of the carioca skyline, soaring 2,300 feet (706 meters) above the city.

Sugar Loaf Mountain, equally impressive in its own right, guards the entrance to the Bay of Guanabara, while 56 miles (90 km) of sandy beaches mark out the boundary between the land and sea.

Corcovado, Sugar Loaf and the beaches are but one small part of the natural beauty that makes Rio what it is.

There are other equally inspiring mountains such as the Dois Irmaos and the Pedra da Gavea to appreciate; forests like the Tijuca Forest, the largest urban forest in the world; while even the man made park of Flamengo is thought to be the world's largest urban park.

Visitors to the city also have the chance to enjoy the Botanical Garden, considered to be one of the planet's most complete; the lake of Rodrigo de Freitas; the city's zoo; numerous parks and gardens; and all the animals, plants and birds that go to make up the preserved ecosystems of the parks of Rio de Janeiro.

A GREAT CITY
Man is not always one with nature, but in Rio de Janeiro he is trying his best to discover ways in which he can live in harmony with his natural surroundings. Where progress and conservation can walk hand-in-hand. Where the bikini or pair of shorts is as much a part of the scene as the business suit.

For all its natural beauty, Rio de Janeiro - with a population of around eight million - is one of the world's biggest and most populated cities. Over the years it has had to learn how to cope with the restrictions nature has put before it. The balance seems to be about right.

Being a major city, Rio offers its visitors the infrastructure its status merits. It offers a wide selection of hotels, restaurants and bars; it has numerous exhibition and conference centers; the cultural and sporting scene is justifiably famous; the shops and stores are world class; the city has well developed telecommunications, banking, financial and medical services and an extensive transport system which allows visitors and residents to move around the city easily be it by car, taxi, bus. bicycle or on foot. The city is served by its own modern international airport, as well as a city airport, while the port of Rio is one of the busiest in Latin America.

Thirty-two percent of the total Brazilian population live within a 300 mile (500 km) radius of Rio de Janeiro. In the same area sixty-five percent of Brazil's service industries and production and forty percent of its agricultural production can be found.

PEOPLE
Brazil is a country rich in resources yet one of its most precious resources is often overlooked. Its people.

Brazil is a melting pot of races, colors and creeds. no one race, no one color and no one religion dominates in Brazil. There is room for all and that includes the many visitors who come to Brazil each year from every corner of the planet.

If Brazil's melting pot has a heart then that heart would have to be Rio de Janeiro, which more than any other Brazilian city, openly displays the diversity and talent of the Brazilian people.

BEACH LIFE
The importance of the beach to Rio de Janeiro should never be underestimated. the city's 56 miles (90 km) of beaches are an integral part of the Rio lifestyle, some of which - such as Copacabana and Ipanema - are world famous.

Rio de Janeiro is unique in having beaches which run though its very heart. Wherever you are in the city, you are never far from the beach.

Participant sports abound on the beaches. football, volleyball, gymnastics, and more traditional Brazilian sports like "peteca "and "futevolei", are played out on the sands of Rio, while out to sea, it is the surfers and wind-surfers who rule the waves. The pavements and paths, that run beside the beaches, are the playground for the city's cyclists, roller skaters and the people who simply want to walk, jog or sit and enjoy the scenery from a bench or the comfort of a small beach bar.

The beaches are also the site for many of the city's major sporting events with championships as diverse as volleyball, soccer, swimming and even tennis taking place on courts and in stadiums especially constructed on the sand. Likewise, musical extravaganzas and free concerts can also be seen throughout the year on the beaches of Rio, culminating in the New Year celebration which attracts millions of people to commemorate the arrival of the New Year and witness one of the world's truly spectacular firework displays.