Beautiful Brazil: Rio, Paraty, Salvador & Boipeba Island

While in Rio, visit the Museu de Arte Moderna - built in 1960 by Alfonso Eduardo Reidy - and admire its perfect architecture, chill on Ipanema beach or observe trends in contemporary art at the Anita Schwartz Gallery. For even more culture, explore the Maracana Stadium and the huge concrete cone of Sao Sebastiao Cathedral, indulge in churrasco (grilled meat) and feijoada (bean stew) or shop in the bohemian district of Lapa, where Portuguese houses in washed colours have been reinvented as second-hand clothes shops, vintage shops and antique galleries full of lovely mid-century Brazilian furniture. Once your legs are weary, sip on Amazonian fruit juice in the cool of a courtyard in Leblon, after an afternoon of shopping. Your itinerary includes meeting a local who will take you to discover his favourite bars, to experience Rio by night, before spending the rest of the evening on Ipanema rooftops, in electro bars in Botafogo's alternative neighbourhood (nicknamed by some BotaSoho) or samba clubs in the bohemian heart of Rio.

A hike in Ponta Negra is a must. A stay in Paraty would not be complete without exploring its coastline: myriad islands in a bay protected from the prevailing winds, and hundreds of deserted beaches as pristine as when the first Portuguese sailors discovered them. You will reach Ponta Negra, in Juantinga Reserve by boat. 300 indigenous Caicaras live in this small village on a cove, a few houses between the dense rainforest and golden sand. Lives here revolve around fishing. In the late afternoon, the fishermen can be seen off the creek as they lift up their huge fish-laden nets by the strength of their arms alone.

Today you will be transferred in a private car with a driver to Rio airport where you can catch a flight to Salvador de Bahia. Arrive in the heart of the Pelourinho district for a three-night stay at Villa Bahia, which combines two colonial-era houses to create a discreetly sophisticated hotel. The rooms' furniture and colour palette evoke colonial Portuguese culture, while remaining unmistakably Brazilian. In the restaurant, the chef brilliantly produces a cuisine that combines the best of both France and Brazil. There are two cool patios where you can relax with a caipirinha or you can fully unwind in the pool, a luxury in this district. From the terrace there is a delightful panoramic view of the rooftops and bell towers of the Old Town. In the morning, when you open the windows overlooking Sao Francisco and the colourful walls of the ancient houses bordering the square, and an Angolan samba melody reaches your ears, you know you're in the spiritual heart of Brazil.

Founded in 1549, Sao Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos (to give the city its full name) was Brazil's first capital. It is divided into two parts: the upper town and the lower town. The lower town runs along the gulf, including the harbour, the Mercado Modelo (the old customs building) and the Cathedral of the Transfiguration. And also, the beautiful houses at the base of the mountain - narrow, steeply sloping streets with glazed painted tiled facades, narrow staircases, the small bars in the old quarter of Ribeira. Huge elevators - the Lacerda and the Tabuao - and funiculars connect the lower town to the upper town, where, on the hillside, the criss-crossing steep streets of the Pelourinho district are found. Here you'll find large two-storey houses, lined up in their pink, blue or ochre facades, with broad wooden jacaranda panelled floors. Find some of the masterpieces of the Brazilian Baroque: The Cathedral, the Sao Francisco Church the largest Jesuit church in the country which was completed in 1723 and is adorned with sculptures illuminated with gold, its cloister softened with glazed painted tiles. And everywhere there are candomblé (religious rites) squares and casas-de-santo (informal shrines) where orishas (minor deities) are worshipped. Stroll through the streets of Pelourinho to experience the rhythm of Bahia. Try capoeira (a martial art/dance), enjoy the pleasures of a tropical beach or visit the Vila Velha Theatre, one of the most beautiful places in Bahia, where Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethania, and Gilberto Gil started their careers in the 1960s. Have lunch on acaraje 'fireballs', attend a candomblé ceremony in a Catholic church or sip a cachaca, sugar cane brandy in a bustling bar. Make sure to visit the Pierre Verger Foundation. The French ethnologist and photographer, born in 1902, settled in Salvador de Bahia in 1946 and never left. He discovered a culture influenced by the heritage of the descendants of African slaves and undertook to document the various aspects of Afro-Brazilian culture, including the candomblé, a religion that combines animist beliefs of African origin and indigenous, Catholic influences, worshipping orishas, deities linked to natural elements. The foundation has displays of Pierre Verger's photographs, in the house in which he lived until his death in 1996. Your itinerary also includes a private percussion course. Percussive rhythms are part of the everyday life of every Bahian inhabitants and are at the centre of social life.