For as long as I’ve been travelling I had wanted to come to Brazil, and Rio de Janeiro specifically. Anyone who knows what I’m like will know that I particularly like mountains combined with beaches. I also like places with vivid colours and unique features. It is this which has always attracted me to Rio and when I had to pick a location for a family holiday, Brazil was really my only suggestion.

Staying on Copacabana Beach, the enormous famous beach of the city flanked at one end by the iconic sugar loaf mountain. Unfortunately during our few days in Rio, as is usual with wherever I go the weather was not ideal. This combined with the southern hemisphere winter light did not create the best environment for spectacular photos, however, I hope these sort of convey the unique and almost insane landscape for a city of upwards of 5 million people.

On our first day in the city, we did a private tour around the main sights of the city. Our guide, Rafael, was brilliant, explaining the history of the sights and the general history of Brazil. The first place we went was to the world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue atop the 710-metre Corcovado Mountain in the city. To get to the top we took the scenic funicular tram up the mountain, although a hike is also possible. From the top, as with Sugarloaf Mountain which we later went up, the views are spectacular. Almost the entire city is visible from the top, from downtown to Ipanema to the iconic Maracana Stadium, and if you are lucky a few monkeys might join you.

However, unlike other places I’ve been to so far in Brazil, this is a typical tourist attraction. There are hordes of people at the top all trying to take the perfect photo, think Venice or Rome. In the process, essentially stopping anyone from getting the perfect photo. It really took some editing to crop and touch up photos to make them appear I’m not just in an enormous crowd. That being said, as with other world-famous attractions around the world, this is a must-see. Regardless of the people, the positioning and scale of the statue combined with the panoramic views make the Christ the Redeemer a simply mesmerising visit.

Later that day we went to the Tijuca National Park, an enormous National park of 3,958 Hectares in the centre of the city. The park is a replanted rain forest, full of waterfalls, views and wildlife. I think it is one of the aspects of Rio which makes it truly unique, there are not many cities in the world where you can simply go for a trip into the rainforest for a couple of hours. I think one of Rio’s great qualities is that it’s almost a microcosm of Brazil as a whole. Rio has culture, Rio has beaches, Rio has rainforest, Rio has lagoons and Rio has colour. These are all things that other parts of Brazil might specialise in, but Rio has them all to almost wet your appetite for more.

One of the things that will strike you in Brazil is colour. I’m writing this from Búzios, which I’ll speak more about next week, which is home to just so many beautiful colours, both natural and man-made. Rio has its own bit of this. From the colourful Favelas lining the green mountains to the carnival to Escadaria Selarón, the famous yellow and Green steps in the Lapa district of Rio. The stairs were built by Chilean Artist Jorge Selarón, who whilst living in Rio decided to decorate the stairs outside of his house. The result is stunning and in many ways gives me a defining image of Brazil, the yellow, green and blue of the Brazilian flag lining the tiered streets of Rio.

It is in this Lapa area of Rio where I sampled the nightlife of Rio de Janeiro. The main streets of the district are lined with bars, clubs, Samba music, caipirinha street bars and of course football fans. The night of my bar crawl, organised by Pirates Pub Crawls, took place both of Rio’s main football clubs, Fluminense and Flamengo were both playing in the semi-final of the Copa do Brasil. When Flamengo scored in their game against Sao Paulo the streets of Lapa exploded into noise. Noise is a theme of this area and of Rio more generally, almost all bars have a live musician or band playing every night playing music which perfectly fits the environment. The beat and mood of the music ensure you always know exactly where you are and that is no bad thing.

Downtown Rio has a distinctly different feel from the other districts of the city I visited. Expect more modern skyscrapers, the modernist Rio cathedral and the neo-futuristic Museum of Tomorrow (Museu do Amanhã). The museum contains a fascinating temporary exhibition on the Amazon Region and on the lives of the people who live there. Additionally, the main exhibition is excellent, documenting the history of life on earth and how it should be secured for the future. The museum has many interactive elements, which personally tailors the museum experience to you. From illusion games to calculating each individual’s carbon footprint to personality tests, where it was decided I was “The Melancholic Martian”, which I’m not exactly quite sure how to take. Nevertheless, I do think this museum is worth a visit, it’s quite unique amongst places I’ve visited before and is definitely a change from the other things I did whilst in the city. Additionally, close to the museum is situated the 3000 sqm brightly coloured Etnias Mural, created for the 2016 Olympic Games, showing the faces of members of tribes from the 5 different continents which competed in the Rio Olympics.

Overall I like Rio, as I said earlier, it feels a microcosm of all that Brazil has to offer. For a quick summary of Brazil, Rio is the place to go and for a part of a longer trip, it perhaps is home to the most iconic attractions of the country. I’m aware of the safety reputation that Rio has, and certainly, some of this is warranted. However, I generally found the city to be pleasant to be in, and if you take sensible precautions, such as not leaving items unattended and not going to the more dangerous areas of the city you will have no problems. I had none in my time in the city, and often many locals will other you advice on how best to avoid any unwanted situations. That apart I think Rio de Janeiro and Brazil on a wider scale is a great place to visit, full of pleasant surprises which anybody can enjoy.

The Random Wanderer