Brazil

One thing you'll discover on cheap holidays to Brazil is that like the epic Carnaval, which sambas through its streets in spectacular style every year, Rio de Janeiro does nothing by halves. Sandwiched between sea and escarpment, it has vast golden beaches, rugged scenery, its own tropical rainforest and the matchless energy of those who call it home.

When the sun sets, the pulse rises - and keeps on rising - as the city goes out to play. With hundreds of restaurants, bars, nightclubs and shows on offer, it's invariably dawn before the last dedicated merrymakers beat a bleary-eyed retreat home.

It's fitting, then, that Rio is the primary gateway for cheap holidays to Brazil - one of the most exciting destinations on the map.

Brazil is big - taking up almost half of the South American continent. It's strikingly beautiful, from the snaking rivers and well-kept secrets of the Amazon to its 8000 km of craggy coastline. And it's passionate - about music, dancing, love, life, beer and, of course, 'futebol'.

In a country this size, working out what to see on cheap holidays to Brazil is no easy task. However, the Iguaçu Falls, a thundering 3km wide, 80m high cascade of water, is a top contender. So is the Pantanal, an enormous expanse of wetland, rich in wildlife that is easier to watch than that of the thick Amazon jungle.

For those in search of more urban pleasures, Salvador is the hotspot to trot to on cheap holidays to Brazil. As the country's first capital, it has abundant history, fiery foods, extraordinary architecture and delectable beaches going for it. Its inhabitants are also renowned for their laid-back, party-going temperament, and visitors find themselves only too happy to follow suit.