South America

Location: Brazil What's Cool: Less-developed and more pristine than nearby beaches ----------------------------------------- Although the barely-there, dental-floss bikini debuted here, nude beaches in Brazil are somewhat rare. However, naturism has caught on in some parts of the country, including Praia do Pinho (a.k.a. Pinho Beach), located in the southern state of Santa Catarina. Pinho opened in 1987 as the first sanctioned au naturel beach, and nudists who frequent this area make a point of saying "clothing is not an option" despite the strand's official description as clothing-optional....

The Juan Fernandez Islands were used as the basis for Robinson Crusoe –Daniel Defoe’s classic novel. However, tourism has never really taken off here, despite the fact that it is much closer to the mainland than Easter Island. Named after the Portuguese sailor who found it in the 16th-century, the volcanic islands are valued most for their remoteness, by those who really want to get off the tourist track. Access is via a bumpy two to two and a half hour flight on a light aircraft, and only a determined couple hundred tourists make it here each year - an average of one or two per day....

No, Charles Darwin didn't discover the Galapagos Islands – it just seems that way. Although that most famous of scientists only spent five weeks here, he managed to see enough to keep him thinking for a half-century. And if you don't have at least a passing acquaintance with Darwin and his voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, this archipelago probably isn't your cup of tea. On the other hand, if natural history is your personal connection to the world around you, by all means set sail for this volcanic cluster off the coast of Equador. Today, many tourists visiting this "living laboratory...

Isla Margarita is a Caribbean island no one knows about – except Venezuelans, for whom this semi-desert island has long been a favorite getaway. Located just 25 miles off the South American coast and roughly halfway between Trinidad and Bonaire, Isla Margarita is anything but an undeveloped, back-of-beyond backwater – not with casinos, five-star hotels, a championship golf course, and a disco-rich nightlife in the main city, Porlamar. The resort-rich eastern part of the island has been called "Cancun South," but even that popular Mexican getaway must envy Margarita’s amazing collection of...

Stand on the rim of the volcanic crater at Orongo, a thousand feet above the sea. Look around the endless Pacific Ocean visibly curving along the horizon. Ask yourself how those early Polynesian navigators ever found this isolated volcanic rock surrounded by thousands of square miles of empty sea. And then ask yourself what drove them here – and what happened to them? Easter Island (known locally as Rapa Nui) is the original mysterious island. The islanders developed the only written language in Oceania, but the meaning of the script has been lost. The island itself is best known, of course,...

Most travellers know of Copacabana, but half of them will tell you it's the place Lola lost her youth and her Tony. In fact, Copacabana is one of the world's great beaches, wedged on a strip of land at the foot of the most dramatic hills in very dramatic Rio de Janeiro. You could spend weeks in Brazil without leaving Copacabana and lots of people do just that. With a population of 350,000 spread through just 110 streets in four narrow blocks, Copacabana has one of the world's highest population densities, giving it a non-stop party atmosphere. For pure city excitement, Copacabana is...

The Paradise exists. We will tell you where and how is it. Brazil, Southeast Region, Rio de Janeiro State, Agra dos Reis District. Bay of Ilha Grande. Latitude S: between 23÷ 05` and 23÷ 14' Longitude W: between 44÷ 05' and 44÷ 23'

The Caribbean, virgin land, crystal-clear waters teeming with life. Three inhabited islands and various cays and islets surrounded by reefs populated by Mother Nature. A warm and joyful people who turn dreams into reality. African, European and Asiatic ancestry, the basis of this race of Caribbeans. A people fluent in English and Spanish, to broadcast their culture and customs far and wide. Colors, music and tranquillity. Privacy and peace, which exists only in the solitude of unknowns places far from big city life and stress. The opportunity to gaze upon a bewitching green moon. 44 Kms² of...