The Beat Goes On and On

Visiting Brazil during the non-Carnaval season makes it easier to free up time for nature. Although we decided to save the Amazon rain forest for another trip, we did visit Rio's Tijuca National Park, the largest urban forest park in the world. And on the last two days of our 11-day adventure, we went south to Iguacu Falls, the world's widest waterfall. Here, at the border with Argentina, the Iguacu River cascades over a 200-foot gorge, a spectacle 1.6 miles wide. A short hike leads to a roiling section of the falls called the Devil's Throat. A boat tour organized by Macuco Safari took us upriver into the heart of the waterfall, soaking us with spray and allowing us to hear the roar of the falls up close.

And then our trip was over. Flying home over Sao Paulo and other cities, I saw dozens of soccer fields from the air. In my mind, I could hear the beat of the samba drums.

Shankar Vedantam last wrote for Travel about cruising Alaska by ferry.

Details: Brazil

GETTING THERE: I flew from Reagan National to Salvador da Bahia, via Miami and Sao Paulo, on American Airlines and its Brazilian partner, TAM. Fares cost around $1,025 round trip. Flights to Brazil usually pass through Sao Paulo or Rio, and domestic airlines like TAM and Varig offer excellent connections to all Brazilian cities. Our tour operator, Planeta Brazil (800-515-8057 , www.planetabrazil.com), offered discounted rates and excellent service.

WHEN TO GO: Carnaval is usually in February or March, so expect markups on airfares and hotels from January through April. Brazil's climate spans equatorial to subtropical, so some places may be too hot in the summer (our winter), but few tourist spots are ever too cold. Traveling during the cooler months of the Brazilian "winter," when temperatures dip into the 70s, can be very pleasant. There will be less street activity, but music, dancing and beachgoing are year-around.

WHERE TO STAY: In Rio de Janeiro, the Pestana Rio Atlantica (2964 Atlantica Ave., 011-351-21-361-5678, www.pestanahotels.com.br) on Copacabana beach offers stylish rooms in a stunning setting; doubles start at $145 per night. In Salvador da Bahia, the beachfront Marazul Hotel (3937 September 7 Ave., 011-55- 71-264-8200, www.marazulhotel.com.br), about a 15-minute cab ride to Pelourinho, has rooms for $75 per night. At Iguacu Falls, the best option is the Tropical das Cataratas (Iguacu National Park, 011-55-45-521-7000, www.tropicalhotel.com.br), the only hotel within the national park that surrounds the falls. Rooms start at $153.

WHERE TO EAT: Brazil has a wide range of cuisines, and good food is inexpensive. Sure to please every palate are comida a kilo restaurants, where salads and hot food are sold by the pound. In Salvador da Bahia, Coliseu Restaurant on Praca Ancieta offers fried plantains, okra stew, mashed pumpkin, chicken, steak and a spicy Brazilian fish specialty called moqueca de peixe; $5 buys a sumptuous meal. O Nilo (44 Rua das Laranjeiras, Pelourinho) serves Middle Eastern and Mediteranean food; dinner for one runs from $10 to $20.

In Rio, Aipo and Aipim (605 Nossa Senhora de Copacabana Ave., among several locations), the comida a kilo chain, packs in diners for lunch and dinner; meals from $5 to $10. The Ipanema nightclub Vinicius (39 Rua Vinicius de Morais) offers live music with dinner and drinks for about $25 per person.

Dining options at Iguacu Falls include the restaurant at the Tropical das Cataratas hotel (see above), where meals run from $15 to $25 per person, some food court options and a restaurant at the park's visitor center.

INFORMATION: Embassy of Brazil Tourism Office, 800-727-2945, www.braziltourism.org. -- Shankar Vedantam