Lonely Planet Six Degrees: Rio de Janeiro

Shamelessly driven by the pursuit and celebration of beauty, Rio has nothing to prove in the good looks department. Its best assets are blatantly obvious: the beach, the mountains, the sun and its citizens. Traveller Toby Amies takes the pulse of the Marvellous City in the lead-up to Carnival. He meets: Denise Garcia – a filmmaker who spirits Toby away to the City of God to mix it up with favela beauty queens and a baile funk sensation. Ricardo Gomes – a photographer exploring Cariocas’ love affair with the sea—from beach volleyball to the last fishing village on Copacabana. Andrea Fasanello – the daughter of a Brazilian design legend takes Toby on a cultural safari to a Rio icon that looks like it landed from outer space. Marcelo Arantes – a carnival organiser who sneaks Toby into a rehearsal for the biggest party on earth. Patrícia Martins – a samba disciple and circus performer giving favela kids pride, hope and aerial acrobatics. Ducha Pacheco – a conceptual artist who shows Toby the best way to get to grips with Rio’s Sugar Loaf mountain.