Experience the best of Arraial do Cabo

Arraial do Cabo lies on a cape in the Região dos Lagos, east of Rio de Janeiro, where the coast turns and cold, nutrient-rich currents rise from the deep. The result is unusually clear, bright water and plentiful marine life, and the town has long been a fishing community with a history of salt-making. It is also drier and sunnier than most of the Rio coast.

Praia do Forno, the Prainhas do Pontal do Atalaia and Praia Grande are the main beaches, and boats visit the Ilha do Farol, a small island with a lighthouse. Divers explore the reefs, and the town is known as Brazil's diving capital. Cabo Frio, with its dunes and shopping streets, is a short drive, and Búzios lies a little way up the coast.

Fish, shrimp and moqueca, cooked from the day's catch, are the staples, often eaten at simple tables beside the harbour. The sea stays cool even in the hot summers, a gift of those deep currents.