In 1500, the explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral was to set foot for the first time in Brazil. And certainly the sight of this coast, swathed in dense green forest with its unique species, had what it takes to entrance these intrepid travellers. Known today as “Discovery Coast” and classed as a World Heritage site, it has lost none of its wondrous charm.

Along with the beauty of the forests, there are the immaculate beaches, the opalescent waters and the historic towns amongst which Trancoso and Porto Seguro are the most highly prized. They possess a timeless quality, a colonial heritage but it is their vibrant nightlife which has put these towns on the world map of green and cultural tourism. Aficionados might remember that it was here that the first steps of the Lambada were invented, and danced!