Be warned: Rio's powers of seduction can leave you with a bad case of saudade (indescribable longing) when you leave. Planted between lush, forest-covered mountains and breathtaking beaches, the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City) has many charms at her disposal. How else to explain the life-lusting zeal with which the city's inhabitants celebrate their days? While large-scale festivities like Carnaval make Rio famous, there are countless occasions for revelry - Saturday at Ipanema Beach, a festa (party) in

Lapa, soccer at Maracanã, or an impromptu roda de samba (samba circle) on the sidewalks of Leblon, Copacabana or any other corner of the city. The spectacular landscape is another of Rio's shameless virtues. Verdant mountains and white-sand beaches fronting deep blue sea offer a range of adventure: surfing great breaks off Prainha, hiking through Tijuca's rain forests, sailing across the Baía de Guanabara (Guanabara Bay) or rock climbing up the face of Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain).