In a faded rehearsal hall in the gritty concrete sprawl of northern Rio de Janeiro, samba dancers and drummers fine-tune their rhythms for a grassroots carnival parade few tourists have heard of.

Sipping a sugary cocktail as your toes disappear into the white sands of a balneário beach. A sunrise hike through the rainforest, finished off with a bowl of acai and washed down with a zingy lime ...