Rio de Janeiro Photos -- National Geographic's Ultimate City Guides

Child Plays With a Soccer Ball
Photograph by Ricardo Beliel/BrazilPhotos
Rio icons: In the Santa Teresa favela, a child plays with a soccer ball, while Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf) stands tall in the background.
Kids at a Soccer School
Photograph by Ricardo Beliel/BrazilPhotos
Talk about fun and games: Kids at a soccer school take a break from the action and do some stretching exercises on a pretty Rio beach.
Ipanema Beach
Photograph by Ricardo Beliel/BrazilPhotos
A household name thanks to a gently timeless song, Ipanema Beach has long been about crowds, romance, and pure heat.
Maracanã Stadium
Photograph by Ricardo Beliel/BrazilPhotos
It’s hard to sit still at Maracanã Stadium, one of the largest soccer arenas on the planet. It will probably host the final game when the World Cup comes to Brazil in 2014.
Samba Schools Parade
Photograph by Ricardo Beliel/BrazilPhotos
The high point of Rio’s Carnival is the samba schools parade, where imagination takes many compellingly seductive forms.
Afro-Brazilian Woman Leaves Offerings
Photograph by Walter Firmo / BrazilPhotos
As part of a New Year’s celebration, an Afro-Brazilian woman leaves offerings for Lemanjá—the sea goddess—on Macumba Beach.
Soccer Captivates Brazilians
Photograph by Ricardo Funari / BrazilPhotos
Soccer captivates Brazilians, male and female, in the arena or on the beach. No sport even comes close to winning the hearts of the locals.
View From Sugarloaf
Photograph by André Vallejo/Tyba/BrazilPhotos
Pure magic as seen from Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf): Water, sky, landscape, and lights conspire to take your breath away as day becomes night.
Fishermen in Niterói
Photograph by Ricardo Beliel/BrazilPhotos
Fishermen work their nets in Niterói—Rio’s neighboring city and the only Brazilian town to have been founded by an indigenous Brazilian.
Guanabara Bay
Photograph by Ricardo Beliel/BrazilPhotos
Looking like a stunning sculpture in late-day light, children jump off a pier into Guanabara Bay, one of the largest in all of Brazil.