Police Patrol, Montego Bay.

Sugarloaf Mountain

Photograph by Zoran Milich/Masterfile

Sugarloaf Mountain juts into the sky over a beach in Rio de Janeiro, a city known for its magnetic beach culture.

Sugarloaf Mountain Cable Cars

Photograph by Craig Hayman, My Shot

Cable cars ascend through low clouds to reach Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf), a true symbol of Rio. The landmark, which is actually two mountains, has been accessible via cable car since 1912.

São Paulo Nightclub

Photograph by Christian Tragni/Aurora Photos

Clubgoers are lit by bright strobes while dancing at a discotheque in São Paolo. Dancing and nightlife are popular in the nation of nearly 200 million. São Paulo, with some 10.9 million people, is Brazil's largest city—and one of the world's largest metropolises.

Dunes

Photograph by Francesc Carreras, My Shot

Rainwater-created pools provide oases between sand dunes in northeast Brazil. The region—subject to devastating droughts—is the second most populous in the country, extending from Maranhão in the north down to Bahia.

A policeman rides along the coast of Montego Bay, or MoBay, as the locals call it. A scattering of Arawak Indian villages once surrounded Jamaica’s second largest and most visited city, but now high-rise hotels and restaurants dominate the coastal landscape. The perfect blue water and golden sands have been attracting tourists since the turn of the century.

Frenchman's Cove

Photograph by Sasse/Laif/Aurora Photos

A guide navigates his boat through a small winding river that flows into the ocean at Frenchman’s Cove. Nestled in Port Antonio, the cliff-sheltered, vest-pocket beach was a favorite hideaway for luminaries such as J.P. Morgan and William Randolph Hearst.

Snorkeling in Long Bay

Photograph by Michael Melford

In Jamaica's Long Bay, a snorkeler watches a school of sergeant major fish, named for the colorful stripes that resemble a sergeant insignia. Some of the island’s best snorkeling can be found two miles (3.2 kilometers) from Negril, where crystal water and coral reefs wait below the coastline’s rocky cliffs.

Ocho Rios

Photograph by Joe Lasky/Getty Images

Ocho Rios, the country’s prime cruise ship destination, is a gauntlet of colorful craft shops, food stands, and juke joints. The main stretch can be walked from end to end in under an hour—but the stroll is not a quiet one. Sidewalk vendors use banks of speakers to pour out reggae music at an ear-thumping volume.

Dunn's River Falls

Photograph by Hiroyuki Matsumoto/Getty Images

Visitors attempt the slip-sloshing climb up 600-foot (183-meter) Dunn's River Falls, located near Ocho Rios. The famous 1657 battle of Las Chorreras, in which Spanish and English fought for possession of the island, is said to have occurred here. These cascading waters empty directly into the Caribbean Sea.