Paraty International Literary Festival

Tuesday 29 July. On arrival in Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo, you will be picked up for the journey along the Costa Verde, Brazil\'s Emerald Coast, and possibly its most spectacular coastal route. After leaving the city behind, the 4hr drive takes you on the coast-hugging road, with jungle-covered mountains and tropical islands dotting the sparkling blue Bay of Angra dos Reis. After checking in to your Paraty hotel, you can spend the afternoon exploring the historic centre of the old port town and the FLIP installations. The historic centre plays host to most events and all should be within walking distance of your hotel, as is the colourful town pier.

Wednesday 30 July. The Main Programme of FLIP consists of an opening conference to welcome participants and visitors from around the world. There will also be 20 round table discussions featuring guests from a wide variety of backgrounds: writers; filmmakers; cartoonists; historians; journalists; artists; and many more. The Flip Main Programme takes place at the Authors\' Tent, an auditorium with capacity for 850 people. Each event is accompanied by simultaneous translation and is broadcast live in the Screen Tent, with seating capacity for 1,400, and by live feed over the internet.

Thursday 31 July. As well as the main programme, there are other programmes included at FLIP. Flipinha (Little Flip) is focussed on the educative side of literature. Flipinha has two main aims - a literary programme for infants to help initiate and develop reading skills from an early age; and an education programme aimed at helping slightly older children to enjoy reading. The Casa Azul Library in the Ilha das Cobras district is the host. Flipzona concentrates on the visual themes of the festival, with videos, photographs, graffiti, and the social network communications of Facebook, youtube, and blogs being discussed and demonstrated.

Friday 1 August. FLIP 2014. Booker Prize Winner John Banville from Ireland, American author Lydia Davis and Bosnia writer Aleksandar Hermon are authors confirmed already for 2014. Milton Hamoun will deliver the opening address of the festival, based on Graciliano Ramos. US scholar Randal Johnson, a specialist in Brazilian literature, will also be there to launch a new book about Ramos. Palestinean poet and political scientist Tamin Al-Barghouti will also be appearing. More authors, writers and figures from the literary world will be confirmed as the festival approaches.

Saturday 2 August. As well as the festival, Paraty has plenty of options to keep visitors occupied outside of the literary world. The charms of the town and the surrounding area have clearly helped to make FLIP so popular. The historic old town with its cobbled streets, crumbling churches and colourful houses is a photogenic setting, with all kinds of street entertainment to witness during FLIP. For those who want to escape for a little while, then boat and kayaking trips around Paraty Bay, hikes through the Atlantic Rainforest to remote beaches, tours of the Old Gold Trail and horse riding in the hills are all available.

Sunday 3 August. The final day of the Paraty International Literary Festival. The 2013 festival is the 11th Edition, having first been hosted in 2003 by Englishwoman Liz Calder. It has grown from humble beginnings to become one of the largest and most important literary festivals in South America. As the festival closes, you can look forward to the final evening in the town. As well as the festival, Paraty is also renowned for being one of the cultural hotspots of Brazil, with an international influence to wonderful fresh Brazilian ingredients. Seafood is especially impressive, while the cachaças of the local shops are wonderful gifts to take home.

Monday 4 August. With the Paraty International Literary Festival at its end, you return to Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo for your flight away from Brazil. You could also extend the trip for some more time relaxing around Paraty and the Costa Verde, especially Ilha Grande. There are also many destinations in Brazil and South America which you could visit as well, with time in Rio, Iguazu Falls and Buenos Aires being perhaps the most logical options. The Amazon, Pantanal and most of the Brazilian coastline could also appeal. Whatever you prefer to do, we can make the arrangements to suit, whether you prefer to tour before or after your visit to Paraty.