For four days the already-lively city of Rio is transformed into a sea of sequins and brightly-coloured feathers on body-painted dancers moving to the infectious rhythms of samba beats and banging drums. During the four days of the spectacular Rio Carnival, impromptu street parties erupt spontaneously throughout the city each night and in the daytime thousands flock to the city's famous beaches to recharge for the night ahead.

Tucan Travel has 25 years of experience taking clients on the adventure of a lifetime through South America. During that time the company has taken many clients to enjoy the party extravaganza that is Rio Carnival. During the Tucan Travel has been taking adventure travellers to party at Rio Carnival, they have picked up some fabulous tips for ensuring party goers get the very most out of the fabulous festivities.    

The first, and most important, thing to remember is that Rio Carnival is the world's biggest and most popular party. Anyone wanting to enjoy the extravaganza that is Rio Carnival must realise how important it is to organise your flights well in advance.

Accommodation for Rio Carnival can be booked independently – Tucan Travel offer packages for the entire Carnival period that include tickets to the famous Sambadrome and Sector 13 – but be aware that if you leave your booking until the last minute you are likely to miss out. Hotels in Rio know they are on to a trick when Carnival is in town, so it is not uncommon to see hotel prices explode as much as 100% during the period.

The Sambadrome is Carnival headquarters. This stadium stretches out either side of the parade route and this is where the mighty samba schools of Rio compete for the affections of the crowds and judges to be crowned the most spectacular exhibition of the year. The best views in the Sambadrome are from the cadeiras (ground level terrace seats), the arquibancadas (terrace seats) and the camarotes (boxes). If your Sambadrome ticket is in sector 13 you'll have a great opportunity denied to other festival goers – the chance to rescue and wear the costumes left behind by samba school competitors! Revellers have scored giant bird headdresses; glittery-feathered outfits and a huge variety of other mad looking gear at past events.

While the centre of attention is the Sambadrome, there is so much else going on in Rio during Carnival. Along with thousands of street parties erupting all over the city, some organised others spontaneous, there are a series of themed balls that take place over the weekend. Some are incredibly exclusive and the place to be seen for the local glitterati, others are more accessible and offer a hint of anonymity such as the incredibly popular Bal Masque, for which tickets are available to the general public.

Security is an issue but the situation is possibly not as bad as its reputation, especially if you take sensible precautions. If you take your camera with you keep it out of sight as much as possible. One idea is to keep it in a plastic grocery bag to make it look ordinary and not expensive. Wear your backpack on your front and keep an arm over it. With so many revellers in one place it is a natural attraction for more unscrupulous sorts, but with common sense they can be thwarted. Keep emergency money in your bra or underwear and wear a money belt. Other helpful ideas include leaving the jewellery at home and getting into the festive spirit with cheap beads, flashing lights, short skirts, feathers and sequins. Same goes for the girls!

Be organised. The banks are closed during carnival and cash machines have been known to run dry, so make sure you get plenty of money out to keep you going before you arrive in Rio de Janeiro.

Other than that there is little more to do other than make sure you get out there and mix it up sambaing with the locals. You'll find no shortage of dance partners out there to shake your booty with. And remember, this is the world's biggest party so do as much as you can during Rio Carnival, it'll be the party of your lifetime and there'll be plenty of time to sleep afterwards.