Rio: City of Nature
· Ride up Sugar Loaf Mountain in a cable car.
· Gaze on Rio by the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer
· Enjoy the botanical variety of Brazil at the Jardim Botânico
Rio is a city that has always been close to nature, and even today you are never far away from the rainforest. This deluxe tour involves your guide driving you, in a private car, to sites where you can appreciate the city in its full glory.
Climbing Sugar Loaf
The highest you will go is 396m at the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain. Ascending from sea level by glass-covered cable cars, which have ferried people in one form or another to the summit since 1912, you will be able to appreciate the magnificent scenery of the rainforest on the Morro da Urca on the way to the top. The mountain itself is an immense mass of granite from where you will be able to see all of the city beneath you.
Meeting Christ atop Corcovado
This is not the only high point in Rio you will visit; there is also a trip to the statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado. Riding up through the Parque Nacional da Tijuca by the famous rack railway, you will be able to see the Heitor da Silva Costa’s huge statue and get another panoramic view of Rio. Be sure to ask your guide if they can show you the site’s secrets. While the hollow insides of the statue are kept only for workmen, they will be able to take you to the working chapel beneath Christ’s feet.
Diversity in the Tropics
In addition to the most emblematic peaks of Rio, the tour includes two important Brazilian gardens. The first, Parque Lage, is compactly nestled at the bottom of Corcovado but is a great place to stop for a bit and appreciate the landscaped gardens away from tourists. You can also, if you wish, go on one of the walking trails through the local rainforest or investigate the cave. The second garden is rather larger: the Jardim Botânico. Founded in 1808, it has some truly beautiful constituent parts like the Jardim dos Beija-Flores, with its brightly-colored plants. It is also worth getting your guide to show you the Orquidarium, where some of the world’s rarest orchids are kept, and the Avenue of Palms.
