Rio de Janeiro

About Rio de Janeiro         

The bustling city of Rio de Janeiro has been one of Brazil’s most popular and frequented tourist destinations for decades. Its vibrant city centre is bursting with culture and pulsating with a deep sense of history and heritage. Rio, as it is commonly known, is the second largest city in Brazil and the third largest metropolis in the whole of South America. It is the most visited city in the Southern Hemisphere, which is no mean feat. This makes for an impressive, memorable attraction for visitors from all over the world.
Rio de Janeiro is hot for most of the year, and rain is frequent during the period between December and March. The coastal areas are cooler than those situated inland due to the cool breeze blowing off the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The average annual temperature is between 21 and 27 degrees Celsius. The landscape and vegetation in and around this metropolis are magnificent, providing a visual feast that has inspired authors and screenwriters the world over.
The Tijuca is all that's left of the Atlantic rainforest that once surrounded Rio de Janeiro. This 39-sq-km tropical jungle preserve is an exuberant green, with beautiful trees, creeks and waterfalls, mountainous terrain and high peaks. It has an excellent, well-marked trail system. Candomblistas (practitioners of the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé) leave offerings by the roadside; families have picnics; and serious hikers climb the 1012m to the summit of Pico da Tijuca.
A visit to Rio de Janeiro is a must, but be prepared for heavy crowds. If possible, go first thing in the morning – and avoid going on cloudy days. The first cable car ascends 220m to Morro da Urca. From here, you can see Baía de Guanabara (Guanabara Bay) and the winding coastline; on the ocean side of the mountain is Praia Vermelha. Morro da Urca has souvenir shops, snack bars (including an excellent fresh fruit and juice vendor) a high-end restaurant and a helipad (helicopter tours are possible).
Occupying one of the most beautiful sites in the world, Rio de Janeiro has been abundantly blessed with natural attractions. And world-famous man-made constructions such as the statue of Christ the Redeemer and the cable car that whisks visitors up to the summit of Sugar Loaf mountain add to the sense of the city as a giant adventure playground. The beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana are just two of the many stunning strips of sand to be found in the city, and the vast Tijuca National Park is awash with opportunity for hiking and climbing.
Think of Rio de Janeiro, and it's hard not to conjure up images of beautiful people lounging on equally attractive beaches. Far from being mere myth, these images are brought sharply to life when the tropical sun beats down on Rio. Ipanema, Copacabana and Leblon throng with beautiful people in the skimpiest of swimwear, with the white sands, crashing waves and mountain backdrps framing the social scene perfectly.
Only marginally less famous than Corcovado mountain and the Christ Statue, Sugar Loaf mountain juts right out of the ocean, and the views from its peak are nothing less than breathtaking. While a few hardy souls are up to scaling the mountain itself, the vast majority of visitors ascend to the top of Sugar Loaf by cable car - a dizzying two-stop journey that calls first at the smaller Morro da Urca.

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