Whenever we travel, we always try to find a good local hike to do. In Rio, Dois Irmaos is it! It is…read morequite difficult, but amazing! To get there, have a taxi/uber drive you to the Vidigal favela entrance on Avenue Niemeyer (about 10 mins from Copacabana). At the entrance, you will see a group of motorbikes. Ask one of them to drive you to the trailhead. It will cost you 5 BRL. The motorbike drops you off at a football field. Cross the field and you will see the trailhead. We had just hiked Machu Picchu before arriving to Rio, so our legs were already pretty beat. Maybe this hike is easier than it felt for us, but by the time we reached the peak, our leg muscles were feeling the burn. The first half of the hike is fairly easy. You'll be in the shade for the most part and it's an easy, steady climb. The second half gets harder, steeper, and you'll be in the blazing sun. Be sure to pack plenty of water and sunscreen. At the half way point there is a local guy selling water and frozen acai. It's a nice treat as it is HOT outside and the frozen acai tastes great! Once you reach the top, you'll be greeted with some of the best views in all of Rio. You can see Copacabana, Ipanema, Sugarloaf Mountain, Christ the Redeemer, and some surrounding favelas. We stayed at the top for about 20-30 minutes before heading back down. Descending is much easier, however, can be slippery due to a lot of loose sand. If you enjoy hiking, Dois Irmaos is a fantastic climb in Rio de Janeiro.

Probably the best hike I've done in my life so far. Also one of the most difficult…read more You can technically do it without a guide but I highly recommend getting one. The trail is pretty well marked so I don't think you'd get lost but getting a guide also gives you access to the rope and harness to get up the rock scramble (or 'Carrasqueira' as the locals call it). Allegedly you can go on your own and just pay one of the guys to rent the harness but I think a guide is worth it. Place they'll take some epic photos for you! I hiked Pedra da Gavea in late February so it was in the peak of summer in Rio. Temperatures hovered around 90F and it was HUMID. The heat and humidity had me hitting my inhaler on the way up. It takes about 3 hours to go up and 2-2.5 hours to go down. The views at the top are breathtaking so you'll probably want to hang out at the top for an hour or so. Plan for it to be an all-day affair. Bring a lot of water. Bring a light lunch. Put on some sunscreen.

An epic adventure hike that is not for the faint of heart. It's a pretty long trip to the top,…read morewhich includes some dangerous sections. The risk can be mitigated by an experienced guide with some ropes/harnesses for safety (mostly for the brief rock climb) . Local hikers tend to throw caution to the wind, but you don't want to go tumbling down a cliff do you? Getting to the top is about a 3 hour endeavor almost entirely uphill, you hike out the same way though downhill is obviously faster (maybe 2 hrs). You'll definitely want a good amount of water, so either a camelback or 3-4 12 oz waters per person. The views are totally breathtaking, I don't think I've ever been up so high without being in an airplane. If you're feeling fit and want a real hiking challenge in Rio, this is the one for you!

I booked a Jeep tour leaving from Rio to this park in the morning. A lot of locals come here to…read morepicnic, hike, and swim in the lagoons with waterfalls. The tour was really fun with great sights and you really feel like you're in the rainforest even though you're pretty close to Rio. Some highlights: -Mirante das Canoas - Great view at the top of the park above São Conrado beach -Cascatinha Taunay - large waterfall where you can swim in the lagoon below -Mayrink Chapel - a small, pink chapel that is in the middle of the rainforest I would definitely recommend the tour, it was really fun to ride in the Jeep and only requires half a day.

5 stars gives this place zero justice! Did a hiking tour via trip advisor. And it was my top 2…read moreexperience while in rio (with my number 1 experience being a helicopter ride over the city and by christ the redeemer). The waterfalls was so nice and scenic. Lush green everywhere! We hiked up to 2 caves. And got in the water by 2 of the falls. Had a fun little group. Was such an experience though!

My daughter and I took the Tijuca forest small group tour, it was one of the best tours we have…read moredone over the last 10 years of traveling. Our tour was 3 participants, the tour guide Luiza, and our driver (I believe his name was Rafael). Luiza was full of knowledge about the rainforest and Rio. Both were looking for wildlife for us to see. luckily we saw a sloth, toucans, bees, spider. I was the slow poke, and slowed our group down but they were all very patient. The views in the rainforest are amazing. Well worth the money, and you won't be disappointed with this tour, especially if you get Luiza and Rafael.

Is it possible to give this company more than 5 stars because they deserve it! We first read about…read morethem online on a Google search. We reached out to them and had the pleasure of exchanging emails with Anna who was more than helpful in answering our 1000 questions. They provided all the information we needed to be ready for our hike. We decided to go with the Tijuca Forest Adventure Full-Day Hike. When the day came, we met Tito who was our guide for the day. We couldn't have been any luckier! I would have not chosen another person to lead us on this hike. Tito did an amazing job through out the hike with encouraging us and being super supportive. We never felt unsafe because he made us feel completely comfortable and you could tell he loved doing this. The hike itself was not the easiest, but we did not give up and all the spots we stopped at were worth it. He took us on different trails so that we could see the most we could. Tito was also very knowledge and did a great job giving us a little history lesson on Brazil. The sites we stopped at were beautiful and you really get to experience the beauty of nature in the Tijuca rainforest. Tito also recommend some spots to check out while in Rio and they were spot on. I cannot wait to return and book another adventure with them! If you want a great guide who will take you on the best hike of your life, Jungle Me is the place for it.

Ambiance: 10 out of 10; Staff: 4 out of 5;…read more Price: $ out of $$$$. Gorgeous place, the views were amazing and the people were just as exceptional. We were literally in the clouds but they didn't prevent the spectacular view. The food and drink pricing were affordable as well.

Handsdown the best views of the city will be from here; YOU NEED TO COME HERE - and a little early…read more I came here early afternoon on a cloudy day and was so mesmerised by the views that i stayed here till after sunset. The views and the location could not be beat. You buy the ticket from the counter and then head on inside to take the cable car which takes you up first to Morro de Urca and then Pao de Azuca (Sugarloaf mountain). You literally can choose to spend however much time you want at either spot although i think most people stay at Urca longer because the view is clearer and its more spacious. The first stop lets you take in the beautiful city views and the second stop is literally in the skies so you will see the misty skies and take in the whole city from the top while admiring nature at its best. I also had the best chocolate churro here so that added to the sweetness of the spot. My favorite spot in Rio and i cant wait to go back one day.

This trail is amazing. You get a wonderful view plus the monkeys are the most adorable things on…read moreearth.

This parque is at the end of Leblon. You take the first street off of Albuquerque (toward the…read morebeachside) and head uphill and make a left. This smaller street zigzags up a steep but fairly short hill. But do watch out for cars as there's no clear shoulder. At the top you'll see gates to the park. It says it closes at 5pm but it could be for vehicles. There's usually a gate guard hanging around. The view of Ipanema beach is awesome from here and for such little work. There is a memorial for the flight from Rio to Paris on Air Frances nicely carved out in glass. There's several stairs down to another couple open areas, the last one with another memorial with the names of the people on the plane. If you continue up into the park it has a long and curvy road that culminates to a parking lot with a pretty garden, pond and office. There's a great hike up to the base of Dois Irmãos.

We had a great time hiking Tijuca with this company. We were in a small group of 4 with 1 guide…read morewhich made it alot more personal. We stopped off in a few places to get excellent views & pictures, then did our hike to the top with exceptional views over Rio. Our guide the owner was very personable & pointed out lots of things to us. I can't recommend this tour or company highly enough.

From the owner: Rio Natural Ecotourism is an ecological adventure tourism operator which offers its customers…read moreunforgettable experiences in breath-taking natural scenery, bringing moments of great charm to your holiday and providing a lifetime of memories. Through contact with the stunning natural beauty and cultural riches, the most extraordinary histories and curiosities of the wonderful city and its surroundings are revealed to you. Tours and activities can be tailored to suite the individual needs and interests of our customers, according to their ability. For those seeking more tranquillity, we also offer culturally and ecologically orientated tours of the city. But for those seeking the thrill of adrenaline on their trip, our tours offer a diverse range of adventure tourism activities.

La Plage at the Botanical Gardens. Although this has been around for a long time, this was a new…read morefind for us. The mansion that houses the restaurant is old-world elegant. The crowds lined up to take photos in the iconic courtyard, which encircles an old roman styled pool: The ambiance was beautiful, and the food was exquisite! I had one of the best steaks I've ever eaten in Brazil; it was so tender I would have cut it with a fork. My wife had grilled chicken Caesar salad which was very tasty. Then came dessert, along with a full-flavored cup of coffee. After the enjoyable meal, we explored the mansion, which abuts the rainforest. There are walking trails and other scenic areas to sit in and enjoy the plush greenery. I would highly recommend that this stop is on everyone's list of things to see in Rio.

You're coming here strictly for the views/vibe. The food is decent but it's nothing special. If…read moreyou're coming here strictly for the food you'll be disappointed. That's not to say the food is bad, it's alright. But on a Monday morning the wait to get a table was over an hour. It's outdoors so it can get really hot too. Even after we were seated it took FOREVER to get our food. Luckily we were just killing time until our flight. If you have other things to do it could be annoying. I got a burger and it was ok. It was cooked alright but it was a little bland. The fries were also just ok too. It's a nice experience but temper your expectations.