Sightseeing in Rio

Having acclimatised and spend time wandering around the beach area we thought it was time to see some of the famous sights of this incredible city so we booked a driver and headed off to explore. Celestino was a great fellow, a Carioca (the name given to natives of Rio) by birth and passionate about his home city. He spoke great English and gave us a potted history of the city and of Brazil. We were glad that he was driving as the mountainous terrain created some challenging roads.
We set off early so we were able to beat the crowds and get straight onto the sugarloaf cable car which was stunning. We’ve all seen it on the James Bond film but I was very glad we were able to stay inside the car as it swung between the volcanic peaks. The view was spectacular with the whole city and the bay spread out below us and the mountain with the statue of Christ above us. The city has 6.6 million inhabitants and extends over 60kms. However, the mountainous countryside means whole shanty towns cling to vertical hillsides and the flat areas on the coast are densely populated with high rise blocks. The queues were building as we came down and headed off for Corcovado Mountain with the statue of Christ on the top.
We drove up and up, stopping 2 km from the summit to admire the statue from a distance and watching the city far below us in the gaps in the forest. For the last km we changed to a small mini bus which took us up the tiny winding road to the summit. Celestino seemed to manage a bit of queue jumping and we were soon at the top where a lift and an escalator took us up to the statue and viewing point. Here it was pretty busy but the views were even more amazing, with 360 degree scenery and a great view of the lagoon which sits in the old Caldera from when this was all live volcanoes. The statue itself is quite a feat of engineering – imagine building a 60m high statue on top of a volcanic pinnacle over 600m above sea level. The fingers alone are taller than a man.
After this we took a winding mountain road into the heart of the forest which is really close to the city and where the wealthy used to have weekend homes to escape the city. It was so beautiful, full of amazing blooms, huge butterflies and banana trees. We walked through the forest to an amazing waterfall, tumbling down the bare rock. We then drove back via the coast road, along miles of sandy beaches. It’s amazing, when there is so much coastline, that the beaches at Ipanema and Cocacabana get so crowded but it’s like a huge outdoor living room for the city. Walking along at night, the parasols and deck chairs have gone but everyone is milling around, eating corn on the cob, drinking beer and browsing the impromptu shops which spring up on the promenade at dusk and listening to the bands playing at the pavement cafes. It’s a really magical place.