Day 49 Saturday, March 4, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Depart 7:00

Day 49 Sat. March 4 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Depart 7:00

Sugar Loaf & Copacabana (RIO-005)

March 04, 2023

Port: Rio de Janeiro

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 hours)

Take a scenic ride back through Rio to Copacabana Beach, perhaps the most famous crescent of skyscraper-lined sand in all the world.

No encounter with Rio is complete without discovering its two most celebrated landmarks – Copacabana and Sugarloaf Mountain. Traveling by coach through bustling downtown, you’ll make your way to exotic Praia Vermelha – the name means Red Beach. Catch a cable car and ride up to  the midway point, Urca Hill, the smaller hill adjacent to iconic Sugarloaf, the granite cone that so famously guards the entrance to Rio’s Guanabara Bay. Urca sits 650 feet up, shops and restaurants sit tucked amongst beautiful shady gardens. The faint-hearted may decide to remain on this middle level – but for breathtaking bird’s eye views of the city and its coastlines, summon your courage and ride a second cable car all the way up to the 1,200-foot overlook at the Sugarloaf’s summit. You’ll see Rio from a vantage point normally reserved for pictures in coffee table books and wall calendars. Urca Hill Urca is one of the oldest areas in Rio and is known for its incredible views of the city.  The neighborhood runs along Guanabara bay.

Back at the base of the mountain, travel through one of the city’s picturesque residential areas en route to Copacabana, Rio’s signature crescent beach. Set against its backdrop of towering apartment skyscrapers, this vibrant part of Rio never seems to rest. Copacabana Beach, perhaps the most famous crescent of skyscraper-lined sand in all the world. You’ll also travel past neighboring Leme and Ipanema beaches on your return to the pier.

                                                        Views from Sugarloaf

            Airport runways are right downtown.

                                            View from Sugarloaf

The mountain is called Sugarloat because it resembles the traditional shape of concentrated refined loaf sugar.  

                                            Jesus the Redeemer from Sugar Loaf

                                            Old cable car is a Tattoo Shop

                                            Modern cable cars take less than three minutes to travel to the top.

                                            Mountain climbers by our arrival pavilion at the base of the mountain.

                                            Really old cable car.

Copacabana Beach offers an iconic, 2.2-mile beach featuring a wide, sandy expanse, bustling promenade, food kiosks & hotels..  

 

Rio di Janeiro Cathedral is a huge Braziian church built like an angular, technicolor pyramid. Construction began in the late 1960’s by architect Edgar Fonseca.  The design was reminiscent of the Mayan pyramids.  As many as 20,000 people (standing room only) can fit inside.

The walls of this modern pyramid are covered with small, square windows resulting in the look of a space-age honeycomb.  The stained glass windows run down the center of each wall reaching over 200 feet up from the floor.  

The Carioca Aqueduct is an aqueduct in the city of Rio.. The aqueduct was built in the middle of the 18th century to bring fresh water from the Carioca River.  It is a typical example of colonial architecture and engineering.

The Carioca Aqueduct is located in the centre of the city, At the end of the 19th century the aqueduct began serving as a bridge for the Santa Teresa Tramway. 

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