Explore the Outdoors in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, or Rio for short, is in Brazil and it was founded in 1565 by the Portuguese.  Rio is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and it is known for its carnivals, nightlife and beaches.  The weather is warm every day of the year and it often rains during the summer and fall.

The Christ the Redeemer statue can be found at the peak of Corcovado Mountain within the Tijuca Forest National Park.  The statue was created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and constructed between 1922 and 1931.  The statue is 98 feet tall and the arms are 28 feet wide.  The entire statue stands on a 26-foot pedestal and weighs 700 tons.  The statue was named as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World on July 7, 2007.

The Tijuca Forest is a park that was used to grow sugar and coffee before the area was reclaimed and designated as a forest.  A park was needed at the time to protect Rio’s water supply.  The replanting of trees was successful and Tijuca Forest was declared a National Park in 1961.  Inside the park, visitors will not only see the Christ the Redeemer statue, but also the Cascatinha Waterfall, the Mayrink Chapel and a huge granite picnic table called the Mesa do Imperador.

Sugarloaf Mountain is on a peninsula at Guanabara Bay and is 1,299 feet above the harbor.  The easiest way to reach the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain is to take the two cable cars to the top.  The first cable car takes people to Morro da Urca at 722 feet and the second cable car goes to Pão de Açúcar.  As people are riding in the cable cars, they will see magnificent panoramic views of the city below.  Anyone who is a little more adventurous will also be able to rock climb at Sugarloaf Mountain or Babylon and Urca’s Mountains.

The sun and the beach are two reasons why people travel to Rio de Janeiro.  A famous resort beach in the area is Copacabana and there is a historic fort at each end of the beach.  Fort Duque de Caxias was built in 1779 and Fort Copacabana was built in 1914.  Copacabana Beach is also the beach where everyone gathers on New Year’s Eve to celebrate.

In 1808, King John VI of Portugal founded the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Gardens.  The gardens cover a 54-hectare area and it is filled with 6,500 different flowers.  There are also historical and architectural points of interest throughout the gardens.

Rio is an amazing city to visit especially if a person wants to spend quite a bit of time outside enjoying warm weather.  Visitors will find that they have plenty of activities to choose from while in this spectacular city.