Pico da Tijuca Hike in Rio de Janeiro

We’ll pick you up from your address in Rio de Janeiro around 8:30 am. Then we’ll take a 30-minute ride to the most visited National Park in Brazil: Tijuca Park.

On arrival, our first stop is at the beautiful Cascatinha Taunay. This is the tallest waterfall in the entire Tijuca park (swimming is not allowed), where you’ll listen to a brief, intriguing history of why the Tijuca Forest is called “The Green Lungs of Rio”.

We would’ve begun the tour early in the morning. Hence, our chances of encountering a few small animals from Tijuca’s delightful local fauna will be very high!

Following our first stop, we’ll drive to the paradisal Bom Retiro, where we’ll begin the Pico da Tijuca Hike. Subsequently, an hour-long walk through the world’s largest urban forest will bring us to the famous 117-step stairway carved into the rock. The stairway was built in 1920 for the visit of King Albert I of Belgium. Once passed, we’ll arrive at the summit!

The peak of the Tijuca hike offers a fantastic 360° panoramic view of Rio de Janeiro at 1022 meters (3350 feet) above sea level. From there, we can see the Maracanã Stadium, Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, the extension of Tijuca Forest, and Pedra da Gavea, among other famous points in Rio.

After taking some time to soak in the spectacular views, we’ll hike back down to the car through the same trail (approx. 1h). We’ll make a final stop at the Cascata da Baronesa waterfall before we exit the park. This last stop will be for us to refresh ourselves after an amazing adventure. Finally, we’ll return to your address and drop-off will be around 1:30 pm.

• Trip Length: 5-6 hours
• Area: Tijuca National Park (Rio de Janeiro, RJ)
• Hike Intensity: Intermediate (level 3 of 5)
• Trail Length: 4,7 kilometers roundtrip (2,9 miles)
• Elevation Gain: 337 meters (1.105 feet), 1h10 approx. (one way)
• High Point: Pico da Tijuca summit, 1.022 meters (3.350 feet)

Pico da Tijuca Hike

• Solo traveler: R$ 498 per person ($97.34)
• Group of 2-5 people: R$ 308 per person ($60.20)
• Group of 6-8 people: R$ 278 per person ($54.34)
• Group 9-15 people: R$ 258 per person ($50.43)

• You can cancel up to 48 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund
• Cancellations made after this time or failure to show up will not be refunded
• Changes made less than 48 hours before the start time will not be accepted
• Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time

• We recommend bringing the following: a daypack, light clothes, hiking or sports shoes, a raincoat (windbreaker or similar), a swimsuit and a towel, 1 liter of drinking water, a sports drink (optional), snacks (dry fruits, sandwich, etc.), sunscreen, a sunhat & sunglasses, bug repellent, and a plastic bag for trash
• Breakfast should be light