Corcovado and Pao de Acucar Tours – The Sugarloaf Mountain and Panoramic City Tour
This tour begins in the downtown area of Rio de Janeiro with a focus on the Sambadrome. The Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí hosts the annual parade of Samba Schools in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during the world-famous festival of Rio Carnival. The Metropolitan Cathedral, shaped like a pyramid, has an internal diameter of 96 meters and a height of 80 meters, and in the traditional Cinelândia Square you can find the Municipal Theater, the National Library, and the Assembly building. After touring the center, the tour continues through the neighborhood of Flamengo towards Urca, where the other symbol of Rio de Janeiro is: The Sugarloaf Mountain, which in the Guaraní language means “high, pointed, and isolated mountain “. Rio de Janeiro was founded at the foot of this hill by Estácio de Sá in 1565.
The visit to the Sugarloaf Mountain happens in two stages by a cable car, the famous “bondinho”, suspended by steel cables. The first stage connects Red Beach to Urca Hill at the altitude of 215 meters high. From there you can see the Guanabara Bay and its islands, Flamengo Beach, Corcovado Mountain and the bridge that connects Rio to Niteroi. From the Urca Hill, the second part of the ascent begins to the Sugarloaf Mountain at 395 meters high, where you can see a unique view of the Copacabana Beach and the Santa Cruz Fortress and some Niteroi beaches. After visiting the balconies of the Sugarloaf Mountain, the descent will happen using the same “bondinho”. At the foot of the hill, your transportation will be waiting to take you back to your hotel. End of the tour.