You know how they say “third time’s the charm,” it turns out it’s true (at least some times)! I tried a few times to visit Rio, and I rescheduled my trip twice :(! Then it was finally back on the calendar for March during my spring break. When we rebooked the flight, the weather still seemed pretty nice for March, and after rescheduling twice, I honestly didn’t even care. At that point, I just wanted to go finally! As our travel date approached, I started having some concerns about my safety and the weather. The more blogs I read and tips I received from natives at first hand, I became a little apprehensive about going. I began monitoring the temperature more, and the forecast showed rain for every single day! I was hopeful the weather would change and thank you sweet baby Jesus because it did! Not only did the weather change for the better, but I felt just as safe as I did in every other country I’ve been to, so shout out to the big man upstairs for looking out :). I was frequently warned about theft; tourists are easy targets, and stay with a local if you can. Call us blessed because these weren’t issues for us. I ended up having the experience I dreamed of, and the visit definitely lived up to my expectations.
It turns out it rained for about two or three weeks straight before we went. Favelas flooded, and it just sounded awful. For us, it only rained the night we got there and a few hours another night, so it didn’t rain on our parade :). The temperature was in the high 70s, low 80s, which was great and comfortable. March is also considered their “dead” season for tourism and their fall, so the tourist crowd was somewhat light. The trip itself was a week-long, including travel time (not to mention, even Air Canada changed our flight itinerary too). We had about four and a half days to explore, and we made the most of every moment. Our itinerary did shift around quite a bit. We had to make sure we went to Christ the Redeemer when it wasn’t foggy and scheduled a second opportunity to go back if we needed it just in case. We also rescheduled paragliding twice for the wind to be just right! Actually, I'm still mind-blown that we managed to do every major thing on our list! So when did the fun start, you asked? On our way from the airport to the hotel lol. I remember praying for the weather to change and that we would be safe. Then our taxi driver pointed up, we saw Christ the Redeemer, and I instantly remembered why I wanted to go to Rio again as bad as I always did. It was pure instant joy! Once we got to the hotel, we went to the rooftop bar, and once the clouds started moving, we looked out, and there he was again, and I knew we were going to have a good time.
WHERE I STAYED
We stayed at the Windsor Leme Hotel. It was affordable, comfortable, and the staff was delightful. They were very accommodating. The team spoke quite a bit of English, which was very reassuring after reading Brazilians not speak very much English. Surprisingly we came across lots of people who spoke English, so the language barrier wasn't tricky. Right behind the hotel was a pharmacy and market, which came in handy. Honestly, I think any hotel along the beaches would work and are great places to stay. We ubered or took a taxi everywhere. We didn't spend a lot with the exchange rate, and nothing was too far from the hotel.
Parque Lage
Our first stop was Parque Lage in the garden district. We didn’t get there when it first opened but early enough. I’m glad we got there when we did because shortly after, the crowd started to pour in! Parque Lage is one of Rio’s historic public parks with a mansion that belonged to Enrique Lage. Although I’m not super familiar with the park's history, I definitely recognized it from Snoop Dogg’s and Pharrell’s video, Beautiful lol. The park is free of charge and has a cafe, so I recommend a sit and snack if you have time. We made souvenir purchases, which gained us access to upstairs. The park has a lot to offer, from family picnics to night events on the weekends. The mansion was a little smaller than I anticipated, but the park is enormous! Since we had so many other things to do, and we were limited on time, we didn’t fully explore the park. It’s definitely worth the visit, even if you only visit the mansion!
botanical garden
We then walked to the Botanical Garden, which was straight down the main road and about a fifteen-minute walk. The garden is humongous! Surprisingly it wasn’t crowded at all either, and we got there pretty early too. There were a few spots that we had to be patient to get some shots, but it didn’t take long at all. We explored quite a few different garden areas before we all had enough and went to the mall near Leblon for lunch. It’s a beautiful garden, and the entry fee was only $15R. Our first stop was the Central Fountain, and from there, we spotted the two alleys of 800-yard long royal palm trees. We then wandered and came across the Amazon Region and a few other picture perfects spots. It’s a lovely place to roam around and admire the different plant species, some endangered, even if you’re not exactly sure what they are :).
Telegraph stone
We found a sunrise telegraph stone tour with Caio Tour Guide, and it was amazing! We opted for the sunrise tour because I read the line to take pictures can get ridiculously long. On one blog, I even read the wait can be as long as 4 hours! This way, we were still able to do some other things too during the day. What was the hike like? 300 meters of intenseness! I had no idea the trek was going to be steep, and thank you SBJ that we did not try to do it on our own because we would have done a terrible job. #failedit Caio arranged for the driver to pick us up from our hotel around 3 a.m., and it was about an hourish drive to the starting point. Let’s just say I was huffing and puffing within the first 15 minutes, but I made it, and it was worth the struggle.
Caio was very patient with us and willing to take breaks (I'm sure a few more than his usual lol), and we pushed through to make it to the top. He was very kind in taking our pictures and was very knowledgeable about the trail, history, and culture. One of the guides he knew even took some of our photographs, which was very affordable, and we received the pictures right then too. My only warning is that people like to retake their photograpghs, so be patient. Overall, it was a lot of fun. Caio was great company and made the experience as enjoyable as it was. I defintely recommend booking your tour with him! He offers other tours too. I was a little sad we didn't have the time to go on another. I almost signed us up for a second hike, but I'll elaborate on the confusion later on.
Lapa: take one
One of my friends was an eager beaver and couldn’t wait to see the infamous steps even though we originally planned to go later on during the trip, so we ending up going to Lapa twice. We stopped at a nearby restaurant for a more authentic meal, street Caipirinhas, and mingled a little with some locals. We spotted the Lapa arches, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian.We walked around the area a little before going to Sugarloaf. The steps were definitely packed, and we had to wait in line to take a picture, but the line moved pretty quickly. Lapa came with mixed reviews for nightlife from locals. Some people said it was a lot of fun and some recommended for us not to go at all. I didn’t make it out courtesy of my part-time membership in OLG (old lady gang :)), but my friends went, and they said they had a fun time.
sugarloaf mountain
Our Sugarloaf adventure reminded me the same as any other tower, arch, or tall building in any other city. I think of it as one of those things you do as a tourist to see the city; however, this one turned out to be more fun than all the others. Let’s just say the lookout was combined with one of my favorite friend time activities, and I had my pleasantest Caipirinhas with lime and pineapple. The line appeared to be long, but it moved very fast. We spent time at the different lookout points before taking the cable car to the very top. There’s lots to do and things to see, such as the older cable cars from many moons ago and even a video about Sugarloaf. It turns out it was the first cable car in Brazil and the third in the world (according to Tripadvisor). Although we passed on some of the activities because we were too busy giggling courtesy of the Caiprinnies, I’m sure I would have partaken if we had more time to take in more of the culture and history. As a geological and natural landmark, it’s worth a visit since it’s one of Rio’s iconic attractions. If lookout towers aren’t your thing, it might not tickle your fantasy per se. I found Sugarloaf uniquely compelling compared to other lookouts considering the city's layout is vastly different, with various neighborhoods located at different mountains' levels.
christ the redeemer
I always hoped to see it in person one day ever since I discovered it! In Parque Nacional da Tijuca, at the top of the City, standing 710 meters above sea level, is Christ the Redeemer, the most prominent landmark of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro. There are three ways you can get to Christ, train, van, or car. I read and heard mixed things about the best way to get to the top and how to beat the crowd to have Christ to yourself only for a few minutes, possibly. I also read the tour buses start pouring in as soon as it opens. We considered going with a tour company that "guarantees" you to beat the line, which was pricey compared to the actual entrance fee. I also knew if we went with a tour company, we would be on their time versus our own. I'm glad we didn't go that route because we spent so much time there, the sky even cleared up, and the sun made it's way out. Thank you SBJ for no fog!
The more I read, many people who went on the tour did not get there super early and had the experience of having Christ to themselves. So instead, we asked Caio, and he recommended taking the train, and that’s exactly what we did. We downloaded the app, purchased the first time slot available, and arrived about 10 minutes before our ticket time. We made it on the first train to the statue, and the train was almost full. When we got off the train, we had two options, to wait in the line for the elevator or walk up the 220 steps to get to Christ. Honestly, I think I was so full of excitement to be experiencing this in real life that it did not even register to me that there were over 200 steps. This was definitely the fastest I’ve ever moved on steps in my life lol. Even my mom was proud of me :). When we made it to the top, there weren’t many people, but the crowd started growing very quickly. Taking the views in was surreal! He was as large as I anticipated and lived up to all of my expectations.
To the beach
Rio has so many beaches, and we just didn't have enough time to visit them all (if that's even possible :)). We did visit the most famous or touristic ones like Copacabana and Ipanema. From Leme to Leblon, the beaches remind me of South Beach in Miami. There are lots of restaurants, bars, and snacks! Caipirinha, please! Many locals will cross your way with anything you can think of to sell in case you forgot something in your room. A polite "no thank you" with a smile works. We stopped at a few different beaches for some sunning, relaxing, people watching and Caiprinnes. The beaches weren't crowded at all. I'm sure it was the time of year we went, so you may actually consider visiting during their "dead" season after all.
Ilha grande schooner tour
I was really looking forward to the schooner tour. One because I was looking towards a relaxing day of fun after our action packed days and two because I love any boat day with my frans. We didn't book the tour before we got to Brazil, but I found a company, and Caio told us not to go with that one. He signed us up with a different company that was half the price! It was an all-day activity between being picked up at the hotel, driving to the dock, and stopping at the different swim spots and beaches. Our lunch was delicious, and yes, you guessed it, we had Caiprhinnies on the schooner :). The sun went away sooner than later, but it was a fun day for sure. You should definitely check out a tour!
Escadaria Selaron
We spent the morning and afternoon in the city before we headed back to the States, and it was jammed packed! Probably a little more packed than it should have been because at one point, we were nervous about making our flight, but it all worked out (thanks again, SBJ). We went to Escadaria Selaron, and it was practically empty. We didn’t walk up the steps ( I already had my fair share), and we were short on time. I did read the art along the way to the top is stunning. I stopped and read the story about the steps by the artist, Jorge Selarón. It's near the bottom of the steps, one in English and one in Portuguese. We then took a taxi to the Museum of Tomorrow. Although it’s closed on Sundays, I thought the architecture was neat, especially after seeing the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain. However, it didn't quite live up to my expectations on the outside, but the museum is worth checking out from what I read. If you visit the area, Boulevard Olimpico seemed to be close by, but we didn’t have time to visit.
Two Brother Cliff
So finding this lookout point was quite a mystery! There’s a cobblestone path between Leblon and Ipanema beach that you walk up to this lookout point. Let me just say, I had my fair share of steps once again in Brazil and could do without them :). When we were trying to find this path, we received mixed information. Two Brother Cliff was frequently confused with Morro Dois Irmaos, which is another intense hike through a favela. It’s recommended to go on this hike with a tour guide; however, this was not what we were looking for. Even our waitress at a restaurant said one of her friends would be willing to take us. Even Caio hesitantly said he would take us too (this was after our struggle at Telegraph Stone lol). When I asked him about Two Brother Cliff Municipal Park, he said we could take a taxi, and we would get dropped off at the lookout. He made it seem too easy, especially after all the miscommunication, but he was right! Why would we ever doubt him?! We were dropped off at the top, grabbed some shots, and then headed to the paragliding location. It’s a pretty lookout spot to see the city is all. Even our taxi driver snaped a few.
paragliding
I’ve wanted to go paragliding for quite some time, but it didn’t work out because of the weather, or I simply didn’t have time on other trips. I was so excited my friends were down for the adventure this time around! We had to reschedule a few times because of the weather, but luckily for us, it all worked out. When we arrived at the meeting spot, we met Daniel, our pilot. He was terrific, too btw! We drove through Tijuca Forest to the ramp for take-off, which was 510 meters high! We practiced taking-off a few times, and it turns out running with a second person attached to you requires a little more strength than I thought, but the ride was smooth sailing and rather fun. Daniel was great company, and it was nice seeing the different areas of Rio, including Rochina, Rio’s largest favela, of course Christ, and a few other things he pointed out while we were in the air. It was lit and a great ending to our Rio experience.
My Rio Travel Tips and recommendations
1. Use common sense and you will be fine
I know common sense isn't all that common these days, but as long as you are aware of your surroundings at all times, you should be fine. I was recommended by natives not to wear jewelry (even a hotel employee warned us when we checked in) and to wear a crossbody bag. I wore small jewelry and purchased a few inexpensive crossbodies just in case, but again, I felt completely safe.
2. I needed a copy of my passport once
It's recommended not to carry your passport around and always carry a copy. The only time I had to pull it out was when I went to the ticket booth to get our tickets for Christ the Redeemer. I took a few copies just in case.
Overall, the trip was definitely a dream come true :). We made international friends on our tours, which made the trip more fun. Even the locals who didn't speak English tried to help us or made suggestions for things we should do. The people were so kind and pleasant. I really enjoy making international friends even if it's temporary! I will say I wish we had more time because there were so many other things I wish we had time to do, but at least we accomplished everything on our agenda. Until next time! - XO Amb
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