tijuca national park

This park reminds me of the jungles in Africa but in the city in this instance. it was an awesome experience driving through the park and eventually taking the trail. The hiking is challenging enough and the climbing getting to the Pico de Tijuca is even more difficult but it´s worth every drop of sweat. I was told it´s the highest point in Rio de Janeiro. If you are a hiker and you find yourself in Rio, this is “a must do”. If you have a rented car with a GPS, just find Floresta de Tijuca from the POI and it will get you there. I found parking unbelievably easy around the park compared to the rest of POI in Rio; it could be during the time I was there. You will be asked to leave your name and mobile number (if you have one) before allowing you to go on the trail and you will be checked-out once you return.I will recommend you take some water, snacks and wipes to freshen-up during and after the trail.I can´t wait to do it again and again!!!

Awesome hike- challenging and steep- get ready to get your hands dirty if you hike Corcovado, and brin plenty of mosquito repellent. Beautiful park. The monkeys are friendly and love bananas ;)

Finding information on getting to the National Park without getting on a jeep tour is difficult so I hope this helps. We took a taxi to the park as we are short on time but it is possible to get a bus there if you research lines and stops before. We asked the taxi driver to take us to Alto Boa Vista (the park entrance). He dropped us off there and we walked through the gate hoping to find a visitor's centre. There wasn't one. We walked up the road for about 30 mins before we found it but they don't have detailed maps of trails anyway. We decided to follow the road up to Bom Retiro (a picnic area). The ranger there asked us to sign in before we started to climb up to Pica de Tijuca on the trail. We're not the fittest but made it up in just over an hour. The last part is steep with steps cut into the rock. I wouldn't attempt this hike in rain as it would be very slippery. The view is amazing! It's peaceful and you can see the entire bay and city area. There are no facilities at the top so take a packed lunch to enjoy your time there. Coming down only took us 40 mins as we were nearly running down some parts where it was steep! we had reached Bom Retiro fairly late in the afternoon but the ranger had reassured us that the park gates were left open for people to leave, they just wouldn't let more people in at closing time. If you walk back, take the same road back as coming up as it will take you to the main road where you can get the bus or a taxi back. If you follow the exit road out, the gated exit is on a quiet road so you'll have to turn left and walk another 15-20 minutes to reach the main road. It was a long day of walking but we felt elated and happy to reach the peak! You can always hire a car and drive to Bom Retiro to start at the trail start at the trail directly. Note: when looking up the name of the picnic area, I found this: http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-travel/hiking-tijuca-peak/#If only we had seen this earlier! We ended up doing this without planning to!

you need to go with special people because this is very bis ! you will find restaurants and this is a litle GREEN inside the city !

Its a big park, and plenty of hiking to do if you wish. The views are spectacular in some places. If you want to see it by car, I recommend hiring a cab for a couple of hours. The costs are fairly reasonable (keep the meter running).

I was lucky enough to be driven around many times through Tijuca Park. It's lushness provides Rio with it climate and also incredible vistas to Rio. Minkies roam freely. Waterfalls and short hikes are throughout the park. It's the backbone of Rio itself.

We took a 3 hour tour with Evandro Silva from Bambui Tours - a really friendly and knowledgeable guide. It was just the two of us in his car and making an early start meant that after a short drive 20 minute hike we reached the picturesque waterfall ahead of anyone else and went for a cooling swim and "water massage". Two viewing points completed our tour, with fantastic views over Rio. The place is full of really colourful butterflies and at our final stop we were lucky enough to be visited by a troop of capuchin monkeys that came to feed at a jackfruit tree. Longer hiking tours through the forest are available and I am sure it would be a worthwhile experience.

The park is Gorgeous and definitively worth visiting! When you go to the Christ you get to see a lot of it! It is wonderful to see such great piece of nature in the middle of a big city like Rio De Janeiro

Tijuca park is large. Best to visit by car. You can make wonderful strolls to waterfalls and think you are in a jungle. There are places for barbecueing. It has restaurants. Also nice for kids.

This forest is quite unique in his urban style integrated in the city centre remaining a forest. It has a waterfall and a chinese pagoda sign of the colonial period.

The chinese view and especially the waterfall are highlights. It is quite a bit of driving to get to the various scenic spots within the park, with many, many curves, but its fine if you're being driven. Many colorful butterflies, many flowers/plants and many Aztec/Mayan looking constructions throughout. Very good picture opportunities.

Fi you have a driver, have him take you though this usually cool, relaxing "park". Nice break from the nightlife and frantic pace you have likely been enjoying but of course you did not likely stop in Rio with this as your primary sightseeing target.

A beautiful nature area with spectacular views, both natural and of the city. The only downside is the absolutely inept organisation of the transport to and from the park (it's very difficult to enter by private car so unfortunately the badly run and over-priced shuttle bus is virtually your only option!). The so-called guides are equally clueless about any information regarding the park and surrounds, though if you've done some travelling in Brazil already this doesn't come as a surprise.Overall it's worth the trouble.

Definitely worth a hike up to the highest peak in Rio if thats your thing. Easily the best view of the entire city.

Stunning views and scenery all around as you wind your way up to Cristo Redentor. Be sure to stop at the waterfall.