Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sugar Loaf Mountain
Rio is a city of magnificent views and none are more breathtaking than those
from the top of the 1,312-ft (400-m) high granite and quartz Pão de Açúcar
(Sugar Loaf) that sits at the mouth of Guanabara Bay. The mountain's sides
are shrouded in remnants of the forest that once covered the whole of Rio
de Janeiro and which still provide refuge for marmosets, tanagers, and
numerous birds. These are a common sight on the trails that run around
the monolith's summit. Come early in the day or right after it has rained
for the clearest air and best views from both the Sugar Loaf and its equally
impressive monolithic neighbor - Morro da Urca.
Top 10 Features
1 The Cable Car
2 Morro da Urca
3 Helicopter Tours
4 Bars and Cafés
5 Walks at the Summit
6 Rock Climbing
7 Views of the City
8 The Sugar Loaf
9 Wildlife
0 The Path up Morro da Urca
!
The Cable Car
Helipad at Morro da Urca
You will need at least
three hours to see
both the Sugar Loaf
and Morro da Urca at
a leisurely pace.
There are cafés on
both hills and drinks
and snacks are
available from the
the cable-car station
in Urca.
The cable car
(below)
runs from the suburb of
Urca to the summit of the
Sugar Loaf via Morro da
Urca, making the hills
accessible to people of all
levels of fitness. Those
looking for a hike can also
walk up to the summit.
• Map J4
• Av Pasteur 520,
Urca
• (021) 2546 8400
• Cable cars leave
from Urca every 20
minutes
• Open 8am-7:50pm
• Adm US$22
@
Morro da Urca
From Corcovado, the
Sugar Loaf resembles a
sphinx (
below),
whose
body is made up of Morro
da Urca - a separate,
lower boulder mountain
with a flat summit.
£
Helicopter Tours
Flights out over the
iconic triumvirate of Sugar
Loaf, Corcovado, and
Estádio do Maracanã leave
from Morra da Urca and
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
(see p72)
, which lies just
to the north of Ipanema.
12
There have been cable cars running up the hills since 1912.
