AROUND TOWN - Top 10 Rio de Janeiro - page 71

A Day in Rio's Parks
and Gardens
Morning
Start the day with a stroll
around Jardim Botânico
(see pp18-19) . Try and
arrive as close to 8am as
possible and with
binoculars in hand for the
best chance to spot
brilliantly colored birds like
tanagers, cotingas, and
numerous hummingbirds,
as well as small mammals
like paca and agouti . There
is a kiosk at the entrance
that gives out free maps
of the gardens in a variety
of languages, explaining
where the important
sights, including glass
houses such as the
Orquidarium , are situated.
At about 11am, as the
morning heats up,
consider taking a
helicopter flight out over
Corcovado (see pp8-9)
from the helipad just
to the south of Jardim
Botânico. The views
of Cristo Redentor
(see p9) are amazing.
Afternoon

Rocinha, Rio's largest favela

d Map K4 • Rua Vice-Governador Rubens
Berardo 100, Gávea • [phone] •
Open 10am-5pm Tue-Fri (3-5pm Dec-Mar),
5-7pm Sat & Sun; telescopes 6:30-8:30pm
Tue-Thu (7:30am-9:30pm Dec-Mar)
• Adm • www.rio.rj.gov.br/planetario

( Parque Lage An imposing, early 20th-

century mansion, fronted by
Neo-Classical fountains,
dominates this park. The house
and gardens were designed by
Englishman John Tyndale for a
wealthy Carioca industrialist. The
mansion's atrium now houses an
arty café built around a water-lily
pond. Trails lead from the park to
the summit of Corcovado and
require a guide. d Map M2 • Rua
Jardim Botânico 414, Jardim Botânico
• [phone] • Open 8am-5pm daily

Have lunch at one of the
many kiosks overlooking
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
on the eastern shore of
the lake, which is in close
proximity to the Parque
da Catacumba (see p73) .
Drink plenty of juice or
water and walk across
Avenida Epitácio Pessoa
for a 40-minute hike
through the park, to the
427-ft- (130-m-) high look-
out point at the Mirante do
Sacopã. If there are no
guards around, then be
vigilant in the park or walk
in a group. Head to
Parque Lage by taxi for a
pony ride or another light
walk in the rain forest.
Finish the afternoon with
tea and biscuits in the
mansion's atrium café.

) Parque do Cantagalo This circular park winds

around Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas.
There is a running track situated
close to the water here, as well
as cafés and bars where locals
come to relax in the shade.
Don't miss the swan-shaped
pedal boats and kayaks that can
be hired for a leisurely trip out
onto the lake itself. d Map P4 •
Parque do Cantagalo, Av Epitácio Pessoa
s/n, Lagoa • [phone]

75

Rio Hiking (www.riohiking.com) and Rio Trilhas (www.riotrilhas.
com) offer walks from Parque Lage to Corcovado See pp52-3 .