Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
!
Mata Atlântica
lined with chic boutiques and
upscale restaurants.
d
Map C2
• www.buziosonline.com.br
Brazil's Atlantic coastal rain
forest - the largest section of
which lies in the states of Rio de
Janeiro, São Paulo, and Paraná -
is home to some 20,000 plant
species, 950 bird species, and
more than 20 endemic
threatened mammals, includ-
ing jaguars and pumas.The
rain forest is home to a
lush array of orchids and
abundant wildlife. Ecotou-
rism has started to play
an increasingly important
role in the conserva-
tion of the forest.
d
Map B2
£
Serra dos Órgãos
This mountain range to the
northeast of Rio city got its
name from a series of bizarre
rock stacks shaped like organ
pipes. Climbing, trekking,
and bird-watching here
are superb.
d
Map B2
• www.riohiking.com
$
Petrópolis
Emperor Dom
Pedro II's summer
retreat, Petrópolis
was founded in the
Serra dos Órgãos in
1843 and was
connected to Rio
city by train.
Much of the town
was designed by the
German architect Julius Friedrich
Köler and settled by wealthy
Cariocas. It is replete with
mansions and palaces, including
the Museu Imperial, the former
home of the royal family.
d
Map
B2 • Museu Imperial: Rua da Imperatriz
220, Petrópolis; (024) 2237 8000;
open 11am-5:30pm Tue-Sun
@
Búzios
When actress
Brigitte Bardot first
visited it, this bustling
resort town was a quiet
fishing hamlet on a
chaparral-covered peninsula
fringed with pristine beaches.
Búzios still feels low-key
compared to resorts in the
Mediterranean or Mexico, but all
the beaches are now backed
with hotels, and the fishing
village has grown into a small
town whose cobbled streets are
Statue of Brigitte
Bardot in Búzios
Museu Imperial, Petrópolis
95
Share your travel recommendations on
traveldk.com
