Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
southwest from the Corcovado are covered with exuberant forest. This is the
Parque
Nacional da Tijuca
, an area of some 120 square kilometres. In the seventeenth century,
the forests that originally covered the area were cut down for hardwood, the trees
replaced by sugar cane and then coffee plantations. In 1857, however, the city
authorities, alarmed by landslides and a resulting shortage of clean water, began a
reafforestation
project, and by 1870, over 100,000 trees had been planted (all species
native to the area). Today the park serves as a remarkable example of the potential for
the regeneration of the Mata Atlântica.
Fauna
have also gradually been reintroduced,
making the forest once again home to insects, reptiles, ocelots, howler monkeys,
agoutis, three-toed sloths and other animals. Most successful of all has been the return
of
birdlife
, making Tijuca a paradise for birdwatchers. At the same time, overstretched
park rangers struggle to keep residents of the neighbouring
favelas
from hunting
wildlife for food or trade.
Be sure to come well supplied with drinks and snacks, as vendors are few and far
between, and also be aware that robberies of hikers in the park are not unknown. In
fact, the safest and easiest way to visit the park if you don't have your own transport is
to join an
organized
tour
(see box, p.85).
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
PARQUE NACIONAL DA TIJUCA
By car
Buses don't enter the park, so a car is useful if you plan
to do an extensive tour. By car, there are several points of
entry, including the Entrada dos Caboclos in Cosme Velho, on
the north side of the Corcovado, and the Entrada dos Macacos
on Rua Leão Pacheco, which runs up from the north the side of
the Jardim Botânico (see p.83). Both of these entrances lead to
different roads that run through the park, but they converge
eventually in the
bairro
of Alta da Boa Vista. If you're intent on
walking from either of these entrances, be warned that even
the shorter trip from the Entrada dos Macacos will mean a hot,
dehydrating climb for more than 20km.
By bus
It is also possible to reach Alta da Boa Vista by bus
(#345 from Av Presidente Vargas; #301, #302 or #345
from Saens Peña
metrô
station) and get off at Praça
Alfonso Viseu near the Entrada da Floresta, with its
distinctive stone columns. A few hundred metres after
the entrance is a 35m-high waterfall and, further on, the
Capela do Mairynk, built in 1860 but virtually entirely
rebuilt in the 1940s.
Tourist information
The Centro de Visitantes in Plaça
Afonso Viseu (daily 9am-5pm) has maps and information
about the park.
São Conrado
Bus #308 from Centro via Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon
West of Vidigal and Rocinha, the beautiful beach at
São Conrado
is dominated by
apartment buildings and high-rise hotels, and is rapidly becoming ever trendier.
Frequented by the rich and famous, and packed at weekends with hang-gliders and
surfers, it's an area where the upper classes flaunt their wealth without shame, though
some are uncomfortable with the encroachment of nearby
favelas
.
Barra da Tijuca
Bus #225 from Centro, #308 or #523 from Copacabana, #524 from Botafogo
metrô
station
As Rio expands westward, many of the city's more a
uent residents have been moving
out of the Zona Sul and into new neighbourhoods in the Zona Oeste such as
Barra da
HANG
GLIDING ABOVE RIO
For a bird's-eye view of Rio's beaches and forest, take off with an experienced pilot on a
tandem
hang-glider
flight from the Pedra Bonita ramp on the western edge of the Parque
Nacional da Tijuca (see p.85), 520m above the beach at São Conrado. Depending on
conditions, flights last between ten and thirty minutes, flying alongside the mountains and
over the forest and ocean before landing on the beach at São Conrado.
The most experienced operator,
Just Fly (
T
21 2268 0565 or
T
21 99985 7540,
W
justflyinrio.blogspot.com), offers flights daily (usually 10am-3pm) when weather permits,
which includes pick-up and drop-off from your hotel for R$270.
★
