Sugar Loaf - Pão de Açucar, Rio de Janeiro

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To reach the summit of Sugarloaf you have to take two cable cars (built in 1912). The first is located at the station in Urca and assends 220m to Morro da Urca (the first rock formation before you get to Sugarloaf). Here there is a restaurant, souvenir shops, an outdoor theatre and a helipad where you can watch the wealthy fly in/out. There's a shortish walk round the where you take the second cable car up to the summit of Sugarloaf itself which is 396m high. This is where the famous scene from the James Bond film Moonraker was made when Jaws bites through the cable.

Open: 8am-10pm daily. They leave about every 30 mins and cost R$35.

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At the foot of Sugarloaf and where the lower cable car station is located, there is this lovely little square called Parca General Tiburcio in the area known as Urca. Urca has an important historical role, as reportedly this is where Estácio de Sá inaugurated the city in 1565. The oldest construction still standing is the Fortaleza de São João, of 1618. Urca is also home to the Navy's headquarters and other military institutions as well as the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The area has a few small beaches that are slotted in between the large rock formation. Praia Vermelha sits below Morro da Urca, (the first rock you'll get to when visiting Sugarloaf), and is about 250m long. It's thick sand, unlike that of any other beach in Rio, gives the beach the name vermelha meaning red. Praia da Urca is a small beach (100m long) tucked out of the way and is mostly used by military personnel and their families.

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I loved Sugar loaf. It's beautiful. Try to get there a little before sunset and watch from the tip top. Wow! That's all I have to say about that! If you get there early enough, do the walk around the base of Sugar Loaf. That's where the monkeys are...

Costs R$30 for non-residence and R$15 plus 1 kilo of donatable food for residence

Another representative spot of Rio, and another point from which you can get an amazing, outstanding view of Rio in general. Located next to Guanabara Bay, for 35 reais (around US$12) you take the cable car to Urca hill first, and from there there is still another ride to Sugar Loaf top. The ride in itself is quite an adventure, considering that the car is all made of glass, so you can have the sensation of being lifted in the air, watching the whole scenary!! Needless to say, the views are amazing. There are also some eating and shopping places up there, but they are way too expensive!

Sure, the Sugar Loaf is a good idea, you have lots to do there, but maybe trying to see the Sugar Loaf in a different prisma should be nice. From the Santa Cruz Fortress in Niteroi or by boat you can see the Sugar Loaf in a very amazing way!

May 26, 2005

Can you guess which mountain is that?

It is not hard to see that it is the Pão de Açucar, or simply the Sugar Loaf, and I took this pictuce in the only one portion of the Atlantic Forest in Copacabana!

March 6th, 2005

Hey EVERYone visits Sugar Loaf by day, but it's open until 10pm. So we opted to go at night. It was really nice. And there's a nice little cafe up there serving beer and such and you can sit there for ages just staring down at Rio by night. It's really peaceful.

If you go to the Sugar Loaf for sure you will never know that there is a way to explore its forest very close, and Pista Claudio Coutinho is one of its option!;)

All Carioca people love that place for walking and jogging!

April 29th, 2005