In the morning you will head on a tour of Rio. Downtown is the business heart of Rio; it is a part of the city where colonial meets modern skyscrapers. Passing along Rio Branco Avenue, you will see the Candelaria Church, which was built in the late 18th century and only completed in 1898. The headquarters of the major Brazilian banks and commercial enterprises can also be found on this avenue. You will see the Opera House (Teatro Municipal) and Carioca Square, the Church of Santo Antonio built in the 17th century as well as the contrast of the modern buildings such as Petrobras and the Cathedral. You will see Rio's aqueduct, built in the 18th century, which nowadays connects downtown to the Santa Teresa district, an old residential area. Afterwards, you will drive through Flamengo Park to discover one of the highlights of Rio. From the park, you can see the famous Sugar Loaf Mountain, which can be reached with a cable car ride at 1,200 feet high (not included). From the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain, you can look down on Rio and discover one of the most breathtaking views in the world. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure — the following optional tour can be booked.
Overnight in Rio de Janeiro
Optional: FD Jeep Tour Rio 4 Wonders
Following hotel pick up in an open-air Hummer style jeep, we will take you to the stunning Tijuca Atlantic Forest, the largest urban forest in the world, with stops at the Chinese Vista with magnificent views of Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, Guanabara Bay and Niterói. After visiting the National Park, the tour continues up to the Corcovado Mountain, located at the Tijuca’s Forest, where the Christ Redeemer Statue, one of the 7 “New Wonders of the World”, is located. We will continue on to the top by panoramic elevators or escalators that arrive at the foot of the statue, where we can enjoy a panoramic view of Rio de Janeiro, discovering why it is called the \"Marvelous City”. From Corcovado, you can see the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon and the Botanical Gardens. After this visit, the jeep takes the guests down the hill for having lunch. After lunch, the tour continues up to the Sugar Loaf Mountain, which has become an iconic symbol of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Rising up from a small peninsula at the entrance of Guanabara Bay, its name is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined sugar loaf. The first cable-car takes passengers to the top of Urca Hill, which rises 215 meters above sea level and offers spectacular views of the entire bay and its islands. From Urca Hill, passengers continue in a second cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf which rises 395 meters above sea level and offers a 360 degree view of the entire city including Botafogo and Copacabana Beaches, Corcovado and downtown Rio. The tour finishes with a visit to the Botanical Garden, founded by Dom João VI in 1808 as an Acclimation Garden for exotic plants, was transformed over nearly two centuries into the Research Institute of the Botanic Garden of Rio de Janeiro. The Botanic Garden contains more than 6,000 different species of tropical and subtropical plants and trees, including 900 varieties of palm trees. Visitors can stroll along the pathways of the park to the sounds of native birds like the “curios” and the “sabiás.” No other park can compare to this one for the variety of species that are cultivated is huge, like Imperial Palm-tree, the big water lilies, famous Victoria-regia, models of Brazil Wood, an almost extinct tree in our littoral. With pleasing hiding-places, it was one of the favorite places of Tom Jobim, continuous frequenter. Duration: approximately 8 hours.
