A City in Pictures: Rio de Janeiro

A picture tells a thousand words right? I'm going to be taking a trip down memory lane, easily done by going through photo archives, to some of my past travels. I will tell the story with some of my favourite photos as a guide. I started with "Trip in Pictures" posts but now am looking back at some of the great cities I have visited... I hope you enjoy!

I visited Rio in September 2016 as part of my longer trip to South America and the USA. It was the year that the Olympics went to Rio, and while I was there the Paralympics were still on. I didn't visit the Olympic park but I did see the marathon mid-action (I think?) while trying to get to Copacabana beach!

I had a good 5 or 6 days in Rio with plans to see so much, it really is an amazing city with so many areas of interest. My Lonely Planet was helping me add a lot of viewpoints to my list, as well as the iconic spots of Ipanema & Copacabana beaches, Pao de Azucar (Sugarloaf mountain) and Christ the Redeemer - which I was trying to balance with the weather forecasts to get the best chance of good pictures!

Day one took me to the Lapa area, home to the famous Escadaria Selaron (pictured). I also visited nearby Parque das Ruinas (it was marked as a viewpoint in my guide book!) and remember getting some sort of overground train but I couldn't remember anything about it until just googling. Apparently it is an old tram with free rides and great views which would explain why I was interested!

Saw plenty of Marmosets while in Rio!

I was staying near Ipanema beach, and both Ipanema and Copacabana beach are just so long, and both lovely. I tried a coconut (not a fan) and the Caipirinha cocktail (big fan) and enjoyed having a swim in the sea.

Spotted on the shores of the Lagoa!

I headed to the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain/Pao de Azucar in time for sunset. A kind Brazilian family actually gave me a lift to the bottom of the mountain (there is a beach there - Praia Vermelha). I had been up another peak, Mirante do Morro do Pasmado, and they had asked me to take a family photo before we got chatting! There are two cable cars to get to the top and I'm obviously a glutton for punishment because I set off on the Trilha do Morro da Urca to climb to the top of first peak!

I didn't attempt the taller one - and coughed up for the cable car!

On one of my last days, after waiting for the best weather, I finally fit in a visit to a Wonder of the World - Christo Redentor!

I hiked many other viewpoints not mentioned in this post - one of them in my flip flops which was a recipe for blisters! On my final day it was rainy and I visited the botanical garden (perhaps not the best idea in the rain - I was bitten all over my legs...). Rio truly is a wonderful city and I would definitely enjoy a return visit, especially given that I have so much more to see in Brazil.

If for some reason you need more pictures, check out my Insta'd pics from the trip below!