We had a Rio good time (Travel Diaries Day 8)

Happy new year friends!

Tropical cheers from Ilha Grande, where we’re spending a few days after NYE in Rio.

The past few days in Rio were phenomenal. A great start to our adventure in South America!

I’ve dreamed about coming to Rio since the moment I saw a picture of Guanabana Bay on the internet maaaany years ago. I clearly remember being awestruck by the mountain views and hoping one day I would get there. Actually having been there now still feels surreal. 

We only had 3 days in Rio - I know, not a lot! We decided to make it a short stay for NYE, as we have a packed itinerary and Reid has already been in Rio. It is my first time in Brazil and first time in the whole of South American! So we made the most out of it with the time we had!

It is summer here, but it is also rainy season - so days are hot and humid and chance of rain is very high. I was worried it would rain a lot, but in the end we were blessed with great weather all the time! Sure it wasn’t perfect - there were quite a lot of clouds especially up on the mountains, but overall we really can’t complain!

So what did we do during those few days?

For me, the priority was to get to the beaches, get some views of the mountains, and see Cristo Redentor.

On our first day, we kicked things off with a leisurely morning on Copacabana beach, which was filling up fast with sunbathers renting umbrellas and chairs from the local barracas. The morning started foggy, but after a couple of hours the skies cleared, revealing the iconic Pão de Açúcar.

Then, we walked to Ipanema Beach, which left me absolutely smitten! It’s just as stunning as you’d imagine, with incredible views of Morro Dois Irmãos. We wandered around Arpoador, a rocky area at the end of Ipanema, known as a surfing spot. 

Totally iconic

Afterwards we were supposed to make our way to Cristo Redentor, but we learned that the clouds were too thick to see the famous statue. No big deal, we decided to reschedule our visit to the following day and headed to Parque Lage instead.

Parque Lage is a historic mansion with 52 acres of pure green. The palace is now converted to a School of Visual Arts. Upon arriving, we were baffled by the long line of people waiting outside the palace. Only when we finally entered the palace, we realized that the line was for a photo in the courtyard… we were so confused, what’s the hype?! Little did we know that it was featured in the music video for Snoop Dogg and Pharrell’s Beautiful! And yes, that’s why everyone is lining up for the photo. 

People queuing for hours for this photo

We skipped the photo op and explored the surrounding forest instead, which was magical. Beyond the palace, there are hidden grottos, a stone aqueduct, lots of jackfruit trees, and small bridges throughout the park that make you feel like you’ve stepped into Jurassic Park. 

We also visited the Botanic Gardens, a place which was established in 1808 by Prince Regent Dom João VI of Portugal to cultivate exotic plants like spices and medicinal herbs. There are up to 6,500 species distributed throughout the area, as well as a line of Imperial Palms which are over 150 years old and reach heights of nearly 40 meters. The original palm, called the Mother Palm, was planted in 1809 and became the source for many others. How romantic 💕

The garden is a wildlife sanctuary, and we were lucky enough to spot small monkeys, toucans, and even large lizards. Reid was also bitten by ticks while approaching a lizard, which sent me into hypochondriac spiral, but we think he’s going to be fine 🙃

The following day, we gave it another go at Cristo Redentor. Unfortunately, the clouds were still pretty thick up there, but we decided to go up anyway as we it was already our last chance! There are several ways to go up to this world wonder: by minivan, by train, or .. by foot via a knee-breaking 2hr hike. We took the train, which led us through a lush forest up above the clouds. From Corcovado mountain, you’re supposed to have incredible views all over the city of Rio. Well, this was our view:

Awesome, right?! 

We waited patiently and fortunately the clouds briefly parted, revealing the statue in all of its glory before the mist rolled back in. It was such a funny moment - everyone had been quietly waiting, and when the clouds finally cleared, a cheer erupted as everyone was so excited they could finally see the statue. 

Finally, on NYE, we visited Praia Vermelha, a smaller and more secluded beach surrounded by the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain and Urca hill. The beach’s name, which means “Red Beach,” comes from the reddish tint of its sand, especially at sunset when the light hits it just right.

The beach was packed with end-of-year beach-goers. Here we noticed that the beach was covered in… flowers?! That’s when we learnt about a Brazilian NYE tradition, which is to offer flowers to Iemanjá, the Afro-Brazilian goddess of the sea, as a gesture of gratitude and a request for blessings in the coming year. We wanted to throw some flowers too but couldn’t find a spot where to buy them.

Finally, the moment arrived: time to head back to Copa for the NYE festivities! But I’ll talk more about NYE in Copacabana in my next post ☺️ now time to enjoy the slow life in Ilha Grande!