Day 1 - Sugarloaf Mountain (Pao de Acucar)

Sugarloaf Cable Car Entrance

We parted ways with Tess, as Tess had plans to attend a Couch Surfing meeting that afternoon, and we were planning to visit Pao de Acucar (“Sugar Loaf”) and Urca for the afternoon.  We took a public bus from Gloria to the cable car (teleferico) station to check out the view from atop Pao de Acucar.  We chose to visit Sugarloaf our first day for multiple reasons: 1) Weather was cooperating, 2) It was not a Saturday (busiest day), and 3) We wanted to get some fresh air after our long plane ride.  It’s R$53 per person to ride the cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf and well worth it.

 Sugarloaf is one of the top 2 tourist destinations in Rio and by the looks of the setup for long lines, this place gets really crowded.  We were lucky that we went at a slow time. 

Cable Car Station

The cable car ride  consists of two stages.  The first cable car leaves from Praia Vermelha and stops at Morro da Urca.  We were feeling a bit tired from our long plane ride so we enjoyed a cappuccino at one of the outdoor cafe / bar / restaurants in this area.

Mico Sagui Monkey at Pao de Acúcar

We also walked a paved nature trail and spotted a black tufted ear Marmoset monkey (Mico Sagui).

Next we took the 2nd cable car to the top of Sugarloaf mountain.  It was an overcast day, but the views were still stunning and spectacular.  From Corcovado (where Christ the Redeemer stands) to downtown Rio, and from Copacabana to Niteroi… there wasn’t much you couldn’t see.