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To the northwest of the Lagoa lies Jardim Botânico
bairro, whose Parque Lage (daily 9am-5pm),
designed by the English landscape gardener, John Tyndale, in
the early 1840s, consists of half a million square meters of
forest, with a labyrinthine path network and seven small
lakes - just the spot for a little shady relaxation.
A
little further along the Rua Jardim Botânico is the
Jardim Botânico itself (Tues-Sun 8am-5pm; $1.50), half
of it natural jungle, half laid out in impressive avenues
lined with immense imperial palms that date from the
garden's inauguration in 1808.
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Dom João used the gardens to introduce foreign plants into
Brazil - tea, cloves, cinnamon and pineapples among them -
and there are now five thousand plant species, amongst which
live monkeys, parrots and other assorted wildlife.
There are also a number of sculptures to be seen throughout
the garden, notably the Ninfa do Eco and Caçador
Narciso (1783) by Mestre Valentim, the first two metal
sculptures cast in Brazil. The entrance is at Rua
Jardim Botânico 1008.
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Rio de Janeiro
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Brazil guide |
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