The Sugar Loaf, together with the Christ of Corcovado, is one of Rio de Janeiro’s most highly visited observation points. More than a million tourists go there every year to enjoy breathtaking views of the entire region. It is located on a small peninsula at the entrance of the Guanabara bay, forming two steep hills (morros): Urca with 220 meters and the Sugar Loaf with 575 meters. A cable car connects both hills with the base station. Access to the cable car station is located across the General Tiburcio square and tickets for both legs are sold at the ground station for $8 per person. The station holds a basic infrastructure comprising souvenir stores, toilets, an information office, schedule boards and photographs of the cable car history. The service opens at 8:00 am and closes at 10:00 pm and operates every 30 minutes.

The first leg of the ride ends at Urca. You can feel the exhilaration inside the cable car from the travelers the very start of the ride due to the entirely panoramic construction of the cabin which allows all the passengers to get a fantastic aerial view of the region. In Urca there is a wide platform with trails in the middle of deep vegetation and natural observation posts located at different heights. From there, you can see the Copacabana beach, the port, the Christ of Corcovado, the Guanabara bay and Niteoroi. On this platform that you can find restaurants, fast-food bars, souvenir stores and toilets.

If you want to add to your Rio experience, there is a helicopter ride leaving from Urca. The shortest ride lasts 7 minutes and costs $43 per person, flying over Corcovado, the Sugar Loaf and the beaches. Climbing lessons are also offered on the hillside facing Botafogo, It is not too high but very steep.

The second leg of the cable car ride goes to the top of the Sugar Loaf. It is also a marvelous ride with even more breathtaking 360-degree views from the region. There is a trail with native forest around the top of the hill and, as in Urca, fast-food shops, souvenir stores and toilets can be found on this platform. Prices are moderate, so you can sit down and enjoy the view while eating or drinking. After getting back to the ground station, we suggest you have a drink at the Vermelha beach and take a half-hour walk along the Claudio Coutinho trail, which starts at the northern side of the beach and is open from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm. This trail surrounds the Sugar Loaf, offering splendid views of the open ocean.

Additional excellent advice for visiting the Sugar Loaf is to get there in the afternoon to watch the sunset and the splendor of Rio at night.

If you don’t plan to spend much time in Rio, we recommend visiting either the Corcovado or the Sugar Loaf. You ask which one is better to visit? Both excellent choices, but the Sugar Loaf offers more observation decks and more open spaces, allowing tourists to spend a peaceful and enjoyable day. The Corcovado has crowds of tourists all year round, making it hard to find a quiet place to rest or take pictures. In either choice you make, it is better to get there in the early morning.

Zona Sul

 Buzios

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