Sugarloaf Mountain

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most incredible cities I have ever been to. There are hardly any other places in the world where jungle, metropolis and beach are found in one and the same place. Situated in this incredible bay, with the Atlantic Ocean on the one side and the green mountains on the other side, Rio de Janeiro hides some of the most beautiful lookout points worldwide. The two most famous ones are probably the views from the Corcovado, where the Christ the Redeemer Statue is (from where you get an amazing view on the bay and the Sugarloaf) and the one from the Sugarloaf itself, about which I want to tell you today.

The Sugarloaf, in Portuguese called “Pão de Açúcar”, is a 396 meter high mountain, situated on a peninsula right on the shore lines of Rio. It got his name from its form, as the mountain resembles to a sugar loaf. You can get a closer look on it, if you are at the beach of Botafogo, where the Sugarloaf boarders to the Bay of Guanabara.

To get to enjoy the incredible view on the city from the mountain top, you need to take a cable car. The cable cars leave from the Praia Vermelha and take you to the highest point of the mountain. Each day more than two thousand people are brought to the summit with the cable car, which run from 8 in the morning to 10 in the night. This means you can see the sun setting from the Sugarloaf, which is an experience I had the chance to have and which is one of the most incredible ever!

First of all the cable car ride up there is already a little adventure itself. Slowly rising over the city and winning a little bit more of an amazing view with every meter is truly beautiful. As the cable car doesn’t go directly from the bottom to the Sugarloaf summit, you have to make a little stop at the Morro da Urca, which is at 220m and already gives you a nice view on the Bay of Guanabara and parts of the city, although it is still nothing compared to what awaits you once you reach the top.

At the summit of the Sugarloaf there are different lookout points, to see the different parts of the city. And even if there are many people, everybody has enough space, so it is not like one of those tourist attractions where you have to stand in line to get a nice photograph.

I already warn you now: this view you will get from the peak of the Sugarloaf will take your breath away for sure! You can see the bay and the city of Rio in its full splendour. Also you get a nice view on the whole beach of Copacabana, and not to forget the impressive Corcovado Mountain with the Christ the Redeemer Statue just across the city.

As I have already mentioned, the best time to visit the Sugarloaf Mountain, in my opinion, is during sunset. Often clouds start accumulating over the city, which can lead to no view at all from the mountain or, if you are lucky, to an even more breathtaking view on Rio. When I visited the Sugarloaf, we went up when it was still light so we could enjoy the view by day too. As soon as we arrived on top it got pretty cloudy and we were already getting sad because at some point of time the whole Sugarloaf was inside one big cloud and you could not even see two meters far, not to mention to see anything from the city. But then, just a little while later, when the sun started to set, the cloud went away and the city of Rio showed itself from its most stunning side. The sun was setting and clouds were still accumulated down in the city and around the mountains, leading to an incredible view and creating an unforgettable atmosphere. Especially the Christ the Redeemer Statue coming out of the clouds was a super unreal picture to see! When it got dark we took the cable car back down, which was amazing too, as in the dark you see all the lights of the city from the mountain.

I think I got really lucky with the conditions on the day I visited, but I am sure that on whichever day you go up to the Sugarloaf Mountain, it will always be an experience to treasure. The view you get to enjoy from up there is like nothing I have ever seen before and worth a lot more than the 10€ you pay to get up there with the cable car- priceless moments for sure!