Sugarloaf

• November 2, 2009
• Rated 5 of 5 by LenR from Townsville, Australia

There were three must-see attractions that we were determined to see in Rio – Copacabana beach, Christ the Redeemer statue and Pão de Açucar, or Sugarloaf. Rising sheer out of the sea and towering almost 400 meters above Guanabara Bay, Sugarloaf separates the bay from the Atlantic Ocean. A dizzying two-stage cable car ride takes you to the top of the mountain, where the views are nearly as spectacular as those from the top of Corcovado Mountain. As condors soar past you, you will be able to look out over the mountains and forests of Corcovado and Tijuca, and over the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema. More than a million tourists come here every year to enjoy breathtaking views of the entire region.

A cable car joins both hills with the base station with the first hill while a second goes from here to the top. The ground station is located on Pasteur Avenue, in barrio de Urca. Access to the cable car is located across the General Tiburcio square and tickets for both legs are sold at the ground station for $8 per person. The base station has souvenir stores, toilets, an information office, schedule boards and photographs of the cable car history. The service runs every 30 minutes from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm.

The first leg of the ride ends at Morro de Urca. The totally glazed cabin of the cable car allows you to get a fantastic aerial view of the region. An Urca there is a wide platform with trails through vegetation and natural observation posts are located at different heights. From there, you can see Copacabana beach, the port, the Christ statue, Guanabara Bay and Niteoroi. There are restaurants, fast-food bars, souvenir stores and toilets here.


The second leg goes to the top of the Sugarloaf. It is also a marvellous ride with even more breathtaking 360-degree views over 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. The views from here are great and they are different from Corcovado

After you have been to the top its worth looking around this area before racing off. At the bottom of the mountain you will find the small but perfectly formed Praia Vermelha beach, a military barracks (making this perhaps the safest neighborhood in Rio) and a delightful short trail that will take you along a path overhung by trees. The Urca residential area has shaded trees with an eclectic mix of architecture of everything from art-deco to modernist houses backed by manicured gardens. Walk north and you will see fishermen casting lines from the seawall

A city tour bus called Turisto City Rio -orange and blue line- has a stop at General Tiburcio Square, across from the station. Several public buses also serve this area. There are also numerous companies running half day tours which collect you from your hotel and also usually include a central city tour before heading for Sugarloaf. These are very convenient and because of the competition are reasonably priced.

From journal Go to Rio

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Sugarloaf Mountain

• September 6, 2009
• Rated 5 of 5 by Linda Hoernke from St. George, Utah

Sugarloaf Mountain or Pao de Acucar as it is known, is a natural wonder which was formed 600 million years ago out of granite and quartz. Portuguese navigators used this monolithic morro as an entrance to Guanabara Bay because of it's visibility from the sea. Rising almost 1300 feet above sea level, it's name refers to it's shape and resembles a traditional refined loaf of sugar. The glass cable cars to the top were a dream of engineer Augusto Ramos who was ridiculed by people telling him his only engineering feat would be to a madhouse. In 1908 the first cars were built to the top of the mountain. There are two stages...the first car rises over 700 feet to the top of Urca Hill, affording spectacular views of Corcovado Mountain, the Niteroi Bridge and Guanabara Bay. The second car then rises 1300 feet to the top where you will find a birds eye view of Copacabana. The best time to visit is early in the morning and weekdays before the crowds get in line. But, for a truly majestic experience, visit just when the sun is setting over Rio, the ocean and its shoreline. On the first level, we walked part of the steep trail to different view points. The trees were filled with comical monkeys and the views were spectacular of the ocean and beaches that line the Brazilian coast. There is a small theater on the first level...make sure you watch the fascinating show on the history and building of the cable cars. There also is a small restaurant where you can purchase a snack or cool drink.

From journal Museums & Sites of Rio

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Great Time!

• July 25, 2009
• Rated 5 of 5 by amarlisa from New Orleans, Louisiana

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Pão de Açúcar

• January 3, 2007
• Rated 5 of 5 by travellingdave from Calgary, Alberta

After visiting the massive and beautiful Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), the Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) can seem a bit redundant. To avoid this, and enjoy the mountain and its beautiful, yet thrilling, cablecar ride, visit here before visiting Cristo Redentor.

Once you arrive in the neighbourhood of Urca at the cablecar station, you will ascend some steps to the ticket booth. Pay the steep $17 admission (the same as the much, much better Cristo Redentor) and you're on your way. The lines are relatively short, and the most you will wait is around 20 minutes.

The cablecar brings you almost a kilometer up to the first station. Here, you will find a small theater with informational videos about the mountain, along with gift shops and restaurants. Once you take a few photos of the mountain from here, head on to the second cable car station, which brings you high up to the tip of the Pão de Açúcar.

Enjoy stunning, spectacular views from the top of this giant cone. The view of Cristo Redentor and Copacabana are especially beautiful. Go at sunset and you will be treated to some of the most spectacular scenery on earth. Enjoy a cold beer at the bar on the peak of Pão de Açúcar, which are refreshing and surprisingly cheap, at only $1.50 per can. There is cafe-style seating, which provides jaw-dropping views of the ocean and of the city of Rio de Janeiro below. Meals are also served at reasonable prices.

The scenic overlooks are quite tight-packed, but luckily crowds are controlled to prevent being annoyed too much. The overlooks are sure to produce nausea in anyone sensitive to heights - so beware.

People with a severe fear of heights will not find this attraction suitable. I went with my grandmother, who had to wait at the cable car station in Urca while I went up alone. The cable car does sway a bit, and getting onto it can be a scary experience for some.

Don't miss a chance to do a bit of hiking on some of the trails near the middle cablecar station. Pão de Açúcar is not wheelchair accessible, so handicapped people will not be able to visit.

For more info on the Pão de Açúcar, visit the website at: www.bondinho.com.br

From journal Sun and Surf in Rio

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Sugarloaf Mountain

• May 5, 2005
• Rated 4 of 5 by MikeInTown from Norristown, Pennsylvania

Our group took a cable-car ride to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar), a distinctive presence in the Rio de Janeiro landscape. The cable car makes two stops, one on the lower mountain and one on the top mountain (Sugar Loaf). We got off at both stops. During the ride, we could see rock climbers scaling Sugar Loaf. By the time we got up to the top, a thick fog had begun to roll in. Well, that pretty much ruined our chances of getting nice pictures of the scenery below.

Oh well, we still decided to try to make the most of our time on Sugar Loaf. There are several paved pathways at the top of both mountains. Surprisingly, it looks somewhat tropical at the top of these mountains. The paths on Sugar Loaf were surrounded by trees that looked like bamboo. The lower mountain had different trees that actually had monkeys in them. There are also some souvenir shops and small eateries that sell fries, burgers, pastries, etc., on these mountains.

From journal Brazil Trip - Rio de Janeiro

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