Rio has the privilege of housing the two largest urban forests in the world, being the Tijuca National Park one of them.
The park was mostly deforested in the 1800’s for coffee plantations. In 1860’s and 1870’s, due to the extreme water shortage in the city, the Imperial government used eminent domain to remove all coffee plantations, and reforested the area with native vegetation. Now, this area is the Tijuca National Park.
The park is predominantly forested with the Mata Atlantica Rainforest, with about 300 species of insects, birds, mammals, and lizards and about 600 species of vegetation.
Within the Tijuca Forest, there are many trails. The most spectacular ones are:
Pico da Tijuca - the 2nd highest peak in Rio
Bico do Papagaio, with its exquisite summit
Pedra Bonita - an incredible easy hike with the option of Hang-Gliding or Paragliding to the Beach
Morro da Cocanha - unique summit
Pedra da Gavea - the "guardian of Rio"
