Top Things to Do in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (B)

“I woke up and, in Rio’s fall, the sea, the sky, the sun and mountain were fighting over which one was the most beautiful”. Millor Fernandes, Writer.

Although I went to Rio in the summer, not the fall, it was just as exquisite. The sea, the mountains, the forests and the buzzing city, collaborate harmoniously to make Rio one of the best destinations to visit in the world.

We were really excited to see Rio’s world-famous attractions. However, with Brazil being a Portuguese-speaking country, it was important to us to get a good English speaking local guide who would explain to us what we were seeing and transport us from one attraction to the other easily. So, we booked the Rio Sunset Experience tour with C2Rio Tours and Travel.

Our friendly guide Aline picked us from our Copacabana hotel in a comfortable air-conditioned coach and we set off to explore Rio De Janeiro.

I have been on a quest to see the new 7 Wonders of the World and until recently, had seen 4 of them as well as The Great Pyramid of Giza, which was granted honorary status. Thus, the 38-metre high statue of Christ The Redeemer was on my bucket list too. To get there, we first drove through the historic, and artistic neighbourhood of Santa Teresa. The last remaining tram in Rio runs from here to the city centre, and we rode it the following day. As we drove up the mountain, Aline, our guide, pointed out an area where four favelas merge. An estimated 25 per cent of Rio’s population live in favelas and they are a tourist attraction in their own right. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).