Sugar Loaf: A Sweet View of Rio
Sugar Loaf Mountain is just something you do when you visit Rio, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Nearly 1,300 feet above the ocean lies this giant mound of granite and quartz, apply named for its resemblance to the traditional mound shape of refined sugar.
Being afraid of heights, I knew I was in trouble when I was asked if I wanted to hang glide. Ummm…well, apparently that guy didn’t realize that I chickened out of my bungy jump in New Zealand recently. No matter, I politely declined his invitation and got in queue for tickets.
As I was standing in line, I caught a glimpse of exactly what I was buying a ticket for. Above my head was a giant bubble attached to a way-too-thin cable. This bubble would first take us 720 feet up Morro da Urca. Then we would get in a second bubble and it would take us up another 600 or so feet to Pão de Açúcar, which is the summit. Really? I was paying to be scared to death?
Sixty-five of us crammed into a bubble and we slowly ascended up the mountain. I saw the ticket office get smaller and smaller and my pulse raced faster and faster. A couple of minutes later, and I was stepping onto the platform. Whew! I felt much better having my feet on solid ground.
Morro da Urca has an original German-designed cable cars first used in 1912. They were referred to as “bondinhos” because of their resemblance to the Rio electric street cars. In the original cars it took 4.5 minutes to get to Morro da Urca and six minutes to get to Pão de Açúcar. The most each car could hold was 22 people and 2,100 were transported each day. After being in service for 60 years, these cars were finally replaced in 1972.
Also on Morro da Urca is a heliport. For R$180,00 (US$105), you can get a six to seven minute aerial view of the city, but for R$1.050,00 (US$615), you can get an hour. There are multiple routes and various price levels as well. I defiantly passed on the helicopter ride.
Just in case you get hungry or thirsty on the ride up, there are several places to buy something to eat and drink. Or if you’ve decided you need some diamonds, there’s a H. Stern store. I was especially relieved to see that, because I just never know when the urge to buy a diamond is going to strike.
The views from Sugar Loaf are all spectacular and vary depending on your location. You can see the marina.
You can see the red umbrellas on Copacabana Beach.
You can watch planes take off and land at Santos Dumont Airport.
You can jump with Jesus in the background.
You can see kids mimicking Christ the Redeemer.
After exploring Morro da Urca, we hopped in the giant bubble and continued our trek to Pão de Açúcar. More views and shops greeted us, including Amsterdam Sauer, another fine jewelry store. You know, just in case you want to buy more diamonds.
Down a flight of stairs and a steep ramp is a vantage point that many visitors miss. There you’ll find a series of paths covered by jungle. Picnic tables and benches provide perfect places to relax and enjoy the coolness that the foliage provides. Lizards cross paths and monkeys keep their eyes on visitors. We walked through the paths and relaxed on the cool stone before making our way back into the sunshine. I caught one last glimpse of Copacabana Beach from the top and then headed back down the mountain.
Parched, we stopped at one of the restaurants on Morro da Urca for a coconut. Well, maybe I had two. The refreshing coconut juice did the trick, and we finished our journey to the bottom, but not before I had one last look at some diamonds at H. Stern.
At the bottom of Sugar Loaf, Andre 3000, our trusty driver, was waiting to whisk us away to our next adventure.
Great adventure and views….I am a little faint of heart when it comes to cable cars, but I’d definitely have to muster the courage to tackle that one!
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..The Georgia Aquarium – A Whale Shark of a Good Time
I found that keep my eyes looking up rather than down made it ok. I also discovered that I’ve been very lucky regarding the lack of crowds and clouds.
thanks for the view, because I assure you, I am afraid of heights and I could never make this trip, well maybe if I was unconscious or slobbering drunk and someone physically picked me up and put me on, lol I am loving our trip to Rio
I’m so glad you’ve come along with me. The height didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would, and the views were worth it even if it did.
What a great picture of you laughing with Copacabana in the background! It looks like you got a beautiful day for the views too.
Emily in Chile recently posted..Saturday in Santiago: Madame Tusan
Everyone has been saying that we couldn’t have ordered better weather. I’m so grateful for that! I love that photo of me laughing too. It really captures how much fun I’m having.
Beautiful views! One gondola with 65 people? How huge was that thing?! The ride looks pretty steep in your pictures… but the views are gorgeous! By the way, I would totally chicken out of a bungy jump. No way
Sabrina recently posted..Lubbock Prairie Dog Town in Pictures
The gondola is pretty good sized, I’d say. The climb is pretty steep too! Too steep for my liking.
we are such soul sisters “ms diamonds are a girl’s best friend!” and of course, i love your jcrew tee…i have the same one – BIG surprise
I know you’d never even see the views with all the jewelry stores on the mountain. Rio is the world headquarters for H Stern. You can even tour their factory.
Great photos! I would love to go to Rio. I hear so many great reports about it. Maybe I’ll get there for the 2014 World Cup.
It’s tough to take bad photos of Rio. It really is a beautiful setting for a city. Carnival was crazy-crowded, so I’m curious to see how things look for the World Cup and Olympics. Traffic is simply awful, especially in the main tourism arteries. That shouldn’t stop you though. Go!
Hi Leah,
I only take the bondinho when I’m with my wife and kids… I like walking up via the “costão” or taking the Via Ferrata (steel cable) a lot more. It takes longer to get up there, but the satisfaction is greater too… So did you end up buying a lot of diamonds or what?
Cheers
Raf
Raf Kiss recently posted..Ubatuba – Surf Capital of São Paulo and a former Prison Island
Why am I not surprised that you take the scenic route, Raf? Maybe I should have taken the steel cable up and hiked down. I like hiking down. HAHA! Thanks for those tips.No diamonds or gems were purchased on this trip, but not for lack of want. Remember from my guest post on Mrs. O? I didn’t get stoned in Rio.