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The
Sugar Loaf is undoubtedely the most famous natural symbol of
Rio de Janeiro. It is located in the Guanabara Bay and the access
to the top is made by cable car. |
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The journey
to the top is divided in two parts. There is a cable car, which
rises 705 feet above the bay, departing from the station at Praia
Vermelha to the top of the firslt hill, called Morro da Urca
(Urca Hill), and another one that goes to the top of the second
(almost 400 meters high - 1,300 feet high) which is the Sugar
Loaf itself, called Pão-de-Açúcar in Portuguese.
Each cable car ride lasts about 3 minutes. |
All
these pictures were taken by me in different years during some
of my visits to the Sugar Loaf.
They are not public domain and not for download. Please, do not
save them. Thank you !
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Praia
Vermelha (Red Beach) seen from Sugar Loaf's
first station (Morro da Urca-Urca hill) |
Praia
Vermelha (Red Beach) seen from Sugar Loaf's
second station (Sugar Loaf - Pão-de-Açúcar) |
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The
Sugar Loaf cable car was an idea of Brazilian engineer Augusto
Ferreira Ramos. It was inaugurated on 27 October 1912. It was
the first installed in Brazil and the third in the world and
has become a trademark of the city. In December, January, February
(the summer season in Brazil) its daily attendance is about three
thousand people. |
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The Sugar
Loaf mountain is made of three hills: The Morro da Urca (Urca
hill - Urca is the name of the neighborhood where it's located),
the Pão-de-Açúcar (Sugar Loaf) and the Morro
Cara de Cão (Dog Face hill, if literally translating).
The tourist complex includes three stations: Praia Vermelha,
Morro da Urca and Pão-de-Açucar. These three stations
are joined by four cable cars, two going from Praia Vermelha
to Morro da Urca and vice-versa, and two going from Morro da
Urca to Pão-de-Açucar hill and vice-versa. The
Morro da Urca (Urca hill) is 220m high and the Pão-de-Açucar
hill (Sugar Loaf) is 396m high. |
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On the
top of the Morro da Urca there is an area larger than 3.500 m²
with restaurants, shops, theater, recreation places for children
etc. |
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The Sugar
Loaf is surrounded by vegetation characteristically tropical,
with vestiges of the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica) containing
native species that have disappeared from other areas of the
Brazilian coast. |
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It also
boasts rare vegetal species, such as the orchid "laelia
lobata" that can only be found in two places on the
planet, Sugar Loaf (Pão de Açucar) and Gávea
Rock (Pedra da Gávea), both in Rio de Janeiro. The Sugar
Loaf is the Brazilian mountain with the greatest number of climbing
tracks (up to 1997 there were 38). The Sugar Loaf is visited
daily by hundreds of Brazilian and foreign climbers, mountaineers
and ecologists. |
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The
cable car that departed from the Urca hill ariving
on the top or the Sugar Loaf. |
My
friend Iara's dear friend, Willie the snowman,
during their visit to Rio in Dec 2004. |
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The Sugar
Loaf seen from the Corcovado. |
The Copacabana
beach seen from the Sugar Loaf. |
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On the
right: Rio de Janeiro's National Airport (Santos Dumont
airport). On the left: Flamengo beach, and Rio-Niterói
Bridge
far on the
background. |
A closer
view of the Santos Dumont airport and Rio-Niterói Bridge,
the largest
bridge in the world in terms of construction volume. |
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Enseada
de Botafogo (Botafogo Bay), with the boats and sails
of the Yacht Club and the Botagofo Beach (the beach in front
of the bay). Far away on the background, the Corcovado
mountain
and the statue
of Christ on top. |
A
closer view of the bay and the beach and its neighborhood
of the same name. The sidewalk along the beach offers a beautiful
view of the Urca Hill and Sugarloaf right at the entrance to
the Guanabara Bay. |
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The
Flamengo beach and its neighborhood that has the same name. |
The
Flamengo beach and the national airport on the right. |
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The
sunset over Botafogo bay. |
The statue
of Christ and the Corcovado seen from the Urca hill. |
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The
cable car and the Sugar Loaf hill. |
The top
of the Sugar Loaf seen from the cable car. |
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Urca
hill seen from the Sugar Loaf. |
Praia
Vermelha seen from the cable car. |
Beautiful
pictures taken from the Urca hill (Sugarloaf's fist station).
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Copacabana
beach seen from the Sugar Loaf.
The large building in the picture is the Meridien Hotel. |
The Copacabana
Fortress seen from the Urca Hill.
Picture taken in April 2006. |
The observation
deck on top of the Sugar Loaf. The highest
peak in the center of the picture is the Corcovado.
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Sugar
Loaf
Adress:
Avenida Pasteur, 520, Urca
Rio de Janeiro - RJ
Tel: (55)(21) 2546-8400
Working Schedule:
Operating daily from 8 am to 10 pm.
Children under 5 have free entry.
Website: www.bondinho.com.br |
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