Explore the Best of Tijuca Forest – Hike to Peaks, Caves & Falls
Description
This tour is all about experiencing the best of Rio - hiking to stunning peaks, exploring hidden caves, and cooling off in waterfalls within the incredible Tijuca National Park. Along the way, we’ll keep an eye out for wildlife like toucans, monkeys, sloths and coatis, while our guides share fascinating facts and stories about the park. Rio is world-famous for its breathtaking scenery and is home to one of the largest urban forests on the planet. In this 4–5 hour adventure, we’ll visit the park’s top highlights and immerse you in the unique energy of this natural paradise. To ensure a personalized experience, our groups are always small—no more than 7 people per guide.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Pedra Bonita is one of Rio’s most incredible summits, located in Tijuca National Park, offering panoramic views of the city, coastline, and iconic landmarks like Pedra da Gávea and Christ the Redeemer. With an easy-to-moderate trail, it’s a perfect spot to experience Rio from above. In case of cloudy weather, we’ll swap Pedra Bonita for another amazing hike with great scenery.
Tijuca National Park is a lush rainforest oasis in the heart of Rio, filled with waterfalls, wildlife, scenic trails, and breathtaking views—an unforgettable escape into nature!
The biggest waterfall in the Tijuca National Park. Perfect to take some nice pictures and bath. This beautiful waterfall stands 40 meters tall, cascading down a rocky cliff into a pool of crystal water. The sound of the falling water resonates through the area, providing a calming atmosphere.
This 40 meter high cave with light streaming in creates a surreal and breathtaking atmosphere located in the heart of Tijuca Forest. We hiking around 20-30 minutes to get there! On the way we see two other caves! As you explore further into the cave, you can hear the trickle of the water flowing through the rocks and the echoes of your own footsteps. You feel a sense of awe and wonder as you take in the majestic landscape!
A refreshing waterfall bath after hiking is the perfect way to relax and recharge. The cool water soothes tired muscles and leaves you feeling renewed amid the peaceful forest setting.
Vista Chinesa is a breathtaking belvedere located in Tijuca National Park, offering sweeping views of Rio de Janeiro. From this iconic spot, you can see Guanabara Bay, Corcovado, the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, all framed by the lush greenery of the forest. It’s a peaceful place to pause and take in the natural beauty of the city. Please note: This attraction is closed on weekends!
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Our pick-up service covers the South Zone, North Zone, City Center, and Barra da Tijuca, where most hotels and rental flats are located. Plus, take advantage of special discounts when booking for groups of 4 or more!
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- It is recommended that you bring water and wear comfortable clothes, trekking or sport shoes, a bathing suit and sunscreen
- Itinerary may change a bit due to park rules, weather conditions, or group ability
- Please send us your full address (street name and building number). If you’re not sure yet, just message us on WhatsApp or chat once you have your address in Rio
Reviews(1,014)
Our tour with Didi was fantastic. He is a great guide and shared many interesting and fascinating facts about the city and the areas that we visited which we really enjoyed. Our pick up and drop off at the hotel went really smoothly. We had the private tour with Didi and overall had a great day with him. I would highly recommend this tour and company as the overall experience was great. Thanks again for a wonderful time.
We had a great tour. The tour guide was excellent. It’s a lovely tour that gives you a different experience of Rio. It’s an amazing forest in the middle of a big city. Would recommend.
Your positive feedback means a lot to us and motivates our team to keep up the good work. RIO NATURAL ECOTOURISM
Tour fully matched the description. Tour guides were on time and communicated before pick up. Eduardo and Bernardo were fantastic guides. Kind, knowledgeable and great vibes. Felt more like friends at the end of the tour. Learnt so much about Rio beyond just the Tijuca forest. Highly Recommend!!! Definitely take the dip in the falls!!
We are so glad to hear that you love our tour! Thank you for taking the time to leave a 5-star review. RIO NATURAL ECOTOURISM
This tour was fantastic from start to finish. No complaints. Guide were on time, communicated before pick up in a timely manner. Tour fully matched up to description. Guides Eduardo and Bernardo were so kind, knowledgeable and great vibes. A beautiful guide to a part of the wonderful city of Rio
Thank you so much for your fantastic review! We're delighted to hear you had such a wonderful time. RIO NATURAL ECOTOURISM
Great experience. Our guide, Leo, was awesome! Lots of information about Rio and Brazil history, culture and nature!
Safe travels and best wishes on all your future journeys! RIO NATURAL ECOTOURISM
The tour was very good. I compared with other options, for example on jeeps and 4 wheel drive cars, and apart from the experience of riding a jeep, I just don't see the advantage. We liked this tour a lot because of its combination of walking, stopping for pictures, and riding. We got the chance to see a beautiful waterfall and landscape views. The first stop, chinese balcony, was closed because it was Sunday. We also did a quick visit to the museum and to see monkeys, birds, etc. We were not lucky to see sloths. the first walk was around the museum and gives you a feel of the jungle trees, ferns, and so on. The second walk was up to a cave and this is the part of the tour we enjoyed less. We consider ourselves normally fit people, we regularly hike 6-8km in flat terrain, but this walk is totally uphill, with some rocks, and non stop at the pace of the guide. The elder half of the group couldn't follow him, even if it was just about 45 minutes. The sight of the cave made it up. I must say the day after we saw the same monkeys and birds in the botanic gardens. Take good shoes and water. Toilets are present in several spots. Very recommendable, good experience
Thank you so much for your fantastic review! We're delighted to hear you had such a wonderful time. RIO NATURAL ECOTOURISM
We went on a private tour of Tijuca Forest. It was a pleasant experience. Our guide Junior was on time, his English was great, his driving excellent. He went over our tour plan before we set off, everything went according to plan. He went out of his way to point wildlife, just as i asked him, which was great. I would rather he talked more, though. When we asked a question, he was always ready to answer, however, he wasn't engaging us in a conversation or entertaining us with any stories. He made some recommendations on what else to do in the city. Nice experience overall.
Your positive feedback means a lot to us and motivates our team to keep up the good work. RIO NATURAL ECOTOURISM
I absolutely loved this tour! You get to see incredible views and our tour guide Eduardo made it extra special. He is a very entertaining guy and spotted a lot of animals for us like sloths. Definitely don’t miss out on this!!
We hope to see you again soon for another memorable adventure! RIO NATURAL ECOTOURISM
Henrique was great guide. Very knowledgeable and friendly. He made the experience well worth it.
Thanks for taking the time to write this review; it means a lot to us. Cheers! RIO NATURAL ECOTOURISM
Amazing tour, Henrique was a fantastic guide! We had a great time hiking through the forest, climbing through caves and learning all about the plants and history. 100% recommend!
Safe travels and best wishes on all your future journeys! RIO NATURAL ECOTOURISM
