To buy tickets to Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, you can do it directly at the Sugar Loaf cable car ticket office on ground level, next to Praia Vermelha (Red Beach) in Urca Neighborhood. Urca neighborhood is a few minutes by taxi from Copacabana. To give you an idea of the distance between Copacabana and Sugar Loaf, bear in mind that the farthest away point in Copacabana (Copacabana Fort) is 5.8 kilometers (3.6 miles) from Sugar Loaf. It…read more
The bus 511 (direction “Urca”) is the correct city bus to go from Copacabana to Sugar Loaf. If you are at the end of Copacabana (next to Ipanema) the bus will cross the whole Copacabana neighborhood, which can take from 8 to 20 minutes (only to cross it), depending on the time of the day (rush hour 8 – 10 am, and 4-8 pm). Then, add other 5 to 10 minutes to get to the Sugar Loaf cable car ticket…read more
The best time to climb Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro is early morning (from 6 a.m. on) for at least two reasons: 1) it is not that hot yet, and 2) you may get to Sugar Loaf summit before the tourists. Another great time to climb Sugar Loaf rock is in the end of the afternoon in order to see the sunset and the city lights when the night falls. Prefer to climb Sugar Loaf rock on a weekday…read more
There are no reports of accidents, injuries or death on Sugar Loaf cable cars in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In fact, as a tour guide, I have been to the summit of Sugar Loaf more than 700 times, taking the cable cars 4 times on each visit. During all these rides, I have never seen any sign of malfunction. As a matter of fact, the Sugar Loaf cable cars are one of the safest in the world, according to cable…read more
A walk up Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is one of the most adventurous activities you can do while on vacation in Rio. The greatest part of the walk up is for anyone who is fit enough to face the more than 2 hours of walk. More towards the end of the walk though, you do need to climb the Sugar Loaf rock (the beginner-friendly section), and in this case, rock-climbing equipment (and courage) are necessary. That’s…read more
Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro is 396 meters high (or 1,306 feet). Urca Hill, the hill half way to Sugar Loaf, is 220 meters high (or 726 feet). On either hill you have breath-taking views of Rio de Janeiro as a whole, and other interesting sites such as Copacabana Beach, Santos Dummont Airport (Rio-São Paulo flights mainly), the gigantic Guanabara Bay, Botafogo Beach, Niterói City, Flamengo Beach, Rio – Niterói Bridge, and many others attractions. By the way,…read more
When you travel to Brazil you have to visit SugarLoaf Mountain, which is a magnificent piece of rock (396 metres above sea level) at the entrance of Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro. It is made of granite and taught to be 560 million years old. Right next to Sugar Loaf is Urca Hill, another rock not as impressive nor as high as Sugar Loaf. To get to Sugar Loaf you need to take two cable cars up (3-minute ride…read more
Sugar Loaf is not a mountain, but a hill, which is located next to Praia Vermelha in Urca district, in Rio de Janeiro. Urca neighborhood is just a few minutes away by taxi (without traffic) from Copacabana. From Ipanema though, it takes a bit more to get to the neighborhood where Sugar Loaf is located since Ipanema is located after Copacabana Beach. Leblon is even after Ipanema area. The Sugar Loaf cable car ticket office (at sea level) can be reached…read more
Bus 511 is the city bus to get to Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro. The bus 511 (Direction “Urca”) passes along Leblon, Ipanema and mainly Copacabana neighborhoods, which are tourists’ favorites’ districts in Rio. Without a doubt, these are the most convenient and probably the best areas to stay while on vacation in Rio de Janeiro. A bus ride on 511 takes approximately 10 to 50 minutes to get to Sugar Loaf, being Copacabana the closest neighborhood to Sugar Loaf,…read more
“Bondinho” is the word for cable car in Brazilian Portuguese and it means “little tram car”. It was so named after the trams that circulated in Rio de Janeiro at that time due to its similar shape and yellow color. Photos of Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
