Sugar Loaf is climbable with at least 37 paths to the top to choose from! It has more routes to the summit that any other hill in Brazil. The easiest route is called Costão, which is the one recommended for beginners. In fact, most of the route is done by hiking — only in the end rock-climbing is absolutely necessary as well as climbing equipment. Unless you are an experienced rock-climber, a specialized guide is strongly recommended. All you would…read more
One of the most popular events in Rio de Janeiro is the “Reveillon no Morro da Urca” (Urca Hill’s New Year’s Eve celebration), which attracts hundreds of Cariocas (natives of Rio) willing to pay over R$600; US$300; €260 for that night. There is no New Years Eve celebration on the summit of Sugar Loaf, but there is at Urca Hill, which is the hill half-way to Sugar Loaf, and high enough to have an unforgettable view of the fireworks (although…read more
Yes. In 1935, Sugar Loaf’s Line 1 (Red Beach to Urca Hill) stopped for several months after the cables were caught in crossfire and hit by bullets during a skirmish led by revolutionaries of the Communist Conspiracy in Rio de Janeiro. Click here to see photos of Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In 2007, four new Sugar Loaf cable cars with the same 1972 design were bought from Switzerland to Brazil and these are the ones you will take when visiting Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro. The glass bubble-shape design (gondola-type) has become a trademark of Sugar Loaf Mountain, known in Brazil and abroad. The current Sugar Loaf cable cars are very appealing — really first world. In fact, in Brazil you find modern facilities as well as third world ones.…read more
In order to comply with international safety regulations, the cables of the Sugar Loaf cars in Rio de Janeiro must be replaced every 30 years, whether or not they look like they are in perfect condition. The last replacement was in 2002 when eight new cables replaced the old ones. Access to Sugar Loaf was closed to tourists in Rio de Janeiro for 75 days during renovations. Click here to see photos of Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as…read more
The new system brought to Brazil allows the Sugar Loaf cable cars to move up and down simultaneously (originally there was only one cable car). The new cars are bigger, safer, and faster. The number of possible passengers the system could handle increased from 115 to more than 1,000 per hour! The cables were replaced and new stations were built. The new cars hold up to 65 people. All elements of the new system, including speed, are controlled electronically. A…read more
Companies from France, Italy, Germany, and Austria presented their proposals to build the Sugar Loaf second generation of cable cars. The winner was Officine Meccaniche Aguido Spa, of Milan, Italy. They won based on their technical expertise and cost. The budget of modernization cost US$2 million and work started on July 13, 1970. During the construction of the new system, mountaineers were not necessary for bringing up materials, as the old Sugar Loaf cable cars were very handy and operated as…read more
The first Sugar Loaf cable car system lasted 60 years (1912-1972). At the end of the ‘60s, it was time to modernize and replace it. The new Sugar Loaf cable car system needed to offer the newer international standards of safety, quality, and service, and it needed to be faster and to have greater capacity to cope with the growing influx of tourists in Rio de Janeiro (from Brazil and from abroad). Click here to see photos of Sugar Loaf…read more
There were two of similar capacity and engineering. The first cable car system was built in 1907 in Monte Ulía (Spain), with a length of 280 metres (918 feet). The second one was built in 1908 in Wetterhorn, Switzerland, with a length of 560 metres (1,836 feet). The Rio de Janeiro Sugar Loaf cable cars were the third to be built in the world, but with the longest line with a combined total of 1,325 metres (4,346 feet). Click here…read more
At the year of their inauguration in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), there were great expectations for the inauguration of the Sugar Loaf cable cars. It was a daring project for several reasons: innovation, technological and logistical challenges, difficulty of access, and the absence of a qualified Brazilian workforce. Click here to see photos of Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
