There are many places to see, visit, and explore in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro, the most popular destination, offers many other places to visit besides Christ the Redeemer Statue and Sugar Loaf Mountain.
See below two top places worth exploring:
Pedra da Gávea (literally “Rock of the Topsail”)
Pedra da Gavea in Rio de Janeiro.
If you love hiking, rock-climbing, and mountaineering, then Pedra da Gavea is a must explore when visiting Rio de Janeiro. The bottom of the mountain is just 20 to 30 minutes drive from Copacabana or Ipanema neighborhoods.
The summit of Pedra da Gavea is at 842 meters (2,694 feet) above sea level, and offers an incredible view of Rio de Janeiro — a totally different perspective of what you see from the top of Corvovado Mountain and Sugar Loaf. However, Pedra da Gavea is not recommended for those afraid of heights!
After exploring Pedra da Gavea, you can go see the nearby Pepino Beach, where the hangliders land. Worth a visit.
Prainha Beach (literally “small beach”)
Prainha in Rio de Janeiro.
This is the surfers paradise in the West of Rio de Janeiro, roughly 50 minutes drive from Copacabana/Ipanema areas (it is in the same direction of Pedra da Gavea, but beyond it).
You don’t need to be a surfer to enjoy this beach. On the contrary, many non-surfers, natives of Rio, go to this beach to have a different day on a distant and unexplored beach.
Prainha is one of the few beaches in Rio de Janeiro that has no construction around it.
If you are a beach person, and want to explore a bit more of Rio de Janeiro, you should consider taking half day to see this beach and the next one called Grumari, both surrounded by hills covered with a green, lush vegetation. You can have lunch and refreshments on both beaches.
If you also want to take the advantage of traveling this far to visit more attractions in the area, you can then go see the lovely Burle Marx Gardens, and the interesting Museu Casa do Pontal (the largest popular art museum in Brazil).
The only drawback is how to get to Prainha Beach area, which is not so easy (or even doable) on public transportation, especially for a foreign tourist. Hence, the best way to explore and see this beach and its surroundings sites are either on a private tour, or by renting a car and driving from Copacabana all the way to Prainha.
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There are many other great places to visit, see, and explore in Rio de Janeiro and nearby. Get your copy of My Rio Travel Guide and learn what else you can visit and explore in Rio.
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