Rio de Janeiro · NATIONAL PARKS
Good national park tours fill up weeks ahead; the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Guided hike to Tijuca Peak in Tijuca National Park with waterfalls, viewpoints, and hotel transport from Rio for $98.10.
“Great hike. Last 20 min was the peak of the fun. Visited the waterfalls. Our guide Raphael was the best.”
A small-group Tijuca National Park rainforest hike with waterfall stops, guided safety, and time to cool off near Rio.
“Thomas is the absolute best!! His knowledge, ability to adjust the tour based on fitness, kindness and awesome routes makes him the best guide!!!!”
Half-day Tijuca National Park urban jungle tour from Rio with waterfalls, cave, wildlife spotting, and viewpoints, plus guide and photos included.
“Excellent tour with Samuel , whose knowledge about the flora and fauna of the Tijuca forest was very thorough. A lot of information on Brazil, its forests and biome was shared by him , he was also wonderfully talented with regards to photographs and got some great photos of the entire tour , a shirt quick paced hike was the highlight of the tour , stopping to see ants , birds , monkeys and coatis . Highly recommend a guided tour of the forest with him .”
Small-group rainforest hike to Pedra Bonita, with history lessons, coffee-farm backstory, and coast views. 5 hours, easy effort.
“The tour to tijuca forest and all the way to Pedra Bonita was excellent! I got to enjoy the nature during the walk and had an interesting history lesson and other discussion about Brazil and Rio. The only downside for me was the easiness of the tour but that was partly my own fault because I chose the trip which demand level was "easy". After the trip I wanted to make another visit to the forest by myself but two different tourist infos adviced that either I should rent a car to get to the forest or book a tour. Renting a car in Rio was not an option (after…”
Half-day Rio nature tour in Tijuca National Park and the Rio Botanical Gardens, with Vista Chinesa views and hotel pickup.
“So the guide told us that the Tojuca National Forest was closed and we could not go there. This was of course disappointing to say the least! She took us ( and another couple) to the Botanical Gardens and did a good tour of them - this was great. Afterwards she took us to a locals bar by the beach with a good view - this was really nice too - bit much she could do about the Tijuca park being closed. E had to pay for the Botanical gardens although we thought it was already paid. We got no money back for the national park.”
Guided Tijuca National Park and Botanic Garden tour from Rio hotels, with rainforest walks, Vista Chinesa views, and transfers.
“Our guide was very knowledgeable about the forrest and the Botanical Gardens. The forest was closed to vehicles, but we were able walk part way and get an amazing view of a waterfall. He also took us on a tour of the area since the forest was closed to cars and we had a little extra time. I would recommend this tour. There is a lot of walking involved.”
Guided birdwatching in Rio’s Tijuca National Park with Pica-pau Tours, call-based spotting, included coffee, and easy trails for up to four.
“We had a very good morning out with Francisco, who helped us find 45 species using call recordings. Guide books are difficult to come by in Rio so birding with a guide helps a lot. Service was great including a pick up and drop off.”
Private morning hike to Tijuca Peak in Rio de Janeiro with bilingual guide, rainforest trail, waterfalls, and big panoramic city views.
“Rodrigo was a friendly guide, spoke good English and just the right amount of commentary during the hyke. Unfortunately the Vista Chinesa was closed but after a good 2.5k uphill trek through the beautiful Tijuca National Park.. the final 'ascent' and breathtaking views from the peak, more than made up for that!”
4x4 jeep tour through Tijuca’s urban rainforest, with Mirante das Canoas views, a lagoon swim break, Vista Chinesa, and hotel pickup.
“Absolutely terrible. I tried to get a hold of him the night prior and the morning of multiple times to confirm a pick up as we had to do with all other tours, was not able to get any response. Finally got ahold of him 30 minutes after 8 where he never apologizes or acknowledged the miscommunication just that what’s the problem you want to go or not. He takes you in his crappy car. On his way to first stop he stops for coffee and breakfast for himself on our time. We get to first spot you can’t see a thing bc of weather. This tour should not be…”
Horto Waterfalls in Tijuca National Park, a 4-hour guided circuit from Jequitibá to Box (Shower) Falls, plus hotel pickup option.
“This tour was extremely dangerous, and no warnings or indications of this are given on the site. I'd warn others to consider its suitability. I also intend to report this properly to the tour company and Viator, given we were almost badly hurt yesterday on the tour. This walk is NOT a "hike". The route to Jequitiba was a long, steep path that took in total 3 hours to the Waterfall and back. It involved climbing up and down sheer rock drops (4 or 5 times) that would only be safe if climbing equipment was used. It also involved crossing a long, steep,slippy horizontal rock with a drop to the…”
Hike through Rio’s Tijuca urban rainforest, then rappel down Horto Falls. Small group, gear included, snacks served.
“Great adventure with an expert guide, Marcelo. Highly recommend for anyone that is looking for an experience like this while in Rio. We even booked a hike with Marcelo the next day.”
Private 6-8 hour hike to Gávea Stone in Tijuca National Park with Rio pickup, climbing gear, and English guidance for $150.
“Es war ein wunderschöner Ausflug mit Thiago den ich nur jedem empfehlen kann. Der Tag mit Thiago wurde individuell auf mein Niveau angepasst. Ich habe von der ersten Kontaktaufnahme den Unterschied zu einer großen Agentur gemerkt, da man nicht nur einer von ganz vielen ist. Der Tag war lustig, sehenswert und fordernd, so wie ich es liebe. Zum Schluss gab es einen atemberaubend tollen Ausblick und tolle Fotos sowie gute Tipps für meinen weiteren Aufenthalt.”
Serra dos Órgãos National Park hiking from Rio with forest trails, postcard viewpoints, Poço Verde waterfall swim, and English guide.
“The hiking adventure in Serra dos Orgaos National park is both a very scenic and fun experience. The beauty of the forest and the sounds and smell of the forest is so refreshing. The scenery of the mountains ridges there are really something to see and you can view them from several good viewpoints along the hike. We also visited two waterfalls and swam in one of the pools in front of one of them. The water was great and the pools of water were crystal clear. Thalles, who guided me, speaks perfect English and explained a lot about the forest and many other things about life in Brazil in…”
Hike Pico da Tijuca in Tijuca National Park on a guided half-day route through rainforest trails, waterfalls, and top views over Rio.
“The six hour duration is very deceptive. The hike only took and hour to get to the top and once we were there I felt extremely rushed to get down. He told us once he picked us up that he knew we were not going to be able to see anything at the top because of the clouds. I don't understand why he would not tell us that before we left and see if we wanted to reschedule because we did only end up seeing white at the top and then he rushed us to leave and therefore we weren't able to see if the cloud passed. It was fine…”
Private Pedra Bonita hike in Tijuca National Park with Vista Chinesa and Emperor’s Table, South Zone pickup, and big Rio viewpoints.
“This was a great experience! Not only did we go on an amazing hike, but also got to see a few other places in the forest, including waterfalls and a cave. Felipe was a fantastic guide speaking great English, going at our pace, taking tons of photos and making sure to point out animals and other points of interest. The views were amazing and he made sure this was super easy and convenient for us. I’d recommend this trip to anyone wanting to do a hike!”
Every kind of day this city offers, and the best of each.
