This city has everything: vibrant music, excellent restaurants, beautiful people, 12 football teams, night clubs, cheap shopping and white sandy beaches. The city is best appreciated from one of the two best viewpoints and landmarks of Rio - the 30m high statue of Christ The Redeemer, atop the 710 m high Corcovado Mountain and the 396 m high granite cone of Sugar Loaf Mountain.
In Rio today, wealthy neighbourhoods like Ipanema and Leblon stand side by side with the legendary favelas (shanty towns), built on steep hillsides, in which 20% of Cariocas (Rio’s inhabitants) live. Rocinha, the largest favela in South America, houses 80,000 people. However, full employment has meant that modern-day favelas generally have electricity, and brick is rapidly replacing wood and corrugated iron as a building material.
Try the local drink of Caipirinha; a delicious cocktail of cachaca (local rum) mixed with fresh lime, sugar and crushed ice. Caipirinha is served in most hotels and restaurants including Rio Scenarium; an antique shop by day and a samba club by night! Many Cariocas (local people from Rio de Janeiro) enjoy samba here on a Friday and Saturday night – visitors very welcome!
Beach culture dominates the city. Copacabana beach is at the centre of this and locals make full use of its riches. The beach is a place to relax, the place to play football or beach volleyball, to walk, to sunbathe, to see and to be seen - it is the beating heart of Rio. During summer, (December to March) temperatures range from 32°C to 42°C with high humidity. In winter the temperature drops to a comfortable 22°C to 32°C. The sea is always warm.
In July 2007 a new non-profit foundation named the Statue of Christ the Redeemer as one of the seven new wonders of the world.
City tours of Rio de Janeiro are ideally combined with a visit to either Corcovado (the Statue of Christ The Redeemer) or Sugar Loaf Mountain. Visits to the botanical gardens or a boat tour in the bay are also recommended. All tours are operated with private transfers and knowledgeable, bilingual guides.
Sunvil also offers tours of the world famous Maracana Stadium. On match days, tickets and guides can be provided. Football is central to Brazilian culture and the stadium reflects the importance it holds for the Brazilian people, being one of the largest and most historically important in the world.
There is much to hold the visitor's attention outside Rio de Janeiro. The mountain retreat of Petropolis is ideal for a day trip from the city and is a great way to escape the heat of Rio itself. The Imperial Court would spend the summer here for this very reason.
