Rio de Janeiro Things to Do Tips by goshawk301

Ipanema and Leblon are contiguous and, if you are walking along the beachfront, you might pass from one to the other without noticing. Ipanema ends, and Leblon starts, where the canal from Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas comes out to the sea (you may notice it by a power shovel and a mound of sand on the beach; the canal has to be excavated continuously to prevent it from being blocked by sand).

In Leblon, there are few beachfront restaurants and bars; people, both residents and tourists alike, come here to take part in the beach life and the stroll along the sea. You can stop at one of the kiosks on the side of the pavement for the refreshing treat of coconut water. For me, it's the best of Rio's in-town beaches.

Inland, Leblon is a posh neighborhood of upscale condos and shops, and it has a particularly good selection of restaurants (a couple of them reviewed under the restaurant section).

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The view from the top of Mt. Corcovado is marvelous and popular, but an even better - indeed the classic - view of the city can be had from this viewpoint halfway up. It is situated on a ridge that juts out eastward from the summit, and it's just off the drive up the mountain and near the helipad for sightseeing flights. It's not on the tramway line, so you need a car to reach there.

Straight upfront is the classic view of the Sugarloaf cradling the Botafogo Bay. To the left, you can see the entrance of the Guanabara Bay and Niteroi on the opposite shore; further left towards you is the center of the city. You can watch airplanes flying in and out of Santos Dumont, making hairpin turns as it leaves or approaches the runway. Even further left, you can see the Rio-Niteroi Bridge and the Maracana Stadium.

To the right of the Sugarloaf, you can see the beachfront neighborhoods of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, as well as Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas.

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Floresta da Tijuca starts immediately west of the summit of Corcovado and extends quite a ways westward and inland as Parque Nacional da Tijuca. It is a remarkably well-preserved Atlantic forest ecosystem. You can enter the forest from different directions and drive through it on narrow, winding roads, feeling far removed from the urban life of Rio.

A segment of the road starting from the base of the Corcovado summit gets blocked off on weekends for the pedestrians. There are exercise stations, water splashing onto the road for shower, and even a small rock face for rock-climbing. Along the way you can have a peek-a-boo view of the Lagoon and the waterfront neighborhood, as well as seeing birds and monkeys that inhabit the forest.

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