Pedra da Gávea hike in Rio de Janeiro

At a glance

What the hike is

Pedra da Gávea is a rock more than 800 m high between São Conrado and Barra da Tijuca. Tijuca National Park calls the trail hard: about five hours on average, over 800 m of climb and exposed vertical sections near the top. It is a full-day outing for fit hikers who are calm on steep rock.

If that sounds like more than you want, Pedra Bonita faces it across the valley and takes about 20 minutes to the summit.

The trail step by step

1. The car drops you at Barrinha, on Estrada Sorimã, where the trail starts.
2. At the guarita the group fills in a simplified risk term. Entry runs from 8:00 to 14:00.
3. Higher up come the exposed vertical sections the park warns about. This is where the park recommends a rope and harness, and where a guide with climbing experience matters most.
4. You reach the summit, rest, take photos and come down the same way, leaving the park by 17:00 (18:00 in summer).

The park does not publish the trail length in kilometres, so we leave it out.

Best time for photos

Timing here is set by the hours, not by the light: you enter by 14:00 at the latest and need about five hours for the round trip. An early start gives you the most margin on the rock and the most time at the top. The park gives no official advice on light. As general advice, mornings are often clearer before haze builds over the coast.

For a summit shoot at sunrise or sunset, the photo hike uses shorter trails where the hours leave room for it.

Rules and registration

• Simplified risk term at the guarita.
• Guide not mandatory. The park recommends a guide or experienced hiker and at least one person with climbing experience in each group.
• Groups of more than 10 are discouraged.
• No camping, no fires, no pets. The park states that visitors are responsible for their own safety.
• No paragliding or parachute gear on the trail. New fixed anchors for highline, rappel or zipline need park authorization.
• Recreational drones need prior authorization from Clube São Conrado de Voo Livre.

What to bring

• Plenty of water and food for a five-hour day.
• Shoes with good grip on rock.
• Sun protection, a hat and a light layer.
• Gloves if you like them on rope. The guide brings the harness, rope, carabiners and slings.
• A headlamp as a spare, though you should be out by closing.

Closures

On 28.10.2026 we found no current closure on the park’s official pages. On 21.08.2026 ICMBio closed Pedra da Gávea and other areas after a Civil Defence strong wind warning, and hours may change in extreme weather. We check again the day before you go, and the guide makes the final call on the morning.

How we help

We find you a guide who knows the trail, so you won’t get lost, you walk at your own pace and get the shots from the best viewpoints. The guide brings the safety gear for the group. A photographer and a transfer from your hotel come on request. Before we book, we ask about your hiking and climbing experience and how you feel about heights, and we suggest another peak if this one does not fit.

Compare all seven peaks on hiking in Rio. For a forest summit without rock sections, look at Pico da Tijuca.

Our fee is already included in the price. Price on request, proposal within 24 hours, and you pay nothing before you confirm.