Tijuca Forest and National Park in Rio de Janeiro

At a glance

Tijuca: the park, the forest and the neighbourhoods

Tijuca National Park covers most of the Tijuca massif in the middle of Rio. It is a federal protected area managed by ICMBio. It was created in 1961 as the Rio de Janeiro National Park, with 33 km², renamed Tijuca National Park on 8 February 1967, and enlarged to 39.51 km² by a decree of 4 July 2004 that added Parque Lage and other areas. The park calls itself the most visited national park in Brazil. It is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Rio’s Carioca landscapes, inscribed in 2012.

Do not confuse it with the Tijuca neighbourhood or with Barra da Tijuca on the coast: those are city districts that share the name.

The park has three visitor sectors:

How the forest was replanted

In 1861 Emperor Pedro II declared the Tijuca forests protected, and land was expropriated so the slopes could be replanted. The work was given to Major Manuel Gomes Archer. More than 100,000 trees were planted in 13 years, mostly Atlantic Forest species. Archer began with 11 enslaved Black people, together with overseers and paid workers: Maria, Eleutério, Constantino, Manoel, Mateus, Leopoldo, Sabino, Macário, Clemente, Antônio and Francisco. In March 2025 the Rio de Janeiro state assembly added them to the state’s book of Heroes and Heroines.

Barão d’Escragnolle continued the work and began landscaping the forest for public use. French landscape designer Auguste Glaziou added rest areas, lakes and fountains; the eucalyptus avenue is a remnant of his work. In the 1940s patron Raymundo Ottoni de Castro Maya led a revival, with landscape projects by Roberto Burle Marx.

What to see in the Tijuca Forest

The entrance is at Praça Afonso Viseu in Alto da Boa Vista.

• Cascatinha Taunay, the highest waterfall in the park, a few metres past the main gate. It is fed by the Tijuca and Conde rivers and other streams. The painter Nicolas Antoine Taunay built a small house nearby in 1817 and painted the falls.
• Capela Mayrink, a small chapel in the forest built in 1855 and renamed in 1896. Its altar has copies of four paintings by Cândido Portinari; the originals are in the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes. Open daily 2 pm to 4 pm, with mass at noon on the first Sunday of the month.
• Pico da Tijuca, the highest point of the park at 1,022 m. The trail must be started by 2 pm. It is a proper hike: see hiking in Rio.

Viewpoints: Vista Chinesa and Dona Marta

Vista Chinesa sits on Estrada Dona Castorina, the road between Horto and Alto da Boa Vista. The Eastern-style pagoda was built between 1902 and 1906 to honour the Chinese who brought tea growing to Brazil in the early 19th century. It looks over Rio’s South Zone and Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, and is open daily 8 am to 5 pm. The park notes that the last stretch is reachable only by private transport, on foot or by bicycle.

One rule matters for cars: on Estrada Dona Castorina vehicles may not drive from 7 to 9 am on weekdays, or from 7 am to 7 pm on weekends and holidays. So by car we go up on a weekday after 9 am.

Mirante Dona Marta, at 360 m, shows Sugarloaf, Maracanã, Guanabara Bay and Corcovado in one view. Open daily 8 am to 5 pm.

Opening hours and car rules

The Floresta sector takes up to 600 cars a day, 300 in the morning and 300 in the afternoon, and the afternoon quota can be lower. On weekends it is worth arriving at opening. The park may change hours in severe weather, so we check its news the day before.

Getting there

A car with a driver is the simplest way. The park’s points are spread along mountain roads, and from both the South Zone (via Cosme Velho or Santa Teresa) and the North and West Zones (via Alto da Boa Vista) the last stretches are only by private vehicle, on foot or by bicycle. A private driver also saves you hunting for a place within the car quota.

Tips from the park

• Wear comfortable clothes and closed shoes, and bring water, sun cream and insect repellent.
• Stay on the official trails.
• No pets, do not feed animals, do not pick plants and do not light fires.
• Phone signal is weak in many places: download maps beforehand.

Viewpoints only make sense on a clear day, so keep a spare day in a rainy month; see Rio weather. General advice is on Rio safety tips.

Tijuca and Corcovado in one day

Corcovado, with Christ the Redeemer, is in the same park, in the Serra da Carioca sector. A day can look like this:

1. Morning, at opening: go up to the statue. How to get there is on our Christ the Redeemer page.
2. Midday, on a weekday: drive Estrada Dona Castorina to Vista Chinesa.
3. Afternoon: the Floresta sector for the waterfall, the chapel and a short walk, leaving by 6 pm.

For a calmer day, swap Corcovado for the Botanical Garden. More ideas are in our Rio itinerary.

How we help

We arrange a car with a driver to cover the park’s viewpoints and a guide who speaks your language for the forest walk. We put Tijuca and Corcovado in one day and order the stops around the car rules and the cloud forecast. See our private tour of Rio.

What to tell us in your request

• your dates (weekday or weekend matters here)
• how many people, and children’s ages
• where you are staying
• easy viewpoints by car, a short walk or a full hike such as Pico da Tijuca
• whether to add Christ the Redeemer or the Botanical Garden
• guide language

Terms and payment are set out in the proposal; you pay nothing before you confirm. Our tours can be cancelled at no cost up to 48 hours before, and if the weather rules a day out, we offer a new date or a full refund of the deposit.