Rio de Janeiro · HIKING & TREKKING
20 reviewed
Behind the postcard, Rio is a hiker’s city: granite peaks, forest trails and cliff-edge lookouts a short drive from Copacabana. These guided treks are the pick of them — Pedra da Gávea, Dois Irmãos, the Tijuca trails — graded by difficulty, with distances, what to bring, and how tough each one really is.
Moderate Tijuca Forest hike with waterfalls, caves, and coffee-era ruins, plus South Zone hotel pickup. 6 hours, small group.
“Riccardo was an amazing guide. He was very knowledgable and informative. The pace of the day was just right, and we had the time to make the most of all the sites. If you are into forest walks then you should give this a go!”
Hike Pedra do Telégrafo from Guaratiba Hill, score postcard views fast, then unwind at Grumari or Prainha beach with an expert guide.
“Lovely day and hike. The guides were very helpful during the entire day and took pretty photos of us. Highly recommend!!”
Climb Pedra da Gávea with a small team, rope-assisted rock moves, and sweeping Rio panoramas. $56, about 8 hours.
“Fantastic day out, professional and patient guide and incredible views! Would highly, highly recommend this excursion if you’re looking to do something different whilst in the city and enjoy a challenge when it comes to hike. I wouldn’t say the route was difficult but there are areas that require rock scrambling and the assistance of the guide (in order to safely cross). Only way to improve would be more communication around a delay to our start time (met at half 0730, didn’t start the hike until 0815), as none of us were too sure what the reasoning was. Otherwise I would highly recommend!”
Hard 10.4 km Tijuca hike with coffee-farm ruins, waterfalls, caves, and big viewpoints, led by a small bilingual group in Rio.
“Ricardo is an excellent guide! Despite the rain in the forest, he made it feel like the sun was shining all the time. He made jokes, he told lots of interesting facts & figures, took endless pictures of the group. Would really recommend Ricardo as a tourguide for this trip!”
Explore Vidigal with a local guide, then hike Morro Dois Irmãos for ocean views over Leblon, Ipanema and Copacabana.
“Amazing! Can’t recommend it enough and the guide Beatriz was brilliant. She took loads of pictures and sent them to us after. The favela tour was great too. Amazing trip and amazing guide, Beatriz!”
Two ways to hike Dois Irmãos from Vidigal—sunrise or sunset/daytime—plus a moto-taxi ride, local guide, water, and included fees.
“My husband and I booked this sunrise tour on a whim (at 1am, just 2 hours before it started). We couldn’t sleep and thought this could be the perfect day to do it. We were grateful that the booking window was still open! It ended up being one of the highlights of our trip to Rio. Nat was so kind, instructions were very clear of where to meet. We felt safe, and she was very helpful and informative throughout the hike. While she was our guide, she was so genuine and caring, it also felt like we made a new friend! I would highly recommend this tour to everyone! The…”
Pedra da Gávea hike in Rio: certified safety gear, myths, and 842m views over Guanabara Bay and Tijuca peaks. 8 hours.
“The best guide Segrio. Excellent knowledge, and knows every corner in the forest, you will feel super safe with him. First time trying reppling and he instructed me well and because of that i had one of my best life experience. Great tour i recommended with Sergio.”
A small-group hike through Tijuca’s rainforest to Pedra Bonita, with expert guiding, big Rio views, and history of the Atlantic Forest.
“Great half day trip - funny guide Alex. Collected on time & lots of information given & time for photoes.”
Hike to Cachoeira do Saco Bravo in Paraty. Small group, early start, Atlantic Forest trail, sea-facing waterfall pool.
“This is a really authentic and stunning hike through the Mata Atlantica. Our guide Eugenia was knowledgeable and friendly.”
Hike Rio’s Tijuca Forest for waterfalls, a bat cave stop, and big viewpoint payoffs. Small group, hotel pickup, park tickets included.
“Eduardo was an absolute dream guide. Knowledgeable, passionate, and fun. Our group had a great morning hiking in the forest with him. He taught us so much about the local flora and fauna and had us laughing along the way. This was one of the best parts of our trip in Rio. Highly recommend this tour!”
Hike Garganta do Céu to Pedra da Gávea, cool off at Sorimã Waterfall in Tijuca National Park, with small-group guides and photos.
“This was a very challenging hike for me. Took me 2hrs going up. Rugged terrain with lots of rocks. Ron Beulah is an excellent guide and truly helped to make sure that I got up and down without incident. There were 3 tourists & 1 guide. If you have any major health issues or are out of shape do not do this hike! You need at least 2 liters of water and snacks. It was very rewarding and satisfying to see the monkeys and tropical forests. I’d do it again since I’m aware of the level of difficulty.”
Guided hike from the Tijuca Rainforest to Pedra da Gávea with rope-assisted sections, wildlife sightings, and big Rio views.
“Our guide was Eduardo. He « practiced « his English with us , as he said. He spoke English good enough for us to understand everything he tried to communicate. His pace was good, and we managed to keep up with him! We’re an older couple... we lucked out as we were the only hikers that day on that tour . It was definitely a challenge but loved it. He does a loop hike instead of an out and back which makes it more interesting. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the top as clouds and rain started as we got to the cave. Still had a few great view points…”
Half-day Rio hike to Morro Dois Irmaos and Vidigal with panoramic views, motorcycle taxi ride, and a small-group visit to a favela.
“Fernando is a Star. This is the best tour in South America that I have done thus far (travelled ~5 months over multiple years throughout South America). My partner and I took this tour for the sunrise option and the views are absolutely stunRead more”
Hike Tijuca’s urban rainforest to Pico da Tijuca, then enjoy Tijuca Mirim views, Cachoeira das Almas, and a museum stop in Rio.
“We had a fantastic day & our guide was amazing, gave us lots of information & helped us get the bus back to our hotel. The views from the top were amazing.”
Tijuca Forest hike through waterfalls and safe caves in Rio, with a small group, photo stops, and easy-to-moderate jungle trails.
“Highly recommend this tour. Lucas was our guide and we could not be more grateful. He was extremely knowledgable, patient and took the time to take awesome photos for us. He was fantastic 10/10!!! Thank you, Lucas!”
