Best Rio Hideaway

by Valeria Cole | Jun 29, 2016

<p style="float: left;">Rio City its the biggest tourism destination in Brazil, it's not surprising that when you go visit some attractions its are full of tourists. Not only the tourism makes the city busy, there are so many locals walking around, car traffic, people working, exercising, noisy streets and all that a big city has, as we all know.</p> <p style="float: left;">So you will be asking me If is it possible to get away from that busy life and If it is, where should I go? For me, a simple walk to beach could make me feel in peace but even the beach here sometimes can be an agitated place. Therefore, the only place that can totally take me to the tranquility and calmness it's the Horto Waterfall of Rio. Imagine a National Park in the heart of the city, now imagine that in a few minutes you can hike inside nature to a refresh waterfall. Yes, this is the Horto Waterfall at National Park of Tijuca Forest, a perfect hideaway 10 minutes from the Botanic Garden of Rio and Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. </p> <p>So you will be asking me If is it possible to get away from that busy life and If it is, where should I go? For me, a simple walk to beach could make me feel in peace but even the beach here sometimes can be an agitated place. Therefore, the only place that can totally take me to the tranquility and calmness it's the Horto Waterfall of Rio. Imagine a National Park in the heart of the city, now imagine that in a few minutes you can hike inside nature to a refresh waterfall. Yes, this is the Horto Waterfall at National Park of Tijuca Forest, a perfect hideaway 10 minutes from the Botanic Garden of Rio and Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. </p> <p>There are three different waterfalls at Horto, the second one it's a bit more harder to reach but nothing that a kid or elderly

With Rio being the biggest tourism destination in Brazil, it's not surprising that when we go visit some attractions these are full of tourists. Not only tourism makes the city busy, but there are so many locals walking around, car traffic, people working, exercising, intense heat, noisy streets andeverything that a big city has, as we all know.

So you might ask--is it possible to get away from that busy life and where should I go? For me, a simple walk to beach could make me feel at peace but even the beach here sometimes can be a crowded place. Sometimes, there is only one place that can bring me to total tranquility and calm -the Horto Waterfall of Rio.

Imagine a National Park in the heart of the city, which in just a few minutes you can hike surrounded by nature to a refreshing waterfall. Yes, this is the Horto Waterfall at the National Park of Tijuca Forest, a perfect hideaway 10 minutes from the Botanic Garden of Rio and Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. There are three different waterfalls at Horto, the second one is a bit more difficult to reach, but nothing that a kid couldn't do. The water pools naturally and I totally recommended this area for swimming. The forest around is very well preserved.

It is possible to get there by car, bicycle or walking, but on weekends you must park outside of the forest and there isn't much parking space - since it's a nature refuge. So my tip is to rent a bike (or get your own) and cycle by the Lagoon and Botanic Garden to arrive at Horto. Bicycles are very welcome in most of the attractions in Rio - plus it's a healthy option!

Then, get in touch with mother nature and enjoy the best of Tijuca Forest - your own personal nature retreat in the middle of Rio.