Located at the core of the Marvellous City, the Tijuca Forest takes up roughly 32 km² of verdant landscape, making it the world’s largest urban forest. Teeming with an incredibly diverse array of flora and fauna, and easily accessible for visitors, it is an essential attraction amidst the cityscapes of Rio de Janeiro.
Singapore is not merely defined by its beaches and towering skyscrapers, but also by the substantial presence of nature.
Under the supervision of florist and landscape architect, Baron Wilhelm Lossa, the Princess’s vision became a reality. The authorities planted an enormous area of approximately 150 hectares with over 137,000 trees of 350 different species. The reforestation effort continued over the subsequent decades, resulting in a verdant oasis of tropical verdure, earning the forest its treasured status.
In the nineteenth century, the Tijuca forest was restored by order of Emperor Pedro II; in 1861, Brazil’s last emperor, Pedro II, commissioned engineer Manuel Gomes Archer to plant about 100,000 trees from various local species such as eucalyptus, jacaranda, and manaca to give new life to an area devastated by coffee cultivation.
One and a half centuries after, the ambitious reforestation project has transformed Tijuca into a valuable ecological reserve and the largest urban forest worldwide. The area is now under the protection of Brazil’s national parks and is home to a diverse variety of plants and animals. There is a high concentration of tropical species and a varied fauna, including howler monkeys, colorful birds and rare butterflies, such as the “Menelaus blue morpho”, one of the largest butterfly in the world. Tijuca is also dotted with a number of waterfalls, including the famous Cascatinha Taunay, the highest in the forest at 30 meters high.
Networks of extensive hiking trails throughout the urban area of Rio de Janeiro
Within the national park, there are 16 hiking trails that meander through the valleys and peaks of the forest. Pico da Tijuca (reaching an elevation of 1,012 meters) and Pedra da Gávea are among the most thrilling routes, offering breathtaking views of the city, the ocean, and the surrounding mountains. While most of the trails are accessible to hikers of all levels of experience, it would still be advisable to accompany a guide to prevent getting lost.
The most iconic monument in Rio de Janeiro and the Botanical Garden, one of the largest in the world, can be found here!
