Built in the early twentieth century in honor of the Chinese and imported tea cultivation in Brazil, the monument of Vista Chinesa offers a wide panorama full of green of the southern zone of Rio. The trail has easy access and is fully paved, leading to the lookout on a demanding, steep climb, but it pays off with one of the most beautiful peaks in town!
From 1856 the Botanic Garden was connected to Alto de Boa Vista by a cantilevered road, opened by influence of Baron of Bom Retiro and whose execution and maintenance was contracted to Thomas Cochrane. It records the chronicle of the age that, in this work, workers were employed "cules" brought from China (Macau) to develop the rice crop, but which, having demonstrated no ability to agriculture, were used to build the road. This region presents an astounding coincidence of Chinese presence, begun with the arrival of the tea planters of D. João VI. After the failure of this crop, according to Brazil Gerson, the Chinese would have spread "through the diapers of Tijuca." In 1844 a map of the area records a building called "Casa dos Chinas", probably a remnant of this primitive experience. This "vocation" probably explains why the City Hall (Mayor Pereira Passos, in 1903, with a project by the architect Luis Rey, in mortar copying the bamboo) built a pavilion called "Vista Chinesa", a few years later, which can still be visited. Above, a place prepared to serve as a resting place on the frequent walks of the Royal Family gained the name of Table of the Emperor.
In 1860, engineer Job de Alcântara was commissioned by the Imperial Government to construct the beautiful stone bridge, in Roman arch format, which stands in front of the Taunay Cascatinha. The highest PNT waterfall is formed by the fall of the waters of the Tijuca River, the Conde River and other tributaries. In 1817, the artist Nicolas Antoine Taunay built a small house near the cascatinha and, enchanting, immortalized the beauty of the waterfall in his pictures. He became the great host of the forest, organizing meetings for the court. The house of Taunay was demolished in 1946. On the site, the old Cascatinha restaurant was built, which is currently being prepared and refurbished to house a café and a new restaurant.
Parque Lage is located in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood, in the south of Rio de Janeiro, close to attractions such as the Jardim Botânico and the Cristo Redentor. With an area of 52 hectares of forests, the space is surrounded by the Atlantic Forest and is part of the Tijuca National Park.
A great spot for an quiet view of Rio. So many places in Rio to visit, this one is a bit of a hidden gem, worth the visit. Really enjoyed my time in Rio, one of the nicest and most interesting cities I have visited! Will return
Brilliant tour guide, very knowledgeable, great English, friendly and kind. Privet tour was very good he gave time to see things how we wanted without rush. Was a treat to see many different animals including monkey and birds. Definitely recomme.
The tour Tijuca Forest we visit the National Tijuca Forest by jeep, vista Chinese and Cascatinha Taunay Waterfall the guide Rafael Robaina very knowledgeable of history and driver Euclides the best driver even up and down those curves road was amazing outstanding and very knowledgeable of history and safe was first doing this trip. I highly recommend this tour. Just we had time to drip in water but weather was so good to take a drip. But tour was amazing. The church areas is higher than the Sugarloaf point. We Love it.
There is no zero stars allowed. We have used Viator a lot across the world and this is the first time that the tour operator did not turn up, message us or acknowledge our messages. I hope that all is well but my advice is simple - DO NOT BOOK THIS TOUR OR USE THIS OPERATOR! This spoilt our last day in Rio.
The tour was great. First a trip to Palácio - Parque Lage. Great place for photos with Christ the redeemer on the mountain behind. Then on to Tijuca Forest. Great waterfalls and wildlife. Best of all Ederson was great guide. Engaging and enthusiastic. He had great knowledge of the area and history. He was brilliant at ensuring we got the most from the tour and keen to notice what we were interested in and adapt to our needs. Would highly recommend Ederson - he made the tour great.
Great tour, Ederson made sure to show us all the parts of the rainforest and made sure we were comfortable! We got to see an extra waterfall that wasn’t on the original list. Highly recommend!
Had a great time today on the Tijuca Forest tour. Ederson was a very fun and caring tour guide and I’d definitely recommend taking a tour with him!
My husband and I loved this 1/2 day tour. He was so knowledgeable and let us spend as much time as we wanted at each spot thru the Tijuca Forest. The highlights were Parque Lage ( he walked us through the awesome forest & had a drink in the gorgeous old mansion) , the Chinese lookout had the most amazing view and we got to watch about 20 monkeys swinging thru the trees, Emperor's lookout, and the Cascatinha waterfall were all so beautiful!! Our tour guide was such a great guy, we had a blast!!! 😊
This was a great trip. Ederson was a brilliant guide. Very knowledgeable and very pleasant. We visited all the main spots in Tijuca and also went to Parque Lage. Was lucky to see some Toucans as well. Highly recommend this tour and this company.
The most amazing day!! Had so much fun on this tour! I usually never book tours but was short on time and this was so worth it I’m so glad I booked with Ederson! He was so friendly, thoughtful and knowledgeable about every place he showed us! He drove out of his way to pick us up from our hotel. Took a peaceful drive through the forest. We saw several waterfalls forest animals and gorgeous view after gorgeous view. My favorite was Parque Lage so much fun roaming the historic grounds and beautiful plants and buildings! Wish I had more time to book another tour with him!! Definitely recommend!!
Our family of 5 had a great experience with Ederson. He was friendly, organized, professional and timely. His van was very comfortable and spacious. We saw the botanical gardens instead of the Parque Laje and they were gorgeous! I would have liked to walk around Tijuca more but time did not allow.
Amazing tour! We cannot believe all of the beautiful places and wildlife we saw. Very one-on-one experience. It truly exceeded my expectations. Cannot wait to come back to Rio and do another tour. Would highly recommend. Was an obvious highlight of our time in Rio.
Ended up being the only one on the tour which gave a much more personal experience. This is definitely a must do for anyone interested in nature and history - despite being in the middle of the city, you feel a million miles away
An amazing tour with an awesome guide! You spend the perfect amount of time at each destination and learn so much about the history and nature - having fun at the same time! We were lucky enough to see a huge snake, monkeys and a toucan! Our guide was amazing, a really good guy and would definitely recommend the tour to anyone coming to Rio. The Tijuca forest is beautiful and pictures don’t do it justice! Will treasure the memories and can’t thank our guide enough.
best Guide in the City wonderful tour amazing rainforest waterfall and botanic garden we had a wonderful time
If you are few days in Rio, just book this tour with Ederson. The hike to Pedro del telegrapho worth it and the view at the top is just stunning!! Afterwards you can chill on the most beautiful beaches, where locals go with their families. Ederson knows where to go!! Follow his tips you will enjoy! Thanks Ederson for this unforgettable day!
We booked a second day trip with our guide Ederson to the Pedro do Telegrafo and some pristine beaches outside of Rio! This is such a highly recommended trip...the drive to Grumari beach is just stunning and the hike up to the famous Pedra do Telegrafo is just so much worth it! The view up there is impressive! Once again a big thank you to Ederson who is the best guide in Rio 😊! Always in for a good chat along the way and being fluent in English which is definitely a big plus!
Amazing Tour!!!! Anderson was an exceptional guide he went above and beyond and provided me with a wonderful experience. I'm passionate about Brazil and its history and Anderson gave me a history class in a very interesting and fun way. I also have to mention he took incredible pictures. I'm lucky to have had Anderson as a guide I highly recommend his service and when I return to Rio I want to continue doing all my tours with him.
I had an excellent, personalized tour. The tour guide was very informative and attentive to me needs. I particularly loved the botanical garden. I would highly recommend this tour to people who are traveling to Rio de Janeiro!!!!
Perfect trip for you and you gang off friends or with your family. Its very child friendly as well. We saw all kind off cool stuff and eddison was very good to explain, show, and learning us stuff. Eddie drive very safe as well compared to other people in Rio. You will se all kind of animals, trees and beautiful views. I strongly recommend you to go with this guy!
It was an amazing tour that showed us everything we intended to see. The tour guide was very friendly and even offered us food at a great restaurant!
We booked a trip for the Tijuca forest and the botanical gardens, and we got just what we wished for. Ederson was a really good guide who told us alot about the history of Rio and Brazil in the botanical gardens, and then later took us to some very nice viewpoints in the Tijuca forest. I highly recommend this.
So move on! When I see the other comments they must have gone through an excellent guide because we saw nothing of what the others showed in the comments. We saw a waterfall and a view and were shown around a dilapidated building that supposedly is a museum. Don't waste your time!
Unbelievable. Very grateful. We knew wonderful places and with the calm that gave us the guide, who waited for us and had a lot of patience, for traveling with children. Wonderful flora and fauna
The Ederson at all times was very helpful, friendly and attentive. My first time in Rio with my mother and sister, it was fantastic! We knew the sights and at every moment, Ederson explained the historical of the place and passed all his knowledge. I highly recommend the guide Ederson, it was exceptional!
I had an excellent experience with Ederson, he picked me up at my accommodation and modified the trip according to the time, my interests, everything he does with attention to detail! It is communicative and punctual, count on it for your days in Rio! He is also an excellent photographer!
The favorite part was the contact with nature in both the Tijuca forest and the botanical garden The guide Mr Jael was super friendly and with many knowledge! We loved it!
Vistas deslumbrantes desde a vista chinesa, floresta da Tijuca , a natureza em estado puro, e um pouco de história e da flora brasileira. O guia Sr Jael mto simpático e conhecedor. Adoramos!
J'ai effectué une balade remplie de joie, le guide est exemplaire admirable je recommande, Il connaît son travail.
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