Day 2: Corcovado & Christ the Redeemer. New Year's Eve on Copacabana
The excursion to Mount Corcovado and the Christ the Redeemer statue is a four-hour adventure that begins with a funicular ride up through the Tijuca rainforest. You never know what you’ll spot in the Tijuca Forest – monkeys and toucans, armadillos and coatis, opossums and anteaters! As the little train rounds bends in the trees, houses and the ocean flash into view for a few seconds, only for the dense green wall to close in again. And then, you’re at the very top! From the viewing platform, you can see Guanabara Bay, Maracanã Stadium, Sugarloaf Mountain, the beaches, and Gávea Rock. From this height, it’s strikingly clear just how tightly Rio is squeezed between mountains and water: the neighbourhoods occupy every available strip of land. For some, it’s a panoramic viewpoint – the Rio panorama from Corcovado. For others, it’s a place where the city’s clamour finally yields to silence and a personal prayer.
You’ll have time to rest and dress for welcoming New Year's Eve in Rio 2027. By evening, Copacabana transforms beyond recognition. White stops being a mere detail – it floods the pavements, the hotel entrances, the approaches to the beach. People dressed in white gather on the sand, the stage crew checks the sound, flowers and small offerings are carried down to the water. This is how New Year’s Eve on Copacabana begins – with music, heat, and a simmering anticipation. For many, celebrating New Year abroad is linked above all with this very shore: fireworks rise above the Atlantic, their light shattering on the waves, and the crowd lingers long into the night. New Year in Rio is intimately connected with the figure of the goddess Yemanjá: offerings are lowered into the ocean for her, asking for protection and good luck.
*If you’d prefer a more exclusive celebration, we can arrange a gala dinner or party ticket at one of Copacabana’s hotels. Please enquire for pricing.
