Day 2: 31/12 - Rio de Janeiro
Breakfast at the hotel City Tour and Sugarloaf mountain (4 hours) The first stop is on Urca Mountain, with a wide viewing area. A cable car ride will take you up to Urca Mountain, the stop between ground level and Sugarloaf. Once arriving at the top of Sugarloaf mountain you will see the captivating beauty of Rio from a different angle. To your left you can see Copacabana beach stretching out into the distance, and on the horizon the faint outlines of Two Brothers and Gávea mountains. Below you is the intimate Red Beach, while to your right you can see across Guanabara Bay to Niterói and, nearer by, Botafogo and central neighborhoods, with the unmistakable silhouette of Christ the Redeemer casting its eternal gaze over the city. From this point we gain a different perspective on Rio, and can truly appreciate its beauty. After descending the mountain by cablecar, you will head into the Historical Center with its colonial arquitecture including many old churches still in use. The cobbled streets and bright colours are a stark contrast to the whitewashed, sunsoaked streets of Ipanema but in many ways are part of the authentic, nearly-forgotten historical Rio, and one can almost feel the hustle and bustle of hundreds of years ago when these streets were filled with merchants and citizens of the Portuguese Empire, locals, immigrants etc.
Your driver will take you back to your hotel for a rest before you begin the New Year festivities. Walking onto Copacabana beach you will experience a New Year’s party like no other. A huge stage occupies one section of the beach, while millions (yes, millions!) of partygoers take to the sands dressed all in white to witness a spectacular fireworks display, and tributes are paid to the water goddess Lemanjá and sent into the ocean on small boats. The magical party atmosphere, it goes without saying, continues long into the night.
* * * If you wish, you can book a New Year dinner or a ticket for a party in one of the hotels in Copacabana. Prices available on request ***