Rio de Janeiro Brazil: A Pleasant Surprise

by Jose · May 18, 2026

Rio was our last stop and we were frankly worried about it since the headlines were all about police clashes and other issues. I really liked Rio and my stereotypes were all proven wrong. We stayed in Ipanema about 6 blocks from the beach. Contrary to stereotype, the neighborhood was very clean (one of the few cities we saw where people pick up there dog poop), quiet, and felt very safe. The food was amazing (especially the Churrasco which was as good as any meat we had in Argentina) and the people were friendly. We only had a couple of nights so we focused on beaches, Holy Redeemer statue, and Sugarloaf.

Ipanema & Copacabana Beaches

Both these beaches were as expected. They were both nice with food and drink, surfing lessons, and most other beachy things readily available

Ipanema is south of Copacabana and runs to the tan headland (Aproador) which serves as the divider between the two beaches

Copacabana beach was very similar but had Sugarloaf mountain in the background

Christ the Redeemer: Pretty Cool but Pretty Crowded

It’s famous, and there are pretty views and a cog railway so we went. For me it was just ok and not really amazing

Last Stop SugarLoaf Mountain

The day we left, we made a quick stop at Sugar Loaf Mountain. We had one last Caipirinha and looked at the pretty harbor one last time. It was a good ending to Rio, Brazil, and our South American adventure. We left home October 28th and arrived home December 6th. Yes it was a long trip but it’s a big continent