First Days in Rio

Arrival into the city

Arriving in Rio early on Monday morning, we took a taxi to our Airbnb, tucked between Copacabana and Ipanema. The traffic was heavy and unyielding, stretching the journey to over an hour, but it offered our first slow introduction to the city. Outside the windows, Rio was already fully awake, horns sounding, vendors setting up, people moving with purpose, all framed by flashes of sea, concrete, and distant hills catching the morning light.

The apartment was a welcome retreat. A two-bedroom penthouse on the 10th floor, it sat neatly between the two beaches, close enough to both to feel their pull but just removed enough to offer some calm. The open veranda and courtyard became an immediate favourite, an unexpected pocket of outdoor space above the street, where the city noise softened and the pace felt more manageable. It was easy to imagine lingering there in the evenings, as the heat eased and Rio’s rhythm shifted.

Once settled, we stepped back out into the warmth for breakfast at Padero. Still carrying the haze of travel and unfamiliar surroundings, we ordered açaí with granola without quite knowing what to expect. Cool, fresh, and quietly energising, it felt like a small rite of arrival. After a quick stop at Zona Sol for groceries, we took a gentle walk along Copacabana beach — our first proper contact with Rio’s famous shoreline — stopping for a quick drink by the water as the day continued to build around us.

Jet lag eventually won. We headed back to the apartment for a rest, well I did, surrendering to a nap that felt entirely justified.

By early evening, refreshed and ready to move again, we walked down towards Ipanema beach. The light softened as the sun dropped, and we joined others gathering to watch it set behind the Dois Irmãos — the Two Brothers — silhouetted against the glowing sky. It was one of those moments where everything briefly slowed and felt shared, even among strangers.

We ended the day at Teva, a vegan deli in Ipanema, easing into the city with good food rather than a late night. A vegan burger with truffle fries and a jackfruit salad rounded things off perfectly — familiar enough to be comforting, but with just enough difference to remind us we were very far from home.

Into the jungle

On Tuesday, we properly began the holiday with an early start and a five-to-six hour tour of Tijuca Forest with Itaway Ecotours. Leaving the city behind so quickly felt slightly surreal, within minutes, the noise and density of Rio gave way to cooler air, dense greenery, and the constant background sound of birds and insects.

We were the only people on the tour, which gave the whole morning an unexpectedly personal, almost privileged feel. There was no need to hurry or follow a set pace; we moved slowly through the forest, stopping often for walks along shaded trails, pauses by waterfalls, and a visit to a small ‘bat cave’ — bat-free on the day, but atmospheric all the same.

What stood out most was the quiet abundance of wildlife. Butterflies drifted through shafts of light, a hummingbird hovered briefly before disappearing into the canopy, and a family of coatis crossed our path with casual confidence. We also spotted marmosets, quick and curious, moving effortlessly through the trees. It was a reminder of how close this vast stretch of rainforest sits to the city, and how easily Rio can shift from urban intensity to something calmer and more ancient.

After being dropped back in the city, we stopped for drinks and a late lunch at ARP, with a great view across the beach towards Pedra do Arpoador. Sitting there, watching the waves and the steady movement along the shoreline, felt like a gentle re-entry into Rio after the forest’s quiet intensity. Still tired from travel and the early start, we headed back to the apartment and spent the rest of the afternoon simply relaxing on the terrace, content to slow the pace again and let the day fade out naturally.

Reflection

What struck me most about the day was how easily Rio shifts between extremes. In the space of a few hours we moved from dense city streets to deep rainforest, from traffic noise to birdsong, and then back again to the coast and the rhythm of the waves. Tijuca felt timeless and quietly alive, a reminder that nature here isn’t something separate from the city but woven directly into it. By the afternoon, sitting above the beach and later on the terrace, tired but content, it felt like the trip was finally settling into its own rhythm — less about ticking off sights and more about noticing where we were and how it felt to be there.

A Big Day

It was a big day, my 60th birthday, and we started early. By 7am we were in a taxi heading to the station for the Trem do Corcovado. Even though our ticket was for 8am, we joined the end of the queue and, surprisingly, were already on our way up by 7.30. The early start paid off immediately.

Christ the Redeemer was extraordinary. At that hour it was still relatively quiet, which meant space — space to take photographs, to move around without being rushed, and, most importantly, to take in the views properly. The city stretched out below us, framed by mountains and coastline, and the whole experience felt calm and expansive. It was one of those rare moments at a major landmark where the setting really lived up to expectations.

We lingered longer than planned, eventually stopping for what turned out to be a very good coffee at the café just below the statue. Sitting there, watching people arrive and depart, felt unexpectedly absorbing. For over an hour we simply chatted, people-watched, and let the morning unfold. When we went back up to the top around 9.15, the contrast was striking. The bus tours had arrived, and with them came crowds and noise — along with people carefully dressed and posed for Instagram shots, outfits and angles clearly planned in advance. The atmosphere had completely changed, making us especially glad we’d arrived early.

After coming back down on the tram, we took a short walk up to Largo do Boticário, a small, picturesque square with beautiful old buildings and the feel of a place slightly removed from the city’s main flow. It looked like somewhere worth returning to, perhaps with more time and less of an agenda.

Largo do Boticário

A quick taxi took us back to Ipanema, and on a spur-of-the-moment decision we set off to walk around Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. The five-mile loop around the lagoon turned out to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the day. Flat, easy walking, wide views across the water, and a couple of relaxed stops for drinks made it feel refreshingly unplanned.

Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas

Later, after a very heavy thunderstorm had passed through, we took a taxi to Teva Vegan Restaurant at the Leblon end of Ipanema for my birthday dinner. The food was excellent, although the service felt a little too quick and slightly oppressive, as if the evening was being hurried along. Still, it rounded off a long and varied day well.

Reflection

What stayed with me most was how the day unfolded without any pressure to make it feel like a “big occasion.” The early start at Christ the Redeemer, the long pause for coffee, and the spontaneous decision to walk the lagoon all helped set a relaxed pace. There were moments of spectacle, but also plenty of ordinary ones, walking, sitting, and watching, which felt just as important. For a milestone birthday, it was something about marking the number, but more importantly it was about being fully present, taking things as they came, and appreciating the city from several different angles in the course of a single day.

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