Hiking in Rio: Pedra da Gávea

The “Pedra da Gávea” (Gavea´s peak) lies in Tijuca Natonal Park,  towers to 842 meters of height above sea level and the mountain is well know by the locals hikers.

Surrounded by legends and mystic events, the mountain became a focus for curious writers and researchers attracted by its histories of mystic events alluded to anscient civilizations and even to other planets' habitants.

With the one of the most impressive views of Rio, from the top one can appreciate different angles to all parts of the city, including the mountains and beaches in the other side of Guanabara Bay (Niterói).

The altitude and proximity with the sea coast, make the mountain exposed to the action of time suffering deep erosive processes. The Pedra da Gávea is the largest monolith near a  seashore  in the hole planet. It is well frequented by climbers and has more than 20 climbing routes up to 470 meters long.

"The imense block of granite that rises abruptly from the sea in Rio de Janeiro, impress by its opponency and weird beauty, derived from unusitated shape resembling a big anvil, human face shaped in one side with beards faced to north". - from the book Badhezir, Um ilustre visitante, by Átila Barros, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The trails up to the top are steep and most of the time you hike in the shade. One can observe the wildlife such as birds, rodents (squirrel and raccoons), snakes (coral, pit vipers), lizards and a variety of insects (butterflies, beetles). The greater difficulty of the track is the pitch known as “carrasqueira”, a piece of rock blocks and where you need to use safety equipment for those who are not familiar with the rock. The entire route takes approximately 6 hours (round trip) and requires a good physical preparation, or at least not be a totally sedentary.

Photos by Vagner Pires and Fernando Barroso