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Pedra da Gávea hike is one of the most scenic hikes in Rio de Janeiro.
The mountain itself – Pedra da Gávea – is one of the highest coastal monolith in the world. Located in the Tijuca Range, it is a very popular hiking destination in Rio. You can hike to this tall granite dome and admire it up close. You can’t hike the last section, though — it’s an almost vertical climb, and you’ll need climbing gear.
Read on to learn more about Pedra da Gávea hike.
Table of Contents
1. Pedra da Gávea Hike: Basics
This coastal mountain is popular among both locals and tourists alike.
It’s a rather challenging but easy-to-follow and well-maintained trail. The views from the top are simply wonderful! They are among the best views in Rio de Janeiro.
Pedra da Gávea is one of the world’s highest mountains that ends directly in the ocean. It is 844 metres (2,769 ft) high and is composed of granite and gneiss. You can hike to it, and admire it close up. If you want to climb on top of it, you will need climbing gear and climbing skills, though. Alternatively, you can join a guided climbing tour to get to the top.
As a rather challenging hike it’s not as heavily trafficked as Urca Hill hike. But you still see plenty of people, especially on a weekend and at the top.
MY ROUTE:
TIME AND DISTANCE: 4 hours; about 10 miles (16 km)
It took us nearly 4 hours to hike to the top and back to where we started (metro station Jardim Oceânico). Unlike some other hiking trails in Rio de Janeiro and the area, this trek starts from a safe, upper class neighbourhood.
As you approach the place where the trail starts, you’ll see that there are two gates. One is for entering the residential area, but the second one is where the trailhead is. Second gates are closing at 17:00. You need to be back at the gate before 17:00 (5 PM).
2. How to Get To Pedra Da Gávea?
The trail to Pedra da Gávea starts not far from Jardim Oceânico Station.
Jardim Oceânico is the last stop for Metro Line 4 (yellow line). It’s very easy to get to Jardim Oceânico from Ipanema. All you need is to take one metro. If you are traveling from Copacabana, you’ll need to change trains in General Osório station in Ipanema.
From Jardim Oceânico, it’s an half an hour walk to the trailhead. It’s a safe area. The trek starts starts from a safe, upper class neighbourhood, so walking to the trailhead is perfectly fine. Alternatively, you can take a taxi to the trailhead (or all the way).
3. Hiking Pedra Da Gávea / Pedra Da Gávea Hike: Our Experience in 2022
We took the metro from Copacabana to Jardim Oceânico.
From there, we walked for about half an hour to the trailhead. The trail starts at a safe neighbourhood. As we mentioned before, there are two gates – one is for the residential area, and the other one – for the hikers. The second gate is where the trailhead is.
The trail was easy to follow, but quite challenging at times. It took us about 2.5 hours to get to the top. When we walked up the hill, we saw that there are several other trails in the area. These trails lead to other viewpoints and peaks of the mountain. So, if you want, you can also spend a full day in the area, or two — and try several hiking trails.
Once we got to the top, we saw that there is a trail that leads up to one viewpoint, and another trail that leads down to another viewpoint (Garganta do Céu). If you want to hike all the way to the top of Pedra da Gávea, you will have to climb the last section which is called Carrasqueira. For that you’ll need climbing skills and equipment. It is best to join a guided hiking tour that will provide you with the necessary equipment and guide.
When we were hiking back, we decided to hike to another viewpoint. According to the map, the trail to this viewpoint started almost at the bottom of the mountain, but we had no luck of finding it. We tried to follow the trail we saw on Strava, but it turned out to be non-existent. However, there clearly are at least a couple other options as you can see once you are there.
Be Careful at the Top of Pedra da Gávea Trail
When you are taking photos at both of the above mentioned viewpoints, be careful. Do not go too close to the edge, as it’s a steep drop from a cliff.
Here are our photos from the Pedra da Gávea hike:
Have you been to Rio de Janeiro? Did you do the Pedra da Gávea hike? If yes, what was your experience? Have you done any other hikes in Rio de Janeiro?
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