europe2011

My husband and I were wondering if we should book a tour of Tijuca with Jeep tours. I can't find much info. on Tijuca and whether or not we can take a cab to Tijuca and if there is transportaion within that area. Please help!!! Thanks

VidaNaPraia

It depends on what you are hoping to see and which company/tour you take.
If you are going in Rio summer, beware of high heat and humidity when exercising/hiking, and hydrate well.
I've been lucky enough to have seen parts of this huge park with a friend who is a taxi driver in Rio and also with another friend who is a professional tour guide, so I haven't had to 'arrange' tours, but also haven't gotten much off the pavement to hike. The road in the park is very narrow, though, and bordered/surrounded and overhung by lush foilage.

I'm assuming you will have already gone up to the statue of Christ on Corcovado in Tijuca (by the train, most interesting, IMO), a spectacular viewpoint. You can easily take a taxi to the base station of the train from your accomodation, and many taxis will be waiting when you come down.

There are several other spectacular view/vista points over the city that you can reach by taxi, such as Vista Chinesa and Dona Marta. Either have your hotel arrange someone or just negotiate at the nearest taxi rank. Or you could consider hiring a private tour guide for a half-day or day (cheaper than you might think) who could show you the sights near the road and lots more, a good way to see a lot efficiently in a short time.

Within the park, for example, there is a waterfall (Cascatinha/Taunay) and a koi pond to visit, right along the road. Just driving along the road, we have been lucky enough to see troups of monkeys.

But if you are looking for some hiking within the park, then a jeep tour might be the way to go, to get that experience actually walking on trails within the forest, surrounded by vegetation, and to be in a group in a place that can be potentially risky on your own.
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This (4 hour total) tour, for one example (not that I'm recommending any particular tour), reads:
"On your tour you'll pass the Cachoeira dos Macacos (monkey's waterfall), take photos at Vista Chinesa (Chinese view), hear about the important reforestation program and learn the importance of the Mata Atlantica (Atlantic Forest) ecosystem. The tour also takes you past the Mesa do Imperador (Emperor's table), Cascatinha (Taunay's waterfall) and Capela Mayrink (Mayrink Chapel)."
The last mentioned locations and the Vista Chinesa are alongside a road and accessible by taxi too. The actual hiking part is stated to be one hour.

http://www.viator.com/tours/Rio-de-J...o/d712-2484_08
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There is also this one, for another example, that goes to the high point of Pico de Tijuca:
http://easyhiker.co.uk/hiking-to-the...io-de-janeiro/
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This one, by jeep, seems to spend as much time on sightseeing the city by driving the streets as in the park:
http://www.riobyjeep.com/mapa/
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Happy hiking.

VidaNaPraia

Are you also posting for info as Tracy Blizman Richter on Frommer's?

europe2011

I guess my Husband posted on Frommer's too.

Thanks for all of the info. Still not sure what to do. Is it a good idea to hire a cab to take us there and go point to point? Or do you think that would be too expensive vs. hiring a Jeep tour. We really don't like 'tours' and would rather go on our own.

For example: After seeing Christ on Corcovado we could take a taxi to various places throughout Tijuca then drop us at the final point. Would you recommend us going on a short walk/stroll (1 hour or so) then looking for another cab or is not possible/probable to do something like that?

Thanks

VidaNaPraia

The question is to hike surrounded by forest or just to walk enough to look around nearer the road.
If you want to hike, do it with a group. It is not safe, both because of getting lost (no good trail maps) in the forest and the fact that there are favelas on the mountain too. Even an entire group jeep tour got robbed during Carnaval two years ago (not to scare you too much but it can happen). The roads up on the mountain are not very busy, other than occasional passing car, so taking a taxi to a hiking point and then expecting to find one to get back after an hour's stroll is not realistic. Also, the extent of the entire forest is vast, esp. for an urban area.

However, getting around to the vista points and buildings and Cascatinha waterfall is reasonable to do in a taxi (or with a private guide in his vehicle, on your schedule). This could be done by taxi, starting from the base station of the train (in which case you might use the alternate route to the train, and have the taxi take you to the parking lot on top, from which you can get the official van to the statue, to see the view while the taxi waits for you and then go on to the mentioned points of interest.
(Note: Don't know what kind of a deal yu could make for such a trip (in comparison to a jeep tour), bargaining with a taxi driver. However, a taxi from your hotel or any location other than the base station would probably charge less for the same trip, but the road to the van does starts near the base station. This is one of the entrances to the forest, but there are other ways in to see other features.)

VidaNaPraia

This organization has trail maps (site in Portuguese):
http://www.terrabrasil.org.br/buildframe.php?build=obj
Click on "trilhas e mapas" on the left.