BRAZIL || Rio de Janeiro - travel vlog (Christ the Redeemer, Copacabana, Rocinha) 15 Degrees North

15° North are travelling again! This time we are in Brazil in the iconic city of Rio de Janeiro. There we visit: Christ the Redeemer, Copacabana, Ipanema, downtown, Santa Theresa, Sugarloaf Mountain and the favela of Rocinha.
Jérémy and Ben here again! We love to travel and to satisfy our wanderlust, we are on a worldwide odyssey exploring the best places for a break around the world. We love to escape Britain to experience the best culture, cuisine and attractions that the globe has to offer. If you’re a tourist like us and just need a good itinerary for what to do and how to do it when you’re in Rio, we will show you the best things to put on your itinerary.
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Rio de Janeiro is Brazil’s most iconic city, even if it’s no longer its capital. Located on the Atlantic Coast, this sprawling port city is home to 12 million people it was founded in 1565 and is now arguably the most famous city in all of South America.
Synonymous with exotic luxury in the world’s collective imagination, what is it about Rio that makes everyone just want to go and experience it for themselves?
Well the reasons are numerous. But I’ve made a list - 5 reasons why Rio is remarkable.
Firstly there’s its history. With almost the entire continent of the Americas either in the zone of Spanish or British imperialism, Brazil stands out as the anomaly in the New World. A remnant of Portuguese Imperialism, Rio is the only city in the history of civilisation that took over as the capital of a European Empire.
Secondly, there’s the architecture. Sure, this is a modern high-rise city, which is typical of the Americas, but there’s quite the smattering of historic distinctly Portuguese buildings across the city, including churches and civil buildings. But even though Rio has more history than any other city in the Americas, its has also embraced modernity in a big way.
Brazil is a country that boomed in the mid-twentieth century, and this is clearly reflected in its wealth of modern architecture too. There are modernist masterpieces across the city, including its pyramidal brutalist cathedral designed as an interpretation of a Mayan pyramid, the Museum of Tomorrow by renowned Spanish architect Calatrava and the Niteroi Contemporary Art Gallery by Oscar Niemeyer himself, the man who built Brasilia itself and whose name has become synonymous with what modern Brazil has become.
Thirdly, there’s the city’s unusual topography. The city was built here because the bay is a vast natural harbour, but its sheer mountains that sit mere metres from the seafront mean that this is a city that has had to build around what is essentially a bunch of massive boulders sticking into the air. On the slopes of these mountains is actual jungle, so you have dense urban districts sitting directly alongside dense rainforest, literally metres from each other. And on top of one of these mountains, they built the most iconic statue in the entire world.
At only 38 metres in height, the statue is nowhere near the largest in the world but it’s the location that, of course, makes Christ the Redeemer so iconic. It has become a symbol of Christianity around the world and is arguably the most iconic piece of art to come from Latin America. You can easily get a funicular up to see it, but when your neck gets tried from staring up at it so much, why not give it a rest by staring instead at its glorious views? Oh and our tip? Make sure to be there for sunset, when the statue looks its best and when nearly everyone has gone.
The other iconic part of Rio’s landscape is, of course, Sugarloaf Mountain, which you can ascend by cable car from the seashore. At the mouth of Guanabara Bay, it juts up vertically 396 metres and is named after its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined loaf sugar. The telecabin to the top was constructed in 1912 and you ascend via two lines, with the first ride taking you to another mountain and then the second spanning from summit to summit.
The fourth reason is its iconic beaches.The waterfront of Rio de Janeiro is split into several vast beaches, separated by the aforementioned mountains. Copacabana is by far the most famous, not least because of the song by Barry Manilow. Over four kilometres in length, this is the closest ocean-facing beach to the city’s centre, and so it has become the centre for tourism in the city. With countless hotels clustered within metres of one the world’s best surfing beaches, this is where Brazilians and tourists alike come to sit on the shore, kick back from the daily grind and just enjoy the sun, sea and sand.

[@michaeldolan9053]

Rio de Janeiro has been an obsession of mine since living in Basil as an exchange student back in the 80"s! Was back for my 19th trip to Rio last year and consider myself a Carioca. The breathtaking mountains, the music, the food, and especially the people! Thanks for bringing me back...There will be 20 trip back!

[@15dntravel]

Aww thanks! So happy we made you reminisce on your love for Brazil, we absolutely loved it and cannot wait to go back and explore more!