05 Jul The Most Epic Hike of Rio de Janeiro: Pedra da Gávea
@ all adventure, nature or fitness lovers, if you’re visiting Rio de Janeiro, add hiking Pedra da Gávea to your itinerary. This is the most difficult hike in the city and the highest view to look down on Rio. Pedra da Gávea is named for good reason, meaning “Crow Nest Stone.” It’s one of the world’s highest mountains to end directly at the ocean and after hiking to the top, you’ll sit at 844 meters or about 2,769 feet.
If you’re searching for that mind-blowing, desktop background panorama, this is it! Read more about everything you need to know to hike Pedra da Gávea below.
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Where is Pedra da Gávea
Pedra da Gávea is in the Tijuca National Park, just past Rocinha. The trail begins here and is shown on the map below.
Getting There
To reach the trailhead you can either drive, take an Uber/ taxi or take a bus towards Rio das Pedras to Estrada and then walk from there. This is *if* your tour doesn’t include pick up or if you go with a local friend who’s done the trek before (no, I don’t think you should do it on your own, but read more about that below).
How long is the hike to Pedra da Gávea?
The hike up to Pedra da Gávea is about 3 miles, with a 2,500 ft elevation gain and takes about 2.5 hours on average to reach the top. You’ll probably stay awhile and then take 1.5 hours to get back down. Altogether it’s definitely a day trip, and I suggest going before noon and so block out about 5-6 hours to complete it.
How hard is the hike to Pedra da Gávea?
This is definitely a challenging hike for the average person so I would only recommend it to those in relatively good shape and those up for adventure. The first part of the trail is like other hikes through a forest, 95% incline and some flat portions you’ll be thankful for. The last third is a nearly straight up rock scramble that many professionally climb or you free-solo it with a guide who knows the right spots to step. And THAT is why I recommend going with a guide. I would not want to attempt doing that alone and highly suggest you don’t either since there’s chance you could get injured.
Tips for Hiking Pedra da Gávea
1. Bring plenty of water
This is a long and strenuous day hike, make sure you have plenty of water. On the way up (and back down) there may be running water which is apparently clean to drink. But if you want to be extra safe, consider bringing a water bottle that filters out impurities like the LifeStraw water bottle. I swear by this baby. Check it out on Amazon here.
2. Bring sunscreen & a hat
Because the hike will be all day, that also means you’ll be under the sun the majority of the time. In the last half of the trail there’s little shade so make sure you’re protected with sunscreen and a hat.
This is my go-to sunscreen for my body, sunscreen for my face and baseball cap (you can’t go wrong bringing a black hat every trip you go on!) Click the items below to see them on Amazon.
3. Wear shoes that have good traction
Like I mentioned, one portion of the trail is actually climbing on some pretty steep, sometimes slick rock. Make sure the shoes you wear have decent traction.
Some go-to hiking boots of mine are the Columbia Women’s Newton Ridge, but you could also wear sneakers as long as they have traction.
4. Bring snacks, you’ll be up there for awhile
One mistake I made on this hike was not bringing enough food. I totally underestimated how much it would take out of me and didn’t think about how it would last over lunchtime. So definitely eat a hearty breakfast AND bring plenty of snacks and a lunch substitute. It’s also just nice to have something to enjoy at the top.
5. Don’t drink the night before
You’re either thinking why the hell would I do this or oooop caught me. But seriously, in Rio it’s so tempting to party every night, especially on the weekend. While some shorter hikes people do hungover or even still drunk for sunrise (like Dois Iramos), this is not one you should attempt dehydrated.
Maybe I’m really out of shape or just get bad hangovers. But I considered going out the night before and when I was sweating my ass off going up Pedra, I was so happy I didn’t.
6. Clear out your day schedule
If you’re like me, you may overestimate your capabilities and underestimate the hours in a day therefore making afternoon plans proceeding the hike. I wouldn’t recommend this.
Between getting to and from the park, hiking all the way up to Pedra da Gavea, and also allowing some time to enjoy it up there, it really does take all day. You’ll have the late afternoon/early evening to yourself, but I wouldn’t make any concrete plans such as another tour.
And that’s everything! If you’re looking for more things to do in Rio de Janeiro then check out this blog post here and the resources for booking your trip below. Happy hiking!
More Resources for Your Trip to rio:
Planning your own trip? Here’s everything I used to book and coordinate my itinerary through Brazil.
Hostels
If you’re a budget traveler or looking for an easy way to meet others, Hostelworld is the best place to search. Discovery Hostel is the highest rated in Rio, but if you’re a digital nomad like me I suggest Selina Lapa or Selina Copacabana. Search for more hostels in Rio here.
Hotels
Booking.com has so many options from affordable stays to more luxurious. If you’re looking for stunning views, I recommend Rio 144 and Vila Santa Teresa.
Flights
Flights to Brazil and within Brazil can be pricey if not booked ahead of time. To get the best prices I recommend using Skyscanner. You can fly directly to Rio at GIG (Tom Jobim International Airport). There is another airport in Rio but it’s only domestic flights.
BUSES
No matter the destination, I always check Rome2Rio to see options on how to travel. However I found using Brazilian bus companies to book could be a pain because you need a CPF often. The most useful sites to me were BusBud & FlixBus.
Insurance
Travel insurance is a must for every trip, and I highly recommend it for Brazil. My go to is always WorldNomads which is made for backpackers. You can search for coverage here.
Tours & Experiences
There’s a lot of free thing to do in Rio but joining a tour does have its advantages, and if you’re a solo traveler looking to meet people then tours are a great option. In Rio you can find awesome experiences on GetYourGuide, Viator, & Airbnb Experiences (hit or miss but mostly good).
Safety
Read this blog post with 21 do’s and don’ts to stay safe while in Brazil
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