6. – 10. Mar 2019
Having arrived in Rio right at the start of a giant thunderstorm, we took an Uber to Santa Tere Hostel in Santa Teresa and later explored the neighborhood Lapa which is famous for its vibrant nightlife. The next day, we took part in a free walking tour in the city center including some historical background information. Afterwards, we explored the Olympic Boulevard and then hiked to Morro-hill in order to see the sunset from high above the city and to take the cable car up to the Sugarloaf Mountain where we had amazing views over all the lights in the city beneath.
Lapa 
Street Art 
Sugarloaf Mountain 
Selarón Staircase 
Taking a look at Christ 
Amazing Views
The next morning, we switched the hostel to Aurora Hostel (Great hostel with cool people!) in order to also experience another neighborhood in Rio. From there, we went up to the Corcovado to see the Christ statue from up close before looking at it the next day from the other side of the city on one of the Two-Brother-Mountains where we met many cute monkeys on the way up from Vidigal favela. Afterwards, it was time to stroll along the amazing long, sandy beaches such as Ipanema and Copacabana. At Leme beach, a huge “bloco” (carnival street party) was taking place, making the sunset there an even more spectacular thing.
In the Jungle 
Monkeys on the Way 
Facing Christ 😉 
Taking a Look at the Sugarloaf 
Corcovado Hill 
Vidigal Slum 
Copacabana Beach 
Carnival Street Party 
Ipanema Beach
That night, it was finally time for Carnival in the Sambodrome! It was just an amazing experience and neither words nor photos can really describe it. It is a Once-in-a-lifetime-must-see! The people were dancing and singing on the stands while the six very best samba schools presented their shows in a parade that lasted until 6:30 am in the morning…
Amazing Carnival Parade in Rio
Without sleep, we only strolled through the Botanic Garden the next morning and then took a bus to the beaches north of Rio in order to have some time to relax after all these carnival parties …