This Brazilian paradise, Rio de Janeiro, is the most touristic destinations in South America. Spending some breathtaking months in Brazil’s former capital, I had a chance to experience one of the most exotic places and meet more happy people than anywhere else in the world. And magically, great minds think alike – most travelers who have been to this continent would agree with me – Rio is their favorite city.
Now, the 5 best things to enjoy in the marvellous city called Rio.
#5 Amazonian fruit. What we see growing in the Amazon basin will surely surprise us. As a digital nomad, I have seen plenty of fruit in South America but not everything, because there are still much more. In addition, some are not even exported. I can’t even name them all.
There’s always a fabulous flavor of a bitter dark-purple fruit on my mind: Açaí, “ç” and “í” sounding the same as “s” and “ee” in “sweet” respectively. And outstandingly, this small grape-like fruit is the staple fruit of Brazil.
If you tried an açaí smoothie bowl anywhere outside of Brazil, did it come with with bananas, berries, and granola or was it pure acai? The difference is just not the same.
Only in Brazil can we taste açaí smoothie mixed with guarana and no other crap. It is so tasty that it can make anyone addicted. By the way, there’s not an inkling of bitterness in the açaí smoothie at all. In general, it comes with guarana. Both açaí and guarana are awesome fruits with tons of antioxidants. It is not easy for us to find açaí in the remote areas, and the fruit needs delivering frozen so that it won’t spoil quickly. Furthermore, its price is not cheap compared to any other fruit.
Aside from Açaí, I can never forget cachaça, a unique alcohol made from fermented sugarcane. Memorably, I enjoyed it at a cachaçaria after having spent my first week in Brazil drinking it every night until I lost my voice.
The most flawless aspect when I ordered a caipirihna, a drink with cachaça was that it was made with fresh pressed fruit. It is really more valuable than the type of artificially flavored syrup I found in most western countries. I could easily discover an abundance of coconuts and fruit drinks with Cachaça to get drunk and hydrated in an endless cycle.
#4 Brazil’s second-most populous city is truly an ideal place: its diverse landscape is perfect in all aspects. And thankfully, I had everything to satisfy: lush green terrain, gigantic trees, wildlife, and beaches. Deep down if I had had more time, I would have spent a year staying in Rio partaking in gazillions of tours and enjoying all the hobbies I love – rock climbing, hang gliding, and swimming in the ocean.
My favorite among tenths of museums in Rio is the National Museum of Brazil; its main part was the residence of the Portuguese Royal and Brazilian Imperial Family, House of Braganza. I was absolutely impressed by the Carioca Aqueduct, also known as Lapa Arches; this architecture was artistically built by the Portuguese in the mid-18th century. The favelas are unregulated Brazilian neighborhoods for low and middle-income class, but they are attracting more and more tourists. Fantastically, I climbed above Rocinha, the most famous and largest favela, in the sunshine.
The best kind of view is from a helicopter or drone. It is incredible to get a bird’s eye view of the whole city. The state of Rio de Janeiro has an island called the Big Island (ilha grande) where cars are prohibited; it’s an hour by boat to arrive.
Another great tourist attraction of nature is the Tijuca Forest, one of the world’s largest urban forests. Be sure to go with a group and tour guide, because robberies there do occur. There are many treasures around this national park. One of them is Christ the Redeemer, the cultural icon of Brazil. And I was so proud to float in the clouds with this statue.
Pedra da Gavea, a high monolithic mountain ending in the ocean, is where I almost quit the climb half way. There was no harness but there were 40-50 year old people doing it so I had to continue to the top.
Another phenomenal place in the forest is the Vista Chinesa. From the picturesque viewpoint of this belvedere, I watched the sky turning orange at sunset. I could have done it from dozens of other viewpoints throughout the city. The forest also has 30 spectacular waterfalls; I hiked alongside the monkeys when seeing a cascade. After the hike I had to have another acai and caipirinhia.
#3 Sport fanaticism. Undoubtedbly, Cariocas, like the rest of Fluminenses (people from the homonymous state) and Brazilians, are exceptionally keen on sports, an essential part of their daily life.
The most popular sport is definitely soccer, also known as association football. Brazil has won the FIFA World Cup 5 times, and in this country, there exist 4 tiers of soccer league, while each state has its own leagues. The state of Rio de Janeiro has 4 teams in the Série A – the first tier – Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, and Vasco da Gama.
I experienced the electrifying atmosphere in Rio: the Cariocas enthusiastically gathered in the bars, watching soccer matches and drinking beers.
Another popular sport is volleyball, in which Brazil is the most distinguished country too. And there’s a mix of beach volleyball and soccer: footvolley; it’s mostly similar to beach volleyball but players are not allowed to use their hands and the ball is a soccer ball.
The beautiful beaches in Rio are where the Cariocas watch or partake in sports whenever they are not working, particularly in the afternoon. Their other sports are surfing, paddleboarding, hang gliding, swimming, hiking outdoor, and outdoor gyms. By the way, there’s a Jockey Club: the Hipódromo da Gávea.
#2 Beach Life & Culture. Beach is a key aspect of Rio’s cultural life. For me, this is the best “beach” city in the world: better than any beaches I’ve been to, including Miami and Cancún.
The days in Rio made me realize that for all the Cariocas, regardless of race, gender, and income, beach is the most flawless place where they become free from stress and failure.
Girls wearing thongs is a norm there and females with regular bikini bottoms are immediately assumed to be foreigners on the beaches of Rio. While local women are somewhat overly sexual, men look great with muscular physiques and many of them wear speedos. This is normal to Brazilians, despite being rique in many other parts of the world.
Your jaw will drop when heading to posto 8 & 9 in Ipanema. The abundance of beauty of males and females indescribable.
#1 Festivals & Parties. Celebration is an integral part of the Carioca life, and festival takes priority over work.
Carnival is the most stunning festival in Brazil, and Rio carnival is considered the greatest. An important part of Rio carnival is the Samba school parade. Samba, as a music genre, originated in Rio. There are about 20 samba schools in the city; one of which, Salgueiro, is where I partied. This traditional school is full of special things: it is attended by people of all ages. It’s not rare to see grandmas dance there at 2 a.m.
The Carioca hospitality is incredible, and for me, they are friendlier than anyone else on Earth. They will share their food with us, give us beer, and hug us. And I even got a kiss when I danced with one. It was not difficult for me or any other foreigner to fit in with the locals in a diverse society like Brazil.
Fortunately, because hundreds of telenovelas have been produced in Rio, I had an opportunity to meet a celebrities on the beach. A singer called Watermelon woman “Mulher Melao”.