We now come to the  15 square mile Tijuca Tropical Forest Reserve, one of the largest “urban” forests in the world and the pride  of Rio De Janeiro’s Cariocas. It is, as I mentioned in an earlier post, the subject of a mega photo book that my guide, Vitor Marigo will be releasing on November 9.  For those who might not have seen it – here is a quote from Vitor on the genesis of his book:

The idea of ​​this book is to show people that Tijuca National Park has much more to offer than just Christ the Redeemer. We have a huge green area within the city full of incredible lakes, waterfalls, mountains and caves. I believe that environmental awareness comes through knowledge and contact with nature. As my father used to say, we can only care about the things we know. I hope this book awakens people’s curiosity and their desire to explore our countless attractions.

I’ve had a sneak peek and this is going to be a stunning piece, and I will share highlights of the book once I get my hands of a copy.

Tijuca Forest has a singular history – it is all that’s left of the Atlantic rainforest that once surrounded Rio de Janeiro.  In  the second half of the 19th Century Emperor Pedro II gave an order to replant the trees as the deforestation due to extreme farming  of sugarcane and coffee cultivation was catastrophic.  In addition,  the deforestation caused the Rio de Janeiro drinking water supply to decrease so it was crucial that something was done to protect it.

The area became a National park in 1861 and was christened  “Tijuca,”  which means “MARSH” OR “SWAMP.”

We started  our journey at  Pico da Tijuca , the highest part of Tijuca  Park at 4000 feet.  At this peak is a fabulous panoramic view of Rio –  the spectacular views spurred me to create some “painterly” pics:

 

Here are two with no filters – still spectacular:

Of course I have to include some photos Vitor took with his drone:

We were standing right in front of the cupola:

More to come!

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