Rio de Janeiro is a kaleidoscope city of riotous color, rhythmic music and dance, undulating surf, towering mountains and more.  However, when one needs a bit of serenity and bliss there is Tijuca National Forest right in  the city’s midst. And, inside this wondrous  park is an oasis of  tranquility –  the Botanical Gardens .  Located at the base of Corcovado Mountain, the garden is 350 acres and home to over 6,000 species of tropical and subtropical plants and trees, including 900 varieties of palm trees.  The most famous of the palm trees is shown above, the Avenue of Royal Palms,.  There are 134 of these stately palms stretching out  2,460 feet from the garden’s entrance.  It is quite grand.

We could not walk through the entirety of the gardens during our stay,  but we were still able to breathe in all the beauty before us – every walkway :

Every waterfall:

Deep cleansing breaths followed our meander around the lily pads:

From cool waters to desert cacti in many shapes and sizes:

Then there are the orchids – delicate, fragrant, whimsical and colorful:

 

 

We weren’t the only beings enjoying  this quiet beauty- quite a few birds, fish and mammals make this place their home and happily I was able to catch a few in photos which I will share in next week’s post.

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