Sugar Loaf

   Sugar Loaf Mountain stands high above the city of Rio de Janeiro and Baia de Guanabara (Guanabara Bay). The mountain is one of the most famous in the world and is a spectacular backdrop to Brazil's most lively city. Visitors can see excellent views of Rio de Janeiro from the top of the mountain and sunsets are particularly spectacular. Cable cars, which  were introduced by the engineer Augusto Ferreira Ramos in 1912, take visitors to the top of the mountain, although more adventurous travellers may choose to make the steep climb on foot. 

   The summit of Rio's unique 887ft high (270m) belvedere, named Sugar Loaf because of its resemblance to the loaves of sugar used by the Portuguese colonists.

   The first stage takes visitors up 550ft (168m) to the Morro da Urca, where there is a restaurant, amphitheatre, heliport and spectacular view of the Yacht Club and Botafogo Bay. The second stage takes one the rest of the way to the summit for a  panoramic view of the city, and the whole of Copacabana beach.