Gávea, Lagoa and Jardim Botânico in Rio de Janeiro

Just inland from Ipanema and Leblon, nestled under the forested slopes of Corcovado and the Tijuca national park and spread around the picturesque saltwater lagoon of Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, are these three mainly residential suburbs. There are a few sights of interest and all have lively top-end nightlife. Gávea tends to attract the young and wealthy, while the 30-somethings dine in the restaurants in Lagoaoverlooking the lagoon and go out to clubs in Leblon.

Lagoa de Freitas

The Lagoa is another of Rio de Janeiro's unfeasibly beautiful natural sights and has long been admired. Darwin and German naturalists Spix and Martius mention it in their accounts. It is best seen in the early evening when thick golden sunlight bathes the rainforest-clad slopes of the

Serra da Carioca

, which rise high above it to reach their spectacular pinnacle with the distant xenon-white statue of Christ.

Like Copacabana and Guanabara Bay, it could be even more beautiful if only it were looked after a little better. The canal that links the lake to the sea is far too narrow to allow for sufficient exchange of water; pollution makes it unsafe for swimming and occasional summer algal blooms have led to mass fish deaths.

The lake is surrounded by a series of parks. Immediately next to it is the

Parque Tom Jobim

and contiguous are

Brigadeiro Faria Lima

Parque do Cantagalo

and

Parque das Taboas

. All have extensive leisure areas popular with roller skaters and volleyball players. There are live shows and

forró

dancing in the

Parque dos Patins

and kiosks serve a variety of food from Arabic to Japanese. Nearby is the

Parque Carlos Lacerda

, an open-air art gallery with sculptures by local artists in a landscaped park shaded by ornamental trees.

Jardim Botânico (botanical gardens)

www.jbrj.gov.br

These extensive 137-ha gardens protect 70,000 rare vascular plants and are home to 140 species of birds, and butterflies including the brilliant blue morphos. There are stately stands of 40-m-high royal palms, large tropical ficus and ceiba trees and pau brasil, from which the country gets its name. Giant Amazonian victoria regia lilies cover many of the

ponds and there are views up to Corcovado through the trees. The gardens were founded in 1808 by the king, Dom Joao VI, as a nursery for European plants and new specimens from throughout the world. When the electric tram line arrived in this part of the city, housing and industries soon followed, but the gardens, then as now, remained a haven of peace.

There is a herbarium, an aquarium and a library as well as the

Museu Botânico

, housing exhibitions on the conservation of Brazilian flora, and the

Casa dos Pilões

, the first gun-powder factory in Brazil. A new pavilion contains sculptures by Mestre Valentim. Many improvements were carried out before the 1992 Earth Summit, including a new

orquidario

, an enlarged bookshop and a smart café. Birdwatchers can expect to see rarities including the social flycatcher, great and boat-billed kiskadees, cattle tyrants, sayaca, palm and seven-coloured (green-headed) tanagers as well as over 20 different kinds of hummingbird, roadside hawks, laughing falcons and various toucans and parakeets. There are marmosets in the trees.

Less than 1 km from the gardens is the little-visited

Parque Laje

, which is more jungle-like than the Jardim Botânico and has a series of small grottoes, an old tower and lakes, as well as the

Escola de Artes Visuais

(visual arts school) housed in a large colonial house in the grounds.

The

Planetario

, www.rio.rj.gov.br/planetario, has a sculpture of the Earth and Moon by Mário Agostinelli. On Wednesday evenings at dusk, in clear weather, astronomers give guided observations of the stars. At weekends there are shows for children. There are occasional

chorinho

concerts on Thursday or Friday.

The

Instituto Moreira Salles

, www.ims.com.br

, is a cultural centre in a modernist mansion with gardens landscaped by Burle Marx. There are exhibition halls for photographic shows and an auditorium for concerts and films.

Rough paths lead to the summit of the flat-topped

Pedra da Gávea

and to magnificent views. Hang-gliders fly to the beach at São Conrado from the

Pedra Bonita

behind the Pedra da Gávea.

This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF

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