Carlos Melia’s Inside Scoop on Sugar Loaf and Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro

New adventures take our Gay Travel expert Carlos Melia to new destinations and- and even new continents! During the course of Carlos Melia’s city tour in Rio de Janeiro, he made a stop at one of the two iconic Carioca attractions: the Corcovado Christ Redeemer, and the Sugar Loaf “Pão de Açúcar”. These beautiful sites are located at the mouth of the Guanabara Bay, which is the same bay that the first Portuguese settled on the 1st of January in 1502. That is where this beautiful Brazilian city got its name- Rio (River) and Janeiro (January). When sailing across the Guanabara Bay that January in 1502, the Portuguese settlers thought they were on the mouth of a river. The name “Sugar Loaf” is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined sugar loaf.

To get to Sugar Loaf, Carlos hopped on and the infamous cable car which was featured in the Moonraker James Bond film.  Although the same cable car system still exists here, the cars themselves have been modernized over the years which is able to take 60 people in each cabin with two stops along the way. The first stop is Urca, (220mts), where you will have amazing views of the Sugar Loaf. The final stop offers fantastic views of the Guanabara Bay from the top of the Sugar Loaf, which is absolutely worth seeing. The panoramic 360 degrees view even includes sights of the Corcovado on a clear day. An alternative way to experience the Sugar Loaf and the Corcovado is by Helicopter Tours, which is also a very popular option. Regardless of how you get there, Sugar Loaf is a not to be missed Rio de Janeiro hotspot!

Read the full story at Carlos Melia’s Blog!