Transcription
Welcome to Rio, known as The Marvelous City, with stunning beaches, mountainous landscapes, amazing culture, incredible food, the best sunsets we've ever seen, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and so much vibrant energy. We spent 5 days exploring Rio, and we're going to show you all the best things to do and exactly how much to budget for this trip. Stay tuned!
What's up, explorers? Welcome back to our channel. We're the Choose here from Choose to Explore, where we teach you guys how to world and save a dollar. So, we are here in beautiful Brazil, yes, none other than Rio de Janeiro. And we're super excited 'cause this is a place that we've always wanted to visit for such a very long time, but it's so far away and the flights are super expensive. But we got lucky and we found an Avianca flight sale for $431 per person, so we jumped on that deal and now we're here. New York to Rio de Janeiro.
So, we came here during March 2024, so there were no visa requirements. But starting next month, there will be visa requirements for Americans, and we have all that included in our Brazil guide, linked in the description below.
So, one of the best things about Rio is that Uber is widely available and it is very affordable. So, right from the airport, we took an Uber from the airport to our accommodation, and it was about 98 R, which is more or less $20. And it was like an hour-long drive, which is a great price 'cause in New York, you drive for 5 minutes and it's $20. So, um, unfortunately, we got here so early, early that we couldn't check into our Airbnb yet. But our host is really nice and she let us leave our bags, so we're ready to get out and explore Rio de Janeiro.
So, from our Airbnb, we walked about 20 minutes down by the water, um, and passed by Leblon Beach. It's a beautiful beach there, lots of people. It's beautiful temperature right now as well. I hope it doesn't get much hotter than this. But I really love the streets, they have mosaic tiles and it's just to see. And after that, we ended up at Zona Sul. Now, Zona Sul is actually a supermarket, but they have a lot of self-service options and a lot of food. So, we went here and Liv got a mushroom pizza, and I got a salami panini, and it was good, lots of flavor. We also got a coconut water because we're getting into some adventures today, so we got to stay hydrated. All together was about 42 R.
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So, we just took an Uber. It was about 30 minutes and we are here at the national park of Tijuca. And it's a beautiful green space. It's actually west of Rio de Janeiro, but it's beautiful over here. And we're going to do a little hike. Right, baby hike? A baby hike? So, stay tuned and come along with us.
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We made it here at Cascatinha Taunay. I think that's how you say it. It's a beautiful waterfall. And what's really cool about it is it cascades all the way down some rocks. And to get to see the beautiful view, you have this tunnel that you can go right through. And it's just amazing here. Not too many people. It's fresh water, so definitely come check this one out right here in Tijuca National Park. Tijuca National Park.
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All right, so we climbed up some crazy mountains through garbage cans and people on motorbikes, but we made it here at Cafe e Mont. But unfortunately, it looks like between the hours of 1 and 2, they have like a lunch break where they don't serve food. But Liv was tired, so she wanted to get a coffee. So, we came to get a coffee, but we're really here for the views. It has spectacular views looking out into the different rock formations, the different beaches, and it's just a really cool vibe and aesthetic. So, I highly recommend coming here.
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It took about a 30-minute Uber from our place to get us to Pão de Açúcar. So, from the time that we got there to the time that we made it up top was only 15 minutes. Which is what really accelerated that process is we bought our tickets online beforehand, and that allowed us to bypass a lot of people and just go right up to the mountain. Yes, no, no waiting in lines. So, getting up in the cable cars, there were so many people packed up in that little box, but it definitely felt safe and it was a cool ride. It was quick, too. I would say less than like 3 minutes. Yeah, it was very short, I felt. Um, but now we're up here and I saw a monkey. I think it's a monkey that I've never seen before. I've never seen an animal like that. It was calm, it didn't attack anybody, so that's good. But don't feed the monkeys. There's signs about that.
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All right, so we thought we were all the way up at Sugarloaf Mountain, but we weren't. There's actually another cable ride that you got to take up here. And it's perfect because it gives me more time on the cable ride. Um, it's a beautiful, another quick ride. And up here is even higher, even better views. The sun is setting over the mountains behind, and I just can't take in all the beauty here in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro. So nice.
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All right, so right after seeing Sugarloaf Mountain on the cable car, we were hungry, so we headed over to Yaya's restaurant. And it was really close by and it was so good. So, it's a black woman-owned restaurant right here in Brazil, and it has a lot of black Brazilian cuisine and flavors. And these are some complex flavors. We started off with drinks, and I got a coconut lemonade, and it was great. Yes. And my drink was actually pineapple with some chamomile, and it was really good. So, for starters, we had the Acarajé platter, and it was really good. Um, it had shrimp, it had fritters, and it was so flavorful. And we decided to share another shrimp dish. You know, Liv only shrimp or rice, and it was good because it had so much flavor. So, it had rice, and she says it's her favorite rice. It was like really large-grained rice, and it was so good just on its own, but then adding the shrimp was really good. And then it was like a shrimp stew, and then also there was cassava powder. Yeah, crust, right? Cassava flour. Yeah. And just, I highly recommend it. Lot of really good food here. Yes, good flavors, good texture, good, good place to go.
Good morning, good morning. Another beautiful day here in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As you can see, it is quite early. The sun is not even risen because we are getting up to see one of the best places for sunrise in all of Rio. So, stay tuned. You don't want to miss this one, guys. Let's go. 4:30.
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All right, so we're here. Literally, the only light that's here are these flashlights. It's still 5:30 in the morning. The sun has not risen yet, but we are heading up to go see the beautiful view. So, stay with us, guys. Let's hope that we capture these amazing views.
All right, so we made it here. As you can see, the sun is rising, and there are so many beautiful views. But there are a lot of people, a lot of photographers here trying to direct people. But I don't care, I'm going to get the picture I want, and I don't care who tells me 'cause honestly, I don't speak Portuguese, so I don't know what they're saying anyway. But spectacular views here, right?
So, we walked over to the other side of the parking lot to the helicopter pad section. There's a lot less people here, and it's a really great spot to just get some drone footage. And you can also even see Christ the Redeemer from here. Literally, one of the most beautiful sunrises that I've ever seen with the mountains, the lakes, the sun peeking through. Rio is beautiful. If you like more details on Mirante Dona Marta, I have an entire blog post on chp.com, so check it out.
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Let me tell you how amazing the people here in Brazil are. So, we were at Mirante and we were trying to get down to the Christ the Redeemer tram car area, but the Ubers were so far away, they were like 15 minutes away. And we were trying to get here for 7:00 to be one of the first people to that Christ the Redeemer. But we couldn't get a ride. But amazing people here in the parking lot. We talked to these people in our broken Portuguese translator, and they took us here. And we tried to give them money, but they didn't even want it. But now we made it here at Paineiras, Corcovado. And it's a little bit before 7:00. There is a line here, but let's see if we can be one of the only people, first people at Christ the Redeemer.
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So, it is currently 7:31, and we are in the 7:00 boarding group, and they are just now letting us enter. Um, so let's see what time we actually get up there. But, yeah.
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All right, so we made it here to one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We're on the second bus to get here to Christ the Redeemer, and it has incredible views. So many amazing views. The sun is up now, but there's also so many people, even though we were there on the second bus. So, this is also the perfect place for any special moment or activity you have. For example, this guy just proposed to his fiance now at the Christ the Redeemer, and it was great to see it right behind Rio and Christ the Redeemer. So, one thing that really is cool is in the place of Christ the Redeemer, it was supposed to be the lady who abolished slavery in Brazil. But she said, "No, I'm not the Redeemer of men. Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of men." And that is why Christ the Redeemer is on top of this hill for the most beautiful panoramic views in the city.
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All right, so just 15 minutes away from Christ the Redeemer is Plage Cafe. So, we got here right at 9:00 when they open up, and everyone was waiting in line to take a great picture. So, we did the same. And after we got our photos in, we came to sit and eat and have breakfast. So, let's see how it is. Honestly, if you guys can see my head right now, it is hot. And we've been up since 4:30 in the morning, and it wasn't so cool, um, hot. But now I am baking. Feta, man, right now.
All right, so I just finished eating at Plage Cafe. I ended up getting the vegetarian lasagna, and it was pretty good. I don't know why I thought there was going to be noodles in it. It was just eggplant, but it was really good, really good cheese, and I enjoyed it. But once you leave the cafe and you start walking, they have this beautiful garden, and they have these amazing trees. I originally thought that they were palm trees, but when I look up, I see a bunch of monkeys up top coming to eat the food. But not just that, they have the O O, I forget the name of the fruit, but in Jamaica, we just call them apples. But they have these beautiful fruit, and I wish I could get them, but the monkeys are hogging all of them.
All right, so it's midday now, about like 12:00. And we walked down right from our Airbnb, and we're at Praia de Leblon, which is Leblon Beach. And what's good, y'all? And let's just say it is active out here. There are so many people, and they all have their own beach umbrellas. They are enjoying and having a good time. So, we got to get it in too.
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All right, so we're in Brazil, so you know we have to get really good Açaí. So, we went to Açaí, which is Amazon Sustainable Action Açaí. And Liv got the, what I got, the pure Açaí bowl, and it was really good. It's really cool because you just go up to the kiosk and add what you want to your Açaí bowl. I got half Açaí, half cupuaçu, I think it's called. But listen, it is so good. It's Amazonian superfruit, and I highly recommend it, guys. It's the cupuaçu. I'm sorry, cupuaçu. I think. Get that one. Get that one. It's so good.
All right, so we're walking back to our Airbnb, and what I will say, Brazilians are beautiful, fit people. Listen, I thought I'd look good with my shirt off, but I just seen a couple women with a six-pack on their upper back and their lower back. So, I don't, I can't compare with that. Everybody works out here. 18-pack versus my six-pack, ain't it?
All right, so we were just walking back home, and right there on the beach, we saw this charismatic guy making drinks. So, you know, we had to get one. We got a national drink of Brazil, which is the Caipirinha, and it's so good. It's lime, it's rum, sugar, so much good flavor. And I don't drink, but I got the coconut. Lots of flavor. And hers was only 20 R, and mine was only 9 R. Yes, right by Leblon Beach.
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So, we went to this place called Bar da Gema, I think that's what it's called. But, um, it was really good. I got a Brazilian dish, which is Escondidinho, I think it's called. It was really good. It had like pulled meat, it had mashed potatoes, um, parmesan. It was lots of flavor in there. I highly recommend it. It was a shepherd's pie. He got, and I got, um, it's something that reminded me of a pastel from Aruba. Oh, yeah. But, um, it was actually something called "Oceano de Deuses" and it had, um, it was filled with two kinds of cheeses. No, like four. It was like an Brie, Gorgonzola, and something else. But it was all really good.
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All right, and we made it to Ipanema right before the sunset. If you can see that over there, it's sunsets right over the mountains, and it's a beautiful view. Ipanema is definitely another beach right next to Leblon, but this beach, honestly, is a lot prettier. It looks prettier. There's a lot more tourists that are here, and there's a lot more vendors. So, there's a lot of things catching my eye. I need to buy. I got to get away. We walked all the way on the boardwalk, and we made it here to these rocks where it has an amazing view of the sunset right over the rocks in Rio de Janeiro. I absolutely love this. This is definitely the best place that I've seen for a sunset.
So, a really good thing about this beach is that you don't even have to go anywhere. All the people come to you with their drinks, with their food, they'll come and serve it right to you.
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For dinner here, we ended up at Braseiro, 'cause I really wanted to get good Brazilian steak. And we walked all the way up Copacabana Beach, and it's another beautiful beach here, and we made it here. So, I got the steak with fries, eggs, rice, and it was great. It was a picanha steak, and lots of flavor here. Liv got a banana fritter. She says it kind of reminded her of Auntie Anne's pretzel, if you know, you know. But all together was about a 100 R, so about $20 for the two of us for dinner. So, pretty good price. Now we're going to head back home.
Good morning, good morning. Another beautiful day here in Rio de Janeiro. So, we got woken up to this beautiful sound of the waves. Bond. And we are heading to get the day started. The people here are so friendly. Um, and yeah, it's like 5:55, about to be 6:00. But, you know, we got to be early. We got to start our days early 'cause, you know, Choose to Explore, we always choose to explore. We got things to do.
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We made it here. It's around 6:30 in the morning, and it's just us and one other group here to take pictures. So, it's good. It's beautiful, and you can live out your dream of being the video vixen and the beautiful video, not a vixen.
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All right, so these steps were designed by Selarón, who was fixing his stairs in front of his house. There's over 200 stairs, and there's over 2,000 tiles now, and people from all over the world start contributing to the tiles and the ceramics, and it's really cool to see so many bright, beautiful colors, beautiful tiles from all over the world.
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All right, if you want more information on the Selarón Steps, check out chp.com. I have an entire blog post on it.
All right, so right after we left the steps, we went right across the street to this restaurant, and we had some delicious, delicious Açaí. Nice and refreshing. While we're sitting here and we're watching all the people coming in and out. Come early because there are so many people here, and it's only 8:00 right now. The vendors are coming out. It's good to support the local economy, so definitely come and support them.
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So, from Escadaria Selarón, we walked up the hill. Let me say it was a mountain. It was a mountain in order for us to get here to Parque das Ruínas, which is a super cool ruined mansion with a really nice art gallery. But the, even though it was a long walk, it's on Google Maps, it says it's going to take 12 minutes, but with stops, it probably took us like 30 minutes. Right? Take an Uber. Okay? Don't walk. Just take an Uber. Well, we're here. It's beautiful, and this has one of the most beautiful views of Sugarloaf Mountain where we were on our first day. So, definitely would recommend it. It also has like a look like a concert hall, different women's shops, and market. So, highly recommend coming here. Lots of souvenirs you can buy, and I'm just going to relax for now.
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So, we just took an Uber from the Ruins Park and we pulled up to the Bar do Mineiro. I apologize, Portuguese is very hard for me to pronounce. But I really love this spot. It's very affordable. They have promotions that are Monday through Sunday. So, I ended up getting this fried fish, and it was phenomenal. Broccoli rice and mashed potatoes, and I am so full right now. And it's a great breakfast choice. Yeah, I actually got broccoli rice as well, and some beans with cassava flour and like açaí. It was really good. And also some juice. Highly recommend it, guys.
All right, so next up, we went to Stellar Cafe, and I got a really good latte with oat milk. And then afterwards, we walked towards Museu do Amanhã, which is like the Museum of Tomorrow. And it's really cool here. They have a lot of shops lined up. It's right by the ocean, so there's tons of beautiful water, boats here. So, I really like it. This area kind of reminds me of like a European area. It looks a lot different than the other parts in Rio that we've been to, which is cool. But I had to get my $2 Açaí right from the street carts. Very good. And listen, everybody here takes card, even the street carts. So, now we're here at the Museum do Amanhã, and let's enter.
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So, I'm out here in Brazil. Listen, my God, listen. This New York connection right here. How things happen. It's funny how things. My first day, I actually, my controller broke, and my man is out here. So, I had to link up with him. I had to get the controller. So, you're a fool if you don't ask people when you have connections. You're a fool. So, he showed me love. He brought the controller, and we got to chop it up. Listen, the first time we ever link is in Rio, Brazil. It's not even in New York, it's in Brazil. So, appreciate you, my brother. No doubt. Anytime.
So, here on Copacabana Beach, on Sundays, they actually block off this whole road, so only pedestrians can go this way. So, definitely a cool place to be to watch people and just enjoy over here. Right? Yeah. So, Copacabana is a beautiful beach. It's a beach that I've heard about since I was a kid, so I'm so happy to finally be here. But the sand is super soft, white sand. There's a lot of people with umbrellas and beach chairs, and it's just a great place to be at the beach. Liv got her 75th cup of Açaí. Right? Yeah, it's really good. But definitely come to the beach together because it's the cheapest yet at the beach. This one was not even $2 for this cup, and it had oats and all of that as well.
So, on the beach, we keep seeing these different corn stands and a lot of people eating them and getting them. And I was like, "Who wants hot corn?" And it's 96 degrees outside. But I decided to stop and get it. I think it's called Milho Verde. And this is very good. They get the corn in the cob, they cut it off, and then they give you different toppings with garlic, salt, butter. Really good. I highly recommend it, and it's only 10 R, which is like $2.
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Really big time. The [ __ ] be good.
Good morning, good morning. Another beautiful day here in Rio, and it's a lot brighter than it usually is. And we say good morning because I let the queen sleep in. You know, we slept in like 8:00. You know, that's sleeping in for us. But we're ready to get this day started. We're going to get some breakfast, and still got a lot more to do.
So, for breakfast, we walked to BB Lanches, which is right here in the Leblon area. Um, Liv had to get her favorite Cua soup, her 16th one. I got the pineapple with the mint in it. I love this one as well. We also got the Brazilian cheese bread called Pão de Queijo. I highly recommend getting that, and also some different breakfast pastries. I really enjoy it, and it's inexpensive. All together, this was like 30 R, which is like $6 for breakfast.
We stopped at New Cafe, which is right by Leblon Beach, and it's a really cute little cafe. It's similar to somewhere in Bali, all the aesthetics. I ordered a really great dish. I got the, uh, sourdough toast with avocado and tomatoes and mushrooms, and it was so good. I also got a cappuccino with, um, almond milk. And then what did you get? I got the papaya fruit bowl, and it was actually papaya with granola, kiwi, blueberry, strawberries, and really good. All together, this was about 85 R, which is really good.
So, then we took an hour-long ride from Rio all the way to Pedra de Telégrafo, which is a far ride. It was only about 80 R, again, which is good price for how far away it is. From there, you could take a motorbike up about 20 minutes. It saves you a lot of time when you're walking. But we decided to walk up. Um, the walk was pretty easy. We just followed Google Maps and went around to the trailhead, and now we have about 30 more minutes up to the rock and the viewpoint. It's not a Choose to Explore destination without hiking. So, you ready, my love? We got the energy from breakfast. So, she says also, "Bring bug spray." So, oh, and water. You're not going to make it without water.
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So, it took us about an hour from the bottom all the way to the top, but we made it here, and it's a beautiful viewpoint here. Now, the reason why everybody comes here is because of the effect. It looks like you're hanging off the edge of a cliff, but really, there's a rock underneath you. So, it's definitely safe. You will get a little scared when you get there 'cause just from how high it is. But we waited in line to take the photos. It took us about a 30-minute wait because everybody comes and they take like 10 minutes each photo, which is crazy. But I mean, you deserve it. You did this long hike and you made it to this viewpoint, so get your pic. Um, there is a guy up here that will, uh, take your photos for you for five real, which is like $1 per photo. So, you guys can do that if you want really good pictures as well.
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All right, so while we were in line waiting to take our picture at Pedra da Gávea, the lady in front of us was really nice, and she was showing us all these really beautiful pictures of like really nice water and telling us exactly where to go to find it. And she actually typed it into our phone and everything. So, we saved it on our map. It was Ilha do Governador. So, we just went there, and, um, I don't think it was the same place that she meant to take us to. So, it was, um, we really just took a short boat ride, like 1 minute across the water, and we ate at a restaurant called Akbar. At Akbar's restaurant, it was okay. And then afterwards, my food was phenomenal. I got this, the mix skewers, the chicken with the bacon. I got the, um, Carne Assada. Listen, mine was really good. Mine was okay. I had the shrimp bobó, but the shrimp bobó that I had at Yaya's was like phenomenal, so it didn't really compare to that one. Um, and then afterwards, we had some gelato right up the street, and that was pretty good. It was self-served gelato. And now we walked a little bit further up the street from where the boat let us off, and now we're at Praia de Itaipu. I'm sorry, it's on the screen. So, this is a really nice beach. Uh, the water looks nicer than the water that we saw at the other beaches so far in Rio. So, this is a really nice, relaxing time that we're having. And not just that, it's a lot less people here as well. Yeah.
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All right, so we're here at Pedra do Sal on a Monday night. And if you know anything about this area, it's where they have the block party every single Monday after 8:00. So, right here, it's so many people, it's so lively here. They play samba music, they're dancing, they have a bunch of drinks, a bunch of food. And what really surprises me is everybody still takes card, even though there's like different stalls. It's really cool. It's a real good vibe. You can dance, you can drink, you can just have a good time. So, every Monday, come to the block parties at Pedra do Sal.
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Good morning, good morning. It's our last and final day here in Rio. And we got up early, took an Uber to the airport. And it only took about 25 minutes, which is fantastic. And Uber only cost around $14, which is also fantastic. And we made it here at the Rio de Janeiro airport. So, we had an amazing time in Rio, and we can't wait to get back here. There's so much more to explore in the gigantic country of Brazil, and we haven't even scratched the surface. Yeah. So, if you need any more details to plan your Brazil trip, check out chp.com. We have a bunch of blogs on Brazil, and also our Explore Brazil travel guide. So, check it all out. So, thank you guys so much for checking out our channel. Please be sure to like, comment, subscribe, and we'll see you guys on the next one.
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