Rio Botanical Garden & Tijuca Rainforest tour with jeep ride

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Free cancellation

1/21

Duration4h 30m

GroupUp to 20

LanguagesEN · DE +4

PickupAt your hotel

Walk through a rainforest 10 minutes from the city and spot waterfalls without leaving Rio behind.

This four-hour guided tour combines the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden with a jeep ride and easy hike through Tijuca National Park, 10 minutes from downtown. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included; the guide speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French and German. Vista Chinesa viewpoint is not available on weekends or holidays due to forest regulations.

4h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Rio Botanical Garden and Tijuca Forest Tour

Pickup from Rio hotel
Visit Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden
Jeep ride to Tijuca Forest
Learn about Tijuca National Park reforestation
Admire Cascatinha Taunay waterfall
Explore Visitor Center biodiversity exhibits
Enjoy view at Emperor's Table
Stop at historical pink chapel
Hike to see beautiful waterfall
Visit Vista Chinesa lookout

The Experience

The tour starts at your Rio hotel with pickup, then heads to the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden. You'll walk through the grounds to see exotic plants from around the world — water lilies, towering redwood trees, imperial palms, and a greenhouse holding over 500 varieties of orchid. The garden also has fountains, historical monuments and hundreds of birds moving through the canopy.

After the garden, your guide drives you in an open jeep toward Tijuca National Park, which sits just 10 minutes from the city center. The ride takes you to the edge of the rainforest, where you'll hike an easy 15-minute trail through Tijuca Forest. Along the way you'll pass Cascatinha Taunay waterfall, stop at the Visitor Center to learn about local biodiversity, and see the Chapel of Tijuca — a small pink structure built in 1860 by a Portuguese banker, now sitting 460 meters above sea level with gardens designed by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx.

The tour ends at Vista Chinesa, an oriental-style lookout built in the early 1900s to honor the Chinese who brought tea cultivation to Brazil. From 380 meters up, you get sweeping views of Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, Guanabara Bay and across to Niteroi. The guide will explain the reforestation work that restored Tijuca National Park and the importance of the Mata Atlântica ecosystem, which spans 14 states across the Mata Biosphere Reserve.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off.
admission to Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden.
jeep transport to and through Tijuca National Park.
a 15-minute guided hike through the rainforest.
stops at Cascatinha Taunay waterfall, the Chapel of Tijuca and Vista Chinesa viewpoint.
professional multilingual guide.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Gray Line Brazil

Is this one for you?Book the morning departure if you want to reach Vista Chinesa before afternoon crowds gather at the viewpoint, or the afternoon slot if you prefer a later start from your hotel. The jeep ride and short forest walk suit most fitness levels, though the open vehicle and uneven trail mean it's not suitable for travelers with spinal injuries or serious cardiovascular concerns.