Tijuca: The Jungle That Came Back

World's largest urban forest — 32 square kilometers in the middle of Rio, surrounding the city on three sides. Almost entirely replanted in the 1860s after coffee plantations stripped the hills. That it looks like primary jungle today is what happens when you plant 100,000 trees and wait 160 years.

Pico da Tijuca climbs to 1,022 meters — the full city visible from the top: Copacabana's curve, Guanabara Bay, Sugarloaf, the forest stretching below in unbroken green. Cascatinha Taunay near the entrance is the accessible waterfall — thirty meters into a fern-and-bromeliad pool, mist cooling the air ten degrees. Toucans in the trees above. Capuchin monkeys bold enough to open your backpack zipper.

May through September for manageable temperature and drier trails. Rainy season makes waterfalls spectacular and trails treacherous. Park is free, multiple entrances. Bring water, bug spray, grippy shoes.