The past two weeks have been crazy. The Coronavirus has brought travel and travel planning to a standstill. With all travel plans cancelled until at least the summer, I started going through some of my past travel photos. For the next couple of weeks, I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite throwback travel photography.
This post will focus on my travels to Rio De Janeiro in Brazil.
I went to Rio in 2008 with a group of friends. It was an amazing experience. I wanted to go to see the Christ Redeemer State, which was on my bucket list and just experience Brazilian culture in general.
Rio De Janeiro Favorites: Visiting the Favelas
One of the most interesting things about Rio was the favelas. The favelas are essentially make-shift houses built super close together on the mountainsides.
We did a tour of one of the favelas, which was a REALLY interesting experience. it’s important to note that you should only go into a favela on an official tour.

Things to do in Rio: Christ Redeemer State
This was my must-see item for the trip. One thing that I didn’t take into account is that if it’s cloudy, clouds can gather around the mountain that the Christ Redeemer Statue is on and make it almost impossible to see. We actually had to go twice, because it was so cloudy the first time! So, before you head out, make sure you have nice weather.


The second time, we left early in the morning and lucked out with a really sunny day! We went during the shoulder season in November, so we ended up with a few days of bad weather.


Rio De Janeiro: Sugar Loaf Mountain
Sugar Loaf mountain is an iconic part of Rio De Janeiro.
You can take a cable car up to the top of the mountain (which is a cool experience on its own) and get AMAZING views of the city.




Things to do in Rio: Santa Teresa Neighborhood
This was not on my list of things to do, but it ended up being one of my favorite points on our trip. We had a free rainy/overcast day, so we decided to take a ride up to the Santa Teresa neighborhood of Rio and walk around. Here are some of my favorite shots from our excursion.




My Favorite Rio Beaches
We picked a hotel set right near the iconic Ipanema Beach. I think my motivation for wanting to stay here (besides it being beautiful) was that famous song, The Girl From Ipanema. It was beautiful though. There were vendors on the beach where they sold EVERYTHING from shrimp to açaà bowls.



The Copacabana Beach is right next to Ipanema Beach. We ended up mainly staying in Ipanema, but it’s a beautiful beach as well if you opt to stay in the Copacabana neighborhood.

Where are your favorites spots to travel in Brazil or South America in general?
Share in the comments 🙂