My favorite way to visit this Wonder of the World was to hike until I wanted to cry, then bear the same steep trail to get down. After holing up at our Workaway for two weeks, Parbinder and I were ready to be tourists again. What better way to join the hoards in Rio de Janeiro? I had officially made it from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast in South America.

 

Getting There

We rode a city bus along São Clemente street for $.60 to the entrance of Parque Lage near the Cafe du Lage. It was a urban park that looked like the tropics. The cafe has a pretty pool and Christ the Redeemer was visible from here.

Walking to the right until we reached a small police station in the woods, we signed in and received trail maps (maps.me is better). From there, it was over two hours of suffering and sweating to the top of Corcovado and Cristo Redentor. Worth it! The challenge of the hike crept up on me, but as long as you have decent knees, I would go for it.

 

 

Tickets

$3.70 makes it the cheapest Wonder of the World. Pay at the entrance after the hike.

 

 

The Adventure

Today I checked off the last wonder of the world of the Americas.

Parbinder and I work so well together—a good reason to stay as codependent as we were. First day in the city, we found the trailhead without issues.

Like many others, I underestimated the hike to reach Christ the redeemer. The path became steeper as I soon lost Parbs because I’m so slow. With some medical exchange students, we carefully placed our feet on slippery rocks while pulling ourselves up with chains.

Shortly beyond the railroad and its train full of tourists, the trail comes to an end at the paved road and its vans full of tourists. Spiralling up for another 20 minutes, I was baited by glimpses of the monument.

I immediately ran into Parbs and we enjoyed. Looking up, Jesus was so big. Looking down, Rio was so big. And so diverse it was incredible—how could gumdrop hills just rise out of the beaches like that? 

I didn’t stay long so we could hike down before sundown. We found three guys with the same idea and joined forces.

What really happened was we skillfully walked right past the entry point to the trail, hiked back up the road, found the trail and took a wrong turn on it, before more or less sliding down the mountain in the dark. I broke out my trusty headlamp and led the way for the five of us.

I was already imagining the headlines. “Five tourists perish in Rio forest in foolish attempt to see Jesus.”

However, we emerged unharmed, and I stumbled into a sea-level KFC to order a giant ice cream cone.

 

 

 

The next days were spent working, with miscellaneous shenanigans sprinkled in (see gallery below), and the successful acquirement of food poisoning, a gastrointestinal saga to be continued…