Christ the Redeemer Hike in Rio de Janeiro?

You’ve probably heard about Christ the Redeemer.

It’s the most iconic landmark of Rio de Janeiro and all of Brazil. Located at the top of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain, the statue overlooks the city of Rio de Janeiro. This statue is also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. There are several ways how you can visit the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

In 2022, we chose to hike to Christ the Redeemer (and loved it!).

1. Christ the Redeemer Hike: Basics

You see Christ the Redeemer from everywhere in Rio.

The statue is located at the top of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain. The peak and statue can be accessed by Corcovado Railway, by minibus, or a hiking path that starts from Parque Lage. The trail is called “Trilha do Corcovado”.

We chose to hike to the statue. It’s an average difficulty-hike, very steep at one point, but other than that the trail is easy to follow. It’s the cheapest, most satisfying and enjoyable way how to get to the Christ the Redeemer statue. By choosing to hike to it, you will avoid crowded transport and save some money.

Previously, there were security concerns as a number of mugging incidents have been reported on the trail. But now the situation has improved.

Don’t forget that there’s an entrance fee for visiting Christ the Redeemer. On a weekday the entrance cost us less than 25 reals per person.

MY ROUTE:

TIME & DISTANCE: 4 miles / 6.5 km (1.5 h) (one way)

If you are starting the hike in Parque Lage, it will take you about 90 minutes to get to the top. There’s another, longer route — the trail from the Waterfall Of Primates (Cachoeira dos Primatas). From there it will take you about 3.5 hours to get to Christ the Redeemer. It will take you another half an hour to get to the Waterfall Of Primates.

TIPS: Start hiking in the morning if you want to avoid the heat. The park is open daily from 8 AM to 5PM. That is when the trail is accessible, too. But if you would like to hike at the time when there are more people, if that is what makes you feel safer, do the hike at around midday or on the weekend, when there’s more people.

In the morning, when we did it, we saw only a few other people.

A few hours later, on our way down, we passed by at least 20 hikers.

Previously, there were security concerns as a number of mugging incidents have been reported on the trail. It was considered unsafe to hike to the Christ the Redeemer statue. But now the situation has improved.

2. How to Get to the Trailhead?

The hiking trail is called “Trilha do Corcovado”.

It starts from Parque Lage. This park is located near the Jardim Botânico (Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, another cool place in Rio we highly recommend). It’s right at the foot of the Corcovado mountain where the Christ the Redeemer statue is located.

Both Parque Lage and Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden are located in the South Zone (Zona Sul). You can easily get there by Uber. Unfortunately, there’s no metro stations nearby. Alternatively, you can use a bus (they are very okay in our experience traveling with buses in Rio de Janeiro; a ride costs about a dollar).

Uber is fairly inexpensive in Rio.

3. Christ the Redeemer Hike: Our Experience

Overall, it was a very nice hiking experience.

The hike is of average-difficulty, and the path is very easy to follow, as it is well-marked. For the most part it’s just a normal, well-maintained hiking path. Except for the very last part of the trail which is very steep, where there are tree roots and rocks.

At one point, for a short while, you have to hold on chain.

But this difficult part is really short.

When you are close to the top, you’ll need to cross the Corcovado Rack Railway tracks. The very last bit of the hike is walking on the road . That’s the same road that vans are using to take the take tourists to the statue up the hill.

While the hiking trail is free, the entrance to the statue is not. On a weekday the entrance cost us less than 25 reals per person. Unlike what you can read on the Internet, it’s possible to pay the Christ the Redeemer entrance fee with a credit card. Also if you are buying the ticket at the entrance at the top of the mountain.

If you would like to hike at the time when there are more people, if that is what makes you feel safer, do the hike at around midday or on the weekend, when there’s more people. On Thursday morning at around 10:00 we were the only people for most part of the trail and in total we saw only some six other people doing the same hike, while walking back we saw at least 20 people going up the hill.

At the beginning of the trail, you’ll see guards who will take your personal info (name, last name, country and phone number). That’s how it works here.

Here are some photos from the Christ the Redeemer hike:

Have you been to Rio de Janeiro? Did you visit Christ the Redeemer? If yes, what was your experience? Did you do the Christ the Redeemer hike? Did you do any other hikes in Rio? What was your hiking experience in Rio? (we loved many hikes!)

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