Rio You: Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden

A must see if you come to Rio. Plan to spend 3 hours or more here. Cacti section, tall palms, orchids, lake with massive fish... Also enjoy the views up to Christ the Redeemer.

One of the most beautiful and best preserved green areas in the city, the Botanical Garden is an example of the diversity of Brazilian and foreign flora. There are around 6,500 different species of tropical and subtropical plants and trees (some endangered) distributed throughout an area of 54 hectares. Many of the species are in open gardens, however, a large number of plants are housed in greenhouses especially dedicated to plant groups such as bromeliads, orchids, cacti and succulent and carnivorous plants.

It was founded in 1808 by John VI of Portugal. Originally intended for the acclimatisation of spices like nutmeg, pepper and cinnamon imported from the West Indies. The Garden was opened to the public in 1822, and is now open during daylight hours every day except December 25th and the 1st of January. The park was designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1992.