18. Primatas x Paineiras/Corcovado

Section: Primatas x Paineiras/Corcovado

Orientation

Technical Information

Attractions

Section Map

Interactive Map

How to Get There

There are several ways to reach the end of Rua Sara Vilela in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood, which is the main access to this section of the Transcarioca Trail.

The nearest metro station is on Rua São Clemente, corner with Rua Nelson Mandela in Botafogo. From there you can take a bus to Rua Jardim Botânico, corner with Lopes Quintas. For those coming from downtown or another neighborhood, it is important to take a bus that passes by Rua Jardim Botânico and get off at the corner of Rua Lopes Quintas. Then go up Lopes Quintas for about 1.8 km until the end of Rua Sara Vilela, where you will find a Parque Nacional da Tijuca totem right in front of the trail entrance (Sara Vilela x Primatas branch).

Route Description

(West x East Direction / Primatas x Paineiras)

For those starting this section at the end of Rua Sara Vilela, the trail begins immediately on the right with a distance of (450 m) of moderate ascent until reaching the main branch of the Transcarioca Trail.

From this point, the signage consists of yellow footprints/black base towards Cachoeira dos Primatas + (450 m). Continue walking along the Main Trail, passing a grotto on the left and soon you will reach a small river. Cross the water and soon at the fork on the left you can climb up to the Primatas waterfall. Take a refreshing bath and return to the main trail, then at the fork continue following the yellow footprints towards Mirante da Lagoa (250 m).

From the viewpoint onwards, we walk (850 m) to the Vale do Rio Cabeça. Now we begin walking on a colonial "pé de moleque" stone pavement and zigzagging up to the majestic Figueira Centenária (1.8 km). Further ahead we have the exit branch to the Paineiras Visitor Center (500 m). For those who wish to use the bar, snack bar, restrooms, and other tourist information services, just enter this trail branch and walk (350 m) to the Paineiras Visitor Center. (Remember that from this point it is possible to get transportation back to the city).

For those who do not want to take this trail branch and continue on the Main Trail, just keep walking to the next exit branch to Corcovado (400 m). Now we have the option to climb up to Christ (1.1 km) or continue on the Main Trail on the section called Corcovado x Parque Lage (3.4 km / 50 min).

(East x West Direction / Paineiras x Primatas)

For those coming up the trail in the opposite direction, simply follow the reverse path of the one described above, now orienting yourself by the black footprints/yellow base.

Attractions

This section is characterized by the presence of the Primatas waterfall, several water streams, a colonial "pé de moleque" road, a centenary fig tree, and two viewpoints with views of the South Zone of the city, in addition to a four-hundred-meter exit to the brand new Visitor Center of Parque Nacional da Tijuca (Paineiras) with souvenir shops, toilets, and a panoramic restaurant. The presence of marmosets or capuchin monkeys is certainly a company that will not be missed.

From the Paineiras Visitor Center exit branch, it is possible to extend the trip to Christ the Redeemer by accredited transportation. It is also possible to continue walking along the main trail downhill to exit at Parque Lage (+ 3.4 km / 50 min) where there is food, toilets, and a wide public transportation network.

Commerce/Lodging

At the moment there is no partnership between the Transcarioca Trail and local businesses.

Along the climb up Rua Lopes Quintas to the trail entrance at the end of Rua Sara Vilela, you can find bakeries, snack bars, and taxi stands. At the Paineiras Visitor Center you can also find tourist information, restrooms, snack bars, and transportation back to the city.

Water Points

There are several water points for bathing and hydration along the trail.

Photos

Historical Facts

Passing through the Vale do Rio Cabeça, the trail gains history. Its bed, entirely paved in "pé de moleque" stone, follows the altitude lines. The more attentive hiker will notice retaining walls, floors of old houses, and stone bridges. This path was built to transport coffee and other products from Paineiras to the Chácara do Rio Cabeça (which got its name because it was believed that its waters could cure headache symptoms).

According to Maria Graham wrote at the beginning of the 19th century, the Vale do Rio Cabeça was planted with "extensive coffee plantations, interspersed with numerous orange trees, lemon trees, and other shrubs that seem more like a variety of forests than a mix of cultivated land with wild land".

Thanks to the diligent work of Thomás Nogueira da Gama, this area was entirely reforested from 1862 onward. A more careful look, however, will still be able to identify here and there exotic species such as jackfruit trees and one or another coffee plant. Near Paineiras, the road passes by a millenary fig tree, whose trunk is believed to be the largest on the entire Transcarioca Trail.

Former Hotel Paineiras:
The former Hotel Paineiras, now the Visitor Center of Parque Nacional da Tijuca, was inaugurated on October 9, 1884 by Dom Pedro II, along with the Cosme Velho-Paineiras section of the Corcovado Railway. According to historian Rodrigo Rainha, professor at Uerj, the Brazilian imperial family owned the Paineiras region, including the hotel area. The imperial family used the space, in the last years of the monarchy, as one of their addresses to receive monarchs and other members of the nobility from friendly countries. Hotel das Paineiras hosted, decades later, Brazilian presidents such as Washington Luís and Café Filho. In addition, Getúlio Vargas, to escape the high temperatures of the Rio summer, held meetings with his ministers at the site, located 465 meters above sea level.

The hotel also served as a training camp for the Brazilian national football team that would win the world championship in Chile. The tradition continued and the teams from the 1970 World Cup, which would win the championship in Mexico, and 1974 also trained at the venue.

Adopting Group

Volunteer groups adopting this section who organize mutirões and receive volunteers:

Grupo Terralimpa
Contact: Ivan Amaral, Phone: (21) 98207-8025
terralimpatv.blogspot.com.br
facebook.com/ivan.terralimpa

Ecotribo Eventos
Contact: Marcus Vinícius, Phone: (21) 98614-3869
facebook.com/ecotriboeventos