The Tijuca Forest is home to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife, many threatened by extinction, and found only in the Atlantic Rainforest (Mata Atlântica in Portuguese).
The vegetation is so dense that scientists have estimated that ambient temperatures in surrounding areas have been lowered by up to 9 °C.
The forest also contains some 30 waterfalls.

One favela exists in the Tijuca Forest.
Its inhabitants are mainly the descendants of those who migrated to the region in the 1930s to take part in the replanting effort.
Though conditions have improved recently under the Favela-Bairro Project, Mata Machado still contributes to environmental degradation in the forest.

For trekking, the most common destinations are: Diamantina's waterfall, Parrot's Beak (Bico do Papagaio), Tijuca's Peak (Pico da Tijuca), Cave Circuit (Circuito das Grutas), Archer's hill (Morro do Archer), Anhanguera' hill (Morro da Anhanguera), The Excelsior's lookout (Mirante do Excelsior) and the Bat's cave (Caverna dos Morcegos).
The Tijuca Forest is home to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife, many threatened by extinction, and found only in the Atlantic Rainforest (Mata Atlântica in Portuguese). The vegetation is so dense that scientists have estimated that ambient temperatures in surrounding areas have been lowered by up to 9 °C. The forest also contains some 30 waterfalls.
One favela exists in the Tijuca Forest. Its inhabitants are mainly the descendants of those who migrated to the region in the 1930s to take part in the replanting effort. Though conditions have improved recently under the Favela-Bairro Project, Mata Machado still contributes to environmental degradation in the forest.
For trekking, the most common destinations are: Diamantina's waterfall, Parrot's Beak (Bico do Papagaio), Tijuca's Peak (Pico da Tijuca), Cave Circuit (Circuito das Grutas), Archer's hill (Morro do Archer), Anhanguera' hill (Morro da Anhanguera), The Excelsior's lookout (Mirante do Excelsior) and the Bat's cave (Caverna dos Morcegos).
Tijuca Forest