Morro da Urca

Morro da Urca is a hill located in the Urca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The hill is 224 meters high and is the first stop of the cable cars that lead to the Sugarloaf Mountain, which is 395 meters high. The neighborhood of Urca is a traditional and wealthy residential area with nearly 7,000 inhabitants, known for its beautiful architecture, pleasantness, and lack of crass development. The area has a rich history, with the first Portuguese settlement founded at the Forte São João, a military base at the foot of the Sugarloaf Mountain, in 1565. Visitors can enjoy the stunning views of the Guanabara Bay, Corcovado, Copacabana, and Botafogo, and explore the Cláudio Coutinho Track, a 1.25 km path that surrounds the hill of Urca. The Sugarloaf Mountain and Urca Hill Natural Monument is a protected area that conserves the Atlantic Forest ecosystem and landscape, and offers a cable car ride, hiking trails, and rock climbing routes