Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro can be visited on a half-day shore excursion when your cruise is in Rio. Sugarloaf, or Pao de Acucar in Portuguese, looks like a large granite bullet, but is named for a mold used to refine cane sugar.
Stretching almost 1300 feet into the sky, the top of Sugarloaf is reached via two 75-person cable cars on rides of less than five minutes each. These modern Italian cable cars are very stable and fast, but visitors have been taking a cable car to the top of Sugarloaf since 1912. The first cable car goes to Urca Peak, which has a sightseeing helicopter pad, restaurant, restrooms, and souvenir shops. The second cable car goes all the way to the top of Sugarloaf, which has a smaller viewing area, but still has a refreshment stand, souvenir shops, and restrooms. The views from both peaks are spectacular if the day is clear. You can see Corcovado Mountain, the Rio beaches, and the city below.
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