Rio de Janeiro is famous worldwide and it is also where we decided to dedicate the majority of our time here in Brazil, specifically we made a massive detour within our travel route so we could tick ‘Rio carnival’ off the bucket list. After 7 nights in one location it begins to feel normal and had us questioning if we could move here for a longer period of time. We achieved so much in this space of time it would be impossible to cram it into one post. If you’re specifically interested in the Carnival antics – Sambodrome, Blocos, Beach parties etc then check out our other post.

We trawled through multiple blog posts about how complex this venture was going to be, confused about the best way to do it as there are several ways and in the end we weren’t even sure how or where to purchase tickets correctly. Although there are different ways to approach visiting Christ the Redeemer, we’re going to stick to informing you of how we did it. In contrast to what many blogs had insinuated it was very easy, this was a huge surprise as we thought it may be the busiest time of year with carnival ongoing. The first tip we would suggest is not to pre book tickets, weather in Rio is interchangeable, you definitely want a clear and cloud free day.

Secondly it is worth going early to avoid queues in our experience. We caught a taxi directly to the ticket office in Corcovado, and arrived around 9.30am. Within 20 minutes we had queued and purchased tickets for the next available train at 11.20am. This might sound like a long wait, but considering what we had read online (4 hour waits expected!) we were happy with two hours. Especially taking into account we were there at one of the busiest times of the year and to see arguably Rio’s most famous artefact, and new wonder of the world.

Honestly there is not a lot of entertainment to kill time, we wandered a short while, brought an ice cream, sat in a nearby church, played games on our phones and then drifted back to the station for 11am as instructed. If you do opt to get the train up make sure you sit on the right hand side, you’ll feel like the cat who got the cream as the short snippets of views are visible from this side.

Those seated on the left will glare at you with green eyes and invisage ramming their selfie sticks through you. Jokes aside, the journey up is a nice, but tame introduction for the spectacular scenery you will be greeted with when departing at the top. Upon arrival we prepared ourselves for a barbaric scene of selfie stick wars, being used like light sabers to mark photography territory. We had even read that you will not get anywhere near the statue itself to touch it as it is monstrously and unbearably busy. Well in our experience these are all exaggerations. Yes it was busy, a bustling, excited crowd who admittedly did have selfie sticks (we too are guilty as charged for this). We even managed to stop for photos before heading up to the main attraction.

When we eventually headed up the steps to the base of Christ the Redeemer we could touch the statue if desired with no issues, everyone was fairly respectful in what was a crowded seemingly chaotic atmosphere, but in reality we are all  just enthusiastic tourists, desperate for the perfect photo with Christ himself. Now I know that anyone planning on visiting Christ the Redeemer will be wanting tips on the best photos and how we captured some great shots, so here it goes:

1) Firstly if you feel safe and confident to do so then climb up on  those walls! You’ll get great shots and will stand out amongst the crowd. In some of ours it looks like it’s just us up there due to the angles photos were taken at. A lower angle might create a double chin but you will get the most flattering shot of Christ, so who cares if you look like you’ve been enjoying too many Brazilian churrascos. Although be warned, people soon caught on to our prime photo spot and started to do the same, eventually security did put an end to this – so be quick!

2) Take a selfie stick. I know they’re annoying and cliché, you don’t feel like the hipster backpacker image you want to portray is really working whilst this tourist tool is in hand. But, it will be so worth the sacrifice of your image! As lame as you feel with one, it is the reason we got such fun photos. You can see what you’re doing and get way more of Christ in shot.

3) Be greedy with space! You found a good spot right? People are hovering, rolling their eyes, waiting for their turn now they can see what awesome territory you’ve marked. Like a dog anxiously waiting to pee on the same lamppost as their buddy. Well you make them wait! You found that space and you own it. Have a full blown vogue inspired shoot, touch ups and all and don’t budge an inch until you have checked your images and are happy with them.

4) Don’t go for the middle. For some reason everyone just hovers directly in the same line as Christ, although if you move to the side we found you got much better photos. The ones of us in the middle aren’t as impressive, finding yourself is as hard as trying to find Wally as a child.

5) Christ is the star of the show, but don’t miss out on the incredible views and opportunity for amazing photos of the city itself.

We are not photographers by any means, but hopefully these tips will help you grab an amazing new profile photo to boast about. How many other people do you know who have a selfie with Christ?!

Christ The Redeemer is jaw dropping, and it might be worth noting that we wouldn’t class ourselves religious, so please don’t mistake this experience as one only for church goers. He really is a sight of wonder to all. Magnificently structured, much grander than we had expected and impeccably clean. Credit to Rio for being able to keep birds away, he was practically flawless. Arms stretched wide, symbolic of many things. We like to think he was beckoning on parties for carnival, a stretch of approval, a warm greeting. The same gesture you might offer a friend when trying to convince them to go on a night out, ‘come onnnn’. Perhaps it is a celebratory position, or a welcoming to the many tourists choosing to visit this fabulous city. Either way, he won’t disappoint, however you choose to interpret his posture.

You will be offered a 360 view of Rio from an extreme height. Wander around, don’t just visit Christ and leave. There are lots of sneaky viewpoints on the steps directing you to him, take your time and don’t rush. The scenery is remarkable, beaches, high rise buildings, favelas, hill tops decorated with forestry icing. Enjoy and appreciate this beautiful city, perhaps that’s what Christ is doing. Boasting Rio in all its glory. Who can blame him? Okay we’ll stop ranting about symbolic meaning now, it’s starting to resemble our GCSE english coursework.

Now something we weren’t prepared for was the heat. We were up there at midday and much closer to the sun, who shone in all her glory at midday. Whilst this provided perfect backdrop for photos, our heads felt like they were being microwaved until nuked. There is no shade at the very top and you won’t be able to stand it for a long period of time. We were up there approximately an hour and started to feel very affected. So sunscreen up and drink water like it’s going out of fashion. There is a very cheap restaurant where you can enjoy a meal under the comfort of a shaded umbrella, whilst observing a panoramic view. Seriously worth it if you’re peckish, we were glad to check the menu out, when we say cheap we mean it!

To summarise, Christ the Redeemer is a MUST DO. Even if you are there for carnival, (like us), and you’re permanently drunk dancing yourself through the day and into the night and you’re not even sure what day time or year it is anymore. You haven’t seen Rio properly unless you’ve seen it from the perspective of Christ the Redeemer. Overall if we had to choose, we preferred this experience to Sugar Loaf. So if you have to choose between the two, then consider this; there is a reason Christ the Redeemer is one of the new seven wonders-tick it off the list!

Make sure you read about our other Rio adventures, Sugar Loaf, Favela tours & Carnival!

Jonny & Hayley 🙂