What a Wonderful World (An #AtoZChallenge Post): T is for Tijuca National Park

The view from an overlook in Tijuca National Park shows dense jungle in the foreground and the high-rise buildings of Rio de Janeiro near the water and at the base of the mountains in the background

My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our adventures—some pre-retirement, some post. Today’s location: Tijuca National Park in Brazil. 

Tijuca National Park is smack dab in the middle of the bustling city of Rio de Janeiro, yet feels miles away. Entering the park, you leave behind the buildings and crowds and find yourself in the jungle, with its dense canopy of trees and abundant wildlife. 

We chose to take a small guided tour, comprised of just our guide, my husband and me, and one other couple. Our guide spends nearly every day inside the park, even on his days off. He told us that the majority of the residents of Rio have never even been inside Tijuca National Park. That is an amazing, yet sad, fact, because the national park is peaceful and a wonderful place to connect with nature.

We saw several coati, also described as Brazilian raccoons, including nine babies. 

Coatis walk along the jungle floor, tails in the air

Our guide kept his eyes open for sloths, but we didn’t see any on this trip. He did, however, point out the silver-leaved trees that they like to call home. 

A silver-leaved tree stands in contrast to the green-leaved trees around it

At one point, the car pulled over suddenly, because our guide saw a tortoise. We were able to get out of the car and see #63 up close and personal. Apparently the park rangers are re-introducing tortoises into the wild, and the released tortoises get numbers painted on the backs of their shells so the rangers can keep track of them. 

A tortoise with the number 63 painted on its shell

A highlight for all of us was seeing monkeys in the wild. Our guide drove with the car windows down, and was able to identify the sound of their calls. At that point, we pulled over again and he was able to point out where to look to see the monkeys. In the video below, a monkey jumps from one tree to another. 

Not only did we see animals, we also learned about the vegetation of the area. Ironwood trees are incredibly hard, but red eucalyptus trees are so soft they feel spongy. We also got to smell leaves of the citronella tree, which as you might surmise, is a natural insect repellent. 

A tall ironwood tree, with smooth bark, grows tall 

We also saw beautiful waterfalls and a natural spring. 

Water cascades over rocks before falling into a pool

I could have spent more time in the peaceful Tijuca National Park. 

Come back tomorrow to see where in the world we’ll visit next!