scenic viewpoint
Vista Chinesa
A pagoda-style belvedere built in 1903 in the Tijuca forest, giving a framed view over the Lagoa, Corcovado, Ipanema and Sugarloaf. Reachable by car on the Estrada da Vista Chinesa.
2 km · about 5 min drive
South AmericaBrazilRio de Janeiro
Rocinha
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · South America
About Rocinha
Rocinha works well as a base: 10 minutes from Ipanema, 2km from Vista Chinesa.
Rocinha is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with about 25,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Ipanema, about 5 km away.
Rocinha (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁɔˈsĩɲɐ], lit. 'little farm') is a favela, located in Rio de Janeiro's South Zone between the districts of São Conrado and Gávea. Rocinha is built on a steep hillside overlooking Rio de Janeiro and is located about one kilometre (0.62 mi) from a nearby beach. Most of the favela isRead more
on a very steep hill, with many trees surrounding it. Around 72,000 people live in Rocinha, making it the most populous favela in Rio de Janeiro.
Although Rocinha is officially categorized as a neighbourhood, many still refer to it as a favela. It developed from a shanty town into an urbanized slum. Today, almost all the houses in Rocinha are made of concrete and brick. Some buildings are three and four storeys tall, and almost all houses have basic plumbing and electricity. Compared to simple shanty towns or slums, Rocinha has a better developed infrastructure and hundreds of businesses such as banks, medicine stores, bus routes, cable television, including locally based channel TV ROC TV Rocinha, and, at one time, a McDonald's franchise. These factors help classify Rocinha as a favela bairro, or favela neighborhood.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Rocinha?
Within an hour or so of Rocinha: Vista Chinesa (2 km), Ipanema Beach (4 km), Christ the Redeemer (6 km), Copacabana Beach (7 km).
Where is Rocinha?
Rocinha is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, about 5 km from Ipanema.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 24,543
- Continent
- South America
- Country
- Brazil
- Region
- Rio de Janeiro
- Timezone
- America/Sao_Paulo
- Coordinates
- -22.9889, -43.2493
Tags
Worth the detour from Rocinha
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
beach
Ipanema Beach
A stylish Rio de Janeiro beach immortalised in bossa nova, known for stunning sunsets behind the Two Brothers peaks.
4 km · about 10 min drive
landmark
Christ the Redeemer
Towering 30-metre Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ atop Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro.
6 km · about 10 min drive
beach
Copacabana Beach
Rio de Janeiro's legendary four-kilometre stretch of sand framed by dramatic mountains and buzzing with energy.
7 km · about 15 min drive
tunnel
Rebouças Tunnel
Twin-bore road tunnel under the Tijuca massif linking Rio's South Zone to the North Zone, about 2.8 kilometres long.
7 km · about 15 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar)
A granite peak rising 396 meters from Guanabara Bay, reached by cable car with sweeping views of Rio's beaches, mountains, and cityscape.
11 km · about 20 min drive
photogenic
Escadaria Selaron
A staircase between Lapa and Santa Teresa covered by Chilean artist Jorge Selaron in over 2,000 tiles sent from 60 countries, worked on daily from 1990 until his death in 2013.
11 km · about 20 min drive
cafe
Confeitaria Colombo
An 1894 Rio patisserie of Belgian mirrors, Portuguese tiles and jacaranda cabinets, built when the city was flush with coffee money and still serving pastel de nata under a vast stained-glass skylight.
12 km · about 20 min drive
Driving roads near Rocinha
- Right hereVista ChinesaA pagoda-style belvedere built in 1903 in the Tijuca forest, giving a framed view over the Lagoa, Corcovado, Ipanema and Sugarloaf. Reachable by car on the Estrada da Vista Chinesa.
- Right hereRebouças TunnelTwin-bore road tunnel under the Tijuca massif linking Rio's South Zone to the North Zone, about 2.8 kilometres long.
- Right hereSugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar)A granite peak rising 396 meters from Guanabara Bay, reached by cable car with sweeping views of Rio's beaches, mountains, and cityscape.
- 16 kmRio-Niterói Bridge13 km box-girder giant striding across Guanabara Bay: the longest bridge in the Southern Hemisphere at its opening in 1974, with sweeping views of Rio's skyline.
When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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