Cachoeiras do Horto (Horto Waterfalls)

Cachoeiras do Horto encompasses three waterfalls, which can be accessed by a medium-difficulty hike in the woods. They’re some of the many waterfalls found in the Tijuca Forest, a national park in the heart of Rio de Janeiro and the world’s largest urban forest.

Tijuca National Park is a 40 square kilometer swath of the Atlantic forest, a vast ecosystem that contains impressive biodiversity. The Atlantic forest once covered over 350 million acres, but logging, development, and other human activity have destroyed an estimated 88 percent of the original vegetation. Tijuca is a protected section of that endangered ecosystem.

A trail connects all three of the falls at Cachoeiras do Horto. The first small waterfall is right off the entrance of the trail. It’s good for washing hands and dipping your head on a hot summer day. A 10-minute hike will reveal the second waterfall, which is where the majority of the hikers stop to bathe. If you keep hiking up there is a small rocky wall with a rope, which can be a little challenging. Getting past that you’ll arrive at the third waterfall, the largest and most beautiful. There’s even a small natural shallow lake where you can dive.