more often famed for its bright blue skies and its vast open parks, rio de janeiro is also home to some eerier and more mysterious natural charms, such as the bewitching selection of natural caves that are found within the city's borders.

hidden away in among the sprawling natural forests, parks, and jungles, the caves are some of the lesser-known attractions, which enables visitors to discover their unique beauty in relative peace.

while the beautiful stretches of the protected atlantic forest include over 2,200 species of animals and over 200,000 species of plants, rio is not noted for its abundance of caves, as the terrain is made up of mostly granite and quartzite rocks, while caves need limestone - the most common type of rock inductive to cave formation.