part of the park, The tijuca forest in its present form traces back to King Dom Pedro II who, realizing the damage done to the city's water supply by the coffee and sugar cane plantations, implemented the replanting of the forest with an estimated 10 million trees.

popular today with hikers and nature lovers, this forest has actually played a most significant role in the history of the city throughout the centuries.

originally a tropical rainforest, then a sugar plantation, later a coffee plantation, and then again restored into a forest, this area is as rich of history as it is of flora & fauna.