with a prime location across the mouth of the bay from rio de janeiro and a height of 263 meters, the summit of morro do macaco provides a premium view of the city of rio - including the sugar loaf, the mountains of the tijuca forest, and the niterói city park on top of nearby morro da viração.

it is a rounded hill with a large crack in the southwest face, which is the most popular spot for rock climbers. there is also a fairly easy hiking trail -traversing the hill from bottom to top via this route usually takes about 30 minutes.

the plant life found on this rocky hill is typical atlantic rainforest (mata atlântica), including palm, peroba and pau-brasil trees with orchids, bromeliads and mosses on the ground below.