There is perhaps nothing quite as awe-inspiring and humbling as watching the sun set over a beautiful landscape.

one of the most endearing and romantic traditions in rio de janeiro is the clapping at the end of a summer sunset - crowds gather, cheer, clap, and kiss a loved one while witnessing the sun give way to a new summer night.

carlos leonam, a well-known brazilian journalist, is generally credited with inventing the ritual - while the tradition was born in ipanema at beach posto 9, many now enjoy the sunset on the rock of arpoador (pedra de arpoador), as it allows for great pictures spanning the entire ipanema and leblon beaches, the cagarras islands, and the morro dois irmãos.