ringed by a 7.5 kilometer long paved bike path and dotted with various food stands, rodrigo de freitas lagoon is also very popular for rowing and paddle boating, and remains a very popular pic-nic areas.

not far, lagoa da tijuca is directly north of barra da tijuca beach, and reachable by car in about half an hour.

the islands on the lagoon,  including ilha da gigóia, ilha primeira, and ilha do ribeiro, are more residential in nature, much like the rest of the barra da tijuca neighborhood, and are known for their charming restaurants and bars.

the lagoon is part of a project in the greater barra area to clean the natural spaces, expand bike paths, trails and gardens, and other works with the goal of creating a renewed area for the upcoming olympics and beyond.