at a glance

morro do pasmado affords some fine views of the natural form that has become such a recognized symbol of the rio de janeiro.

portuguese settlers named the mountain 'pão de açúcar' due to its appearance - during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the peak of the sugarcane cycle in brazil, raw sugar was refined through a series of heating and filtering processes.

the last phase involved pouring the sugar into inverted conical, or cone-shaped, clay molds called 'sugarloaves' resembling the natural structure, which reaches out into the atlantic ocean and stands just shy of 400 meters tall - the sugar could then be stored and transported with ease.

the vistas of corcovado mountain ('hunchback' in portuguese) are stunning from the park - the mountain is located rio de janeiro's tijuca rainforest and stands at 710 meters tall, and it is home to the statue of christ the redeemer.