at a glance

the district of leme is situated in the zona sul of rio de janeiro adjacent to copacabana beach.

a small neighborhood, generally quiet and characteristically family oriented, leme is home to a beautiful beach, the morro do leme, the forte do leme and the favelas of babilônia and chapéu mangueira.

up to the end of the 19th century, some of these areas were little more than stretches of sand and jungle, until the greater urbanization programs were put in place.

what is now known as the neighborhood of leme  was for a while know as one of these placid hidden areas where some of the social elites of rio went to spend their free time.      

the actual occupation of the area only started in the last years of the 19th century when the main roads in the area were built, like the backbone of leme, the gustavo sampaio street.

the neighborhood would only be officially opened in 1900, and its development would yet take some years to solidify.

the neighborhood takes its name from the small section of land jutting out into the atlantic ocean, which when viewed from above resembles a boat's rudder - 'leme' in portuguese means 'rudder'.

rio's middle to upper class tend to occupy this neighborhood, which is known for some incredible views, especially from morro do leme, a huge natural granite form that dominates the protruding segment of land from which the areas takes its name.      

an environmental protection area, east of avenida princesa isabel, hosts a wide range of wildlife on morro do leme, and spans over 11 hectares of  mata atlântica (atlantic forest).

rare birds, such as saddles and bishop tanagers, can be found there as well as thrushes and the brazilian house wren.

tourists can walk up a specially designed trail with some breathtaking views along the way.

there is a military fort atop of morro do leme so the presence of soldiers in the area is no rarity - the fort is called forte duque de caxias, not to be confused with nearby forte de copacabana. 

also known as forte do leme, it can be visited on weekends and holidays from tuesday to sunday, 09:30 to 16:30.     

construction of the forte duque de caxias (fort duke of caxias) began in the late seventeen hundreds.

as with many of the portuguese forts, it was built to work within a network of other forts for coastal defense.

an impending invasion by the spanish prompted the new fort to be built on top of the morro do leme.

having once protected the city the fortified structure now serves as a cultural center boasting wonderful vistas of the surrounding mountains and beaches.

the entrance of guanabara bay, the wealthy city of niterói, and christ on corcovado can be admired from the top of the fort.      

on a clear day hikers can be seen scaling the famous morro dois irmãos in the distance, as the lofty forms also afford some great views over pedra da gávea, and pedra bonita.

the morro do leme trail is open from tuesday to sunday from 9:30 to 16:30. on tuesdays entrance is free but during the other days it is still very affordable - no more than a few reals.

the well-maintained trail to the top takes about 30 minutes and is moderately strenuous.

the forte do leme can be contacted directly via email on this link, or via phone at 21.3223.5076 or 21. 3223.5000.

chapéu mangueira is a small beach-front favela located in 'alto' leme - home to just 10,000 inhabitants, this endearing community is blessed with incredible views  of the pão de açúcar (sugar loaf), the ocean, the botafogo bay, and the marina da glória.         

the great majority of the residents of chapéu mangueira have lived in the community for over 20 years, and profess a deep connection and love for it.

unlike in other favelas, the occupation of this hill started from the top, and worked its way down. 

the morro da babilônia (normally called babilônia) is a small favela in the leme neighborhood, in rio's zona sul.

home to fewer than 6000 residents, this favela is considered calm and safe, and it is just next to the favela chapéu mangueira.

built on a steep hill separating copacabana  from botafogo, this area was pacified by the upp (polícia pacificadora) the upp in 2008.