some of the rare flora found in the forests on the sides of corcovada includes the jequitibá and pau-brasil trees, once abundant in the region, and the latter being the inspiration for brazil's name.

capuchin monkeys and toucans can be seen alongside less 'tropical' animals such as hawks, squirrels and opossums - in the middle of one of the largest metropolis in south america. the journey to the top can take anywhere between 1.5 and 3 hours, depending on one's speed. approaching the top the trail merges with the path cut for the cable car, and from there one must follow this route the rest of the way up.

for those wishing to ascend in the historic corcovado train, the entrance is on the other side of the mountain in the cosme velho neighborhood.    the service premiered in 1884, the first electric train in brazil and a precursor to the christ statue by nearly half a century.