Top 8 Botanical Garden Tours in Rio de Janeiro

1.4-Hour Botanical Garden & Tijuca Forest Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 275 reviews · 4 hours · from $51Our pick

Spend four hours exploring Rio’s Botanical Garden and Tijuca National Forest with a guide such as Alexia, Newton, or Diogo. See Brazilwood, orchids, giant water lilies, Taunay Waterfall, and the Vista Chinesa viewpoint on weekdays. Hotel pickup covers Rio’s South Zone, though total door-to-door time can run longer.

“At the Boatanical garden all area looks dry and some plants weren’ t good maintenance. At the forest there are only few spots,”

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2.Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden & Tijuca Forest Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 168 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $55

Spend four hours visiting Rio’s Botanical Garden and Tijuca National Park with a multilingual guide such as Newton, João, or Alexia. Expect tropical plants, a waterfall, forest viewpoints, and hotel pickup in the South Zone. This is a convenient overview, not a long hiking tour, and Vista Chinesa may be unavailable.

“Tour guide was lackluster. Rainforest was minimal experience just looked at a waterfall. For the time commitment required - I suggest skipping this activity.”

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3.Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 40 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $81

Explore Rio’s 346-acre Botanical Garden with a professional guide, then wander on your own among royal palms, orchids, ponds, monuments, and more than 6,000 plant species. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, though you should confirm whether the admission fee is covered before booking.

“It was wonderful and our guide spoke many languages and was very personable. I highly recommend the experience. It is better to go with someone that knows the area than to do it on your own.”

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4.Botanical Garden, Tijuca Forest, and Parque Lage Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 19 reviews · 5 hours · from $104

Explore Rio’s Atlantic Forest with a private guide, stopping at Taunay Waterfall, Chinese Lookout, the Botanical Garden, and Parque Lage. You’ll have five hours of air-conditioned transport, entrance fees, hotel pickup, and a choice of English, Spanish, or Portuguese guidance. Bring water, sunscreen, insect repellent, and comfortable shoes.

“We had a great experience with our tour. Our tour guide was great! He was friendly and caring. We had a great time!”

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5.Botanical Garden & Tijuca Forest Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 11 reviews · 4 hours · from $85

Spend four hours exploring Rio’s Atlantic Forest by convertible jeep and on foot. Stop at waterfalls, the Chinese View, and Emperor’s Table, then visit the Botanical Garden’s imperial palms and orchidarium. Guides speak Portuguese, English, or Spanish. Gabriel has earned special praise for his lively explanations. The garden ticket costs about R$73 extra.

“agradável, mas muito rápida e com pouco tempo para observar a floresta e os animais selvagens. A visita ao jardim botânico não foi realizada pelo operador, o guia informou que as 4h era apenas para a floresta da Tijuca, contudo tinha comprado para visitar ambos os locais.”

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6.Private Tijuca Forest & Botanical Garden Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 9 reviews · 5 hours · from $80

Spend five hours with a private guide in Rio’s Tijuca Forest and Botanical Garden. Ride from your hotel to the Chinese Viewpoint, Cascatinha Taunay, forest trails, and the sensory garden. Guides such as Edison, Ederson, and Antonio tailor the outing in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Botanical Garden admission is extra.

“Very informative, comfortable private ride, pleasent walk on trails in the forest and the botanical garden - a great experience all together. The guide, Antonio, contacted us the day prior to the tour via What'sUp and picked us up at our accomodation ( just off the Prestana Rio Atlantica hotel). He had a driver with him, so we were dropped to each designation while the driver dealt with parking the car. We were very happy that we chose the private tour vs the open jeep tours.”

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7.Jeep’n’Green: Rio Botanical Garden & Tijuca Rainforest Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 6 reviews · 4 hours · from $95

Spend four hours visiting Rio’s 140-hectare Botanical Garden and Tijuca Atlantic Forest by Jeep. You’ll see thousands of tropical plants, Mayrink Chapel, Emperor’s Table, Vista Chinesa when open, and Cachoeira dos Macacos. A multilingual guide leads the rainforest walk, with hotel pickup and drop-off included.

“They cancelled the time slot I requested after taking my money but still took my money and did not return it. So I did not go at all . That's theft.”

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8.Green Rio: Guided Tour of Botanical Garden and Lage Park

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 5 hours · from $107Top rated

Spend five hours exploring Rio’s Botanical Garden and Parque Lage with an English, Portuguese, or Spanish-speaking guide. Hotel pickup and admission are included. See royal palms, orchids, bromeliads, Japanese gardens, forest paths, and Parque Lage’s famous courtyard, with Tijuca Forest as a possible backup if renovations close the park.

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