Top 9 Waterfall Tours in Rio de Janeiro

1.Tijuca Forest Small Group Hike to Caves and Waterfalls

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 536 reviews · 6 hours · from $69Our pick

Spend six hours exploring Tijuca Forest with a bilingual guide such as Vini, Riccardo, Tito, or Luiza. The 6.2 km route passes Cascatinha Taunay, Mayrink Chapel, a suspension bridge, coffee-era ruins, Morcego’s Grotto, and Baronesa Cascade, where you can cool off in the water. Hotel pickup is available from selected South Zone addresses.

“The guide was so nice, very friendly! The forest was magical, it was worth it! The organisation was perfect.”

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2.Tijuca Forest & Horto Waterfalls Circuit Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 99 reviews · from $56

You’ll hike the Horto Waterfall Trail and Secret Waterfall Circuit in Tijuca National Park, passing Jequitibá Waterfall before reaching Cachoeira do Chuveiro, also called Box Waterfall. A bilingual guide leads the route, helps with natural obstacles, and points out forest wildlife. Optional hotel pickup is available.

“Fantastic trek. Really enjoyed it, though a few parts are a little tricky. Our guide Pedro talked us through them and gave good insights into various parts of the forest. Definitely recommend, and would be more than happy to do it again!”

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3.Hiking in the Tijuca Forest : Waterfalls and Caves

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 72 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $62Top rated

Spend about five hours in Rio’s Tijuca National Park with a multilingual guide such as Eduardo, Victor, or Julio. Visit Canoas Lookout, Taunay Waterfall, forest cascades, the Bat Cave, Emperor’s Table, and Chinese View Lookout. Expect light-to-moderate hiking, possible monkeys and toucans, and round-trip pickup from Rio’s South Zone.

“This was a great tour. Our guide, Julio was the best. He was very friendly, knowledgeable and was quick to point out many interesting things to us. Lots of beautiful scenery and views.”

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4.Garganta do Céu and Waterfall hike in Pedra da Gávea

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $58

Join an accredited guide, including guides such as Vagner, Ricardo, or Ron Beulah, for a roughly four-hour hike from Barra da Tijuca through Tijuca National Park. Expect about two hours uphill, rugged rock, views of Christ the Redeemer and Rio’s beaches, plus time at Sorimã Waterfall. Bring water and snacks.

“This was a very challenging hike for me. Took me 2hrs going up. Rugged terrain with lots of rocks. Ron Beulah is an excellent guide and truly helped to make sure that I got up and down without incident. There were 3 tourists & 1 guide. If you have any major health issues or are out of shape do not do this hike! You need at least 2 liters of water and snacks. It was very rewarding and satisfying to see the monkeys and tropical forests. I’d do it again since I’m aware of the level of difficulty.”

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5.Tijuca Forest Hike – Waterfalls & Caves, Nature & Wild Life!

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 51 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $69

Explore Tijuca National Park on a 5.5-mile guided hike with waterfalls, caves, Atlantic Rain Forest, and historic sites. Guides including Alli, Lucas, Sergio, and Juliana add plant, wildlife, and park-history insight, while natural pools offer a chance to cool off. The walk returns to Praça Afonso Viseu.

“We had a great time hiking through the forest with our guide alli. She was great and pointed out all of the animals and plants to see along the way. The hike was super informative about the history of tijuca park, the animals that live there and the insects. My daughter was super excited for this hike and alli delivered. Alli was also great at helping us to get great pictures for socials. Thanks very much for an amazing hike.”

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6.Tijuca Forest w/ Chinese View,cascatinha Taunay,horto waterfall and parque laje

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 29 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $88

Spend about four hours with a local guide exploring Tijuca Forest by car or Jeep. Visit Vista Chinesa, Emperor’s Table, Cascatinha Taunay, and Parque Lage, with time for views, forest scenery, waterfalls, and possible monkey or toucan sightings. Groups are limited to 14, and private transport is available for larger parties.

“There is no zero stars allowed. We have used Viator a lot across the world and this is the first time that the tour operator did not turn up, message us or acknowledge our messages. I hope that all is well but my advice is simple - DO NOT BOOK THIS TOUR OR USE THIS OPERATOR! This spoilt our last day in Rio.”

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7.Tijuca Forest Waterfall of Souls Hike

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 24 reviews · 3h 30m · from $60

Spend 210 minutes in Tijuca National Park with a local guide such as Kelly, combining an easy forest hike, waterfall swim, breathing exercises, and lessons on Afro-indigenous nature beliefs. You may see monkeys, butterflies, birds, lizards, quatis, and frogs, then visit Mayrink Chapel and a forest lake before returning to Alto da Boa Vista.

“Niesamowite przeżycie, piękna przyroda, obcowanie z naturą. Przewodniczka Kelly przemiła z dużą wiedzą. Na początku kilka ćwiczeń z jogi, wyciszenie oddechu, potem oczyszczająca kąpiel w chłodnym wodospadzie, masaż naturalnym olejkiem.”

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8.Tijuca Rain Forest – Adventure through Waterfalls & Caves

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 13 reviews · from $60

Samuel, also known as Samuca, leads a five-hour Tijuca Forest outing from selected Rio hotels. You’ll visit Taunay Waterfall, scenic lookouts, an old park building, caves, and Baronesa Waterfall. Transport, extra water, photos, and videos are included, with English, Portuguese, and Spanish available.

“Tour guide was very friendly and made sure we were comfortable throughout the trip. 5 stars!”

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9.Tijuca Forest´s hike: caves, waterfalls and great views

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 4 hours · from $40Best value

Join Lucas for a four-hour, small-group hike through Rio’s Tijuca Forest National Park. You’ll see 35-meter Taunay Waterfall, caves, ruins, streams, historic sites, and Cachoeira das Almas, with time for a swim. The English and Portuguese tour starts at Praça Afonso Viseu and suits hikers aged 12 and up.

“Amazing! Lucas is a great guide and helped a lot!!!”

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