Crowded Christ: Why small is not always beautiful!

Christ the Redeemer is synonymous with Rio, top of most 'must-see' lists for the city. It is rightly one of the modern wonders of the world. To stand below it is to be awed, to feel small and reverential. But you won't be alone. The experience is memorable, but as Chris discovered, it's the people and the ridiculously vibrant culture that really makes you fall in love with the Cidade Maravilhosa...

I crane my head upwards and try to meet his gaze. Fixed in the middle distance, he avoids eye contact, a distant expression, stern, perhaps a touch forlorn, but strong and steadfast. For nearly a century, Christ the Redeemer has kept watch over Rio de Janeiro, a jumble of beaches, favelas, forested peaks and... OUCH!

I turn around and two young Brazilian ladies apologise sheepishly after one clonked me on the ear with a phone in hand. Unabashed, she resumes her position as the other strikes a pose with two peace symbols - her Kodak moment shared with a hundred strangers.

I look over to Jalmir, my guide. He's seen it all before and waits patiently on the periphery. I tell him I'm going to try and make it across to the other side to see the million-dollar view over Guanabara Bay. If I'm not back before nightfall, send help.

Welcome to Christ the Redeemer... where small really isn't beautiful.

Let me be clear. By small, I'm certainly not referring to Him. Christ is huge, 30 meters up, 28 meters wide, 635 tonnes of reinforced concrete and tough soapstone. In 2007, it was named as one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World. And it is, oh it really is. Nothing says Brazil like it - nothing says open, welcoming, big, brash, bold and brilliant Brazil like Cristo Redentor. You have to see it, you have to get close to it, to feel it.

By small, I am referring to the space around Christ. The viewing deck is simply not in any way big enough to cope with 4,000 - 5,000 visitors a day. The feeling is one of sardines. With limbs, lots of long, angular limbs.

Compare with the Eiffel Tower. For one, it's at ground level. Or the bottom of it is anyway. So you can see it close up from various perspectives across the center of Paris. Secondly, the gardens and plaza around it are big enough that you can spread out and breathe. It will be busy, but you usually have a bit of personal space.

Christ the Redeemer is way up high. You can see it from downtown in lots of different places, but it's a way off. You need to get up close if you want a good look. Because he is somewhat improbably perched on a mountain, the space at his feet is tight and is not going to get any bigger anytime soon. And because visitor numbers are not restricted, a lot of people are funnelled into a small space.

But, you want to come here, right? And I still think you really should. So stick with me...

Christ the Redeemer is perched on his pedestal atop the 710m high Corcovado peak, a steep granite mountain which rises above the Tijuca National Park, the world's largest urban forest. 

The lofty position provides a perfect vantage point for one of the world's greatest city vistas, the postcard view of the Marvellous City. Favelas spill down the hillsides, meeting the Lego block high rises of Botafogo, meeting golden beach sands, meeting the still waters of Guanabara Bay and then wham!, rising in the center is the peak of Sugar Loaf, and beyond a cascade of forested islands and the distant outline of the Serra do Mar coastal mountain range.

Thus, there are two iconic images associated with Corcovado:

These are the images you will see reproduced everywhere, from guidebooks to Insta feeds to your neighbour's holiday snaps. They tell of the grandeur, the beauty, the sheer audacity of building a huge city in a place like this. 

They don't tell of the experience, of what it feels like to visit one of the world's great wonders...

Don't worry, I'm not here to burst your bubble. You are going to have an incredible experience in Rio. That, I can promise you. It's one of South America's most vibrant, colourful, beautiful and slightly bonkers cities, a Hollywood setting for a place which locals sometimes liken to living in a movie set.

For many, Christ the Redeemer is the thing visitors most look forward to. So it's all about expectations. My advice is to expect it to be busy and chaotic, but hold your nose and delve right in - this is a happy, energetic bubble full of people of all nationalities glorying in the grandeur of it all.

But I'd be willing to bet a lot of reals that the things that truly stay with you and create a lasting connection will happen elsewhere. It might be getting a behind-the-scenes view of Carnival as great floats take shape and a samba school gives you a peek at next year's costumes. It might be being moved by the sheer emotion pouring out of Luana as she brings personal meaning to the oft-forgotten African heritage that makes Rio the tropical treasure that it is. Or it might be the time you watched sunset from the other great lofty attraction of the city, the Sugar Loaf cable cars, where you certainly do have space to spread out at the top and your ears remain happily unclonked.

We've tried every possible way to visit and concluded that, unless you can score an invite to one of the exclusive weddings in the chapel, you should either take the first train of the day at 07:20 to get a sliver of peace, and still be back in time for breakfast. Or do a helicopter ride up and around Christ, the idea of which will either light you up or scare your pants off.

Hiking through Tijuca Forest: There are two trails up through the forest - a 6km hike up from Parque Lage down by the Botanical Gardens, or a shorter and simpler trail running parallel to the train tracks, starting at the station. Note that you should probably only attempt the walk from Parque Lage with a hiking guide, as it’s not 100% safe to do it on your own. It’s nice to walk in the forest, there are lots of monkeys and marmosets. We heard, though didn't see, a toucan or two.  

One big advantage of going up from Parque Lage is that you get to a platform next to the train tracks, with panoramic views down over the lagoon, the race track, the Botanical Gardens and the forest of trees from which you have just emerged. Local guides call it the 'Curve of Oooh' because of the amazing views that those on the train get just the briefest glimpse of.

But there is no great sense of arrival, no great reveal of the statue. You end up at the same barriers, souvenir shops and crowded spaces before you get even a peek at Christ. You just end up sweatier than those on the train or in the vans. If you're venturing beyond Rio, inland into the Atlantic Rainforest, or way up north to the Amazon, you will experience a richer forest environment elsewhere. So for us, it's a no.

Going up by train: To go up by the old cogwheel train, you should first check the weather forecast a day or two before. There’s no point going up if it’s foggy - you’ll just end up in a cloud. If it’s looking good, you book your tickets online, arrange a taxi on the official app or through your hotel and arrive 20-30 minutes before your time slot. So if you're aiming for the first one of the day, you'll have your breakfast after, either back at your hotel or at the nearby Jo & Joe restaurant perhaps.

Helicopter tours: These are super popular in Rio. The sound of choppers is a constant backdrop during the day in Cosme Velho. These take off from various points in the city, but most conveniently from Urca hill, which is the hill from which the cable cars go up to Sugar Loaf. Therefore, it’s possible to visit two of the city’s ‘must-sees’ in the space of one very memorable morning or afternoon. The other good option is from the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon.

Tours range from a 15‑minute coastal flight past Christ the Redeemer to a full 60‑minute journey covering beaches, Sugarloaf, Maracanã Stadium, and Guanabara Bay.

Mirante Dona Marta: If you don’t want to fight through the crowd to get the famous view over Guanabara Bay up at Christ, then the view is pretty much the same from the Mirante Dona Marta, a few minutes from the train station. Using Google Translate, you could ask your taxi driver to wait for you there for a few minutes so you can see the view. Note that this has become a wildly popular sunrise spot, and so it stays busy for most of the morning, though nothing compared to the space below Christ the Redeemer. Compare the view above to this...

So in summary, please don't be put off coming to have an audience with Christ. Or buzz around his head in a helicopter if you're feeling more daring. 

But the real joy of Rio goes way beyond the physical, beyond the beaches, the statue and Sugar Loaf. It's the people, the culture, the music, the food, the colour. It's the interaction between the 'Carioca' locals and the physical that makes it so compelling. So there's iconic Rio, and so much more beyond...