Visit the Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ride up through Tijuca National Park to the top of Corcovado Mountain and stand beneath one of the most recognisable statues in the world. Christ the Redeemer rises above Rio with its arms spread across the skyline, while the viewing terraces around it open out across Sugarloaf Mountain, Guanabara Bay, Copacabana, Ipanema and the surrounding forested hills. The statue was inaugurated in 1931 and has become one of the defining images of Rio de Janeiro. It also forms part of the wider UNESCO-listed cultural landscape of Rio, where mountains, forest, coastline and urban development combine unusually closely. Although it is a major tourist attraction, Christ the Redeemer remains an explicitly Christian monument, so the religious significance of the site should not be lost beneath the photographs and crowds. The traditional journey is by the Corcovado rack railway, which climbs through the forest to the summit, although authorised road transport is also available. Go early or later in the day if you want to avoid the busiest periods, and check visibility before heading up because cloud can completely obscure both the statue and the views. Add this to your list and see one of Brazil’s great landmarks from the mountain it was built to dominate.