About the Transcarioca Trail
The Transcarioca Trail crosses Rio de Janeiro on a route of approximately 180 km, from Barra de Guaratiba to Morro da Urca, at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain.
Along its path, visitors have the opportunity to appreciate little-known natural attractions of the city and discover the Marvelous City from unusual angles. The trail can be hiked in its entirety or in sections, according to the interest, ability and time availability of its users.
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Today, the Transcarioca Trail connects ten fully protected conservation units:
- Grumari Municipal Natural Park
- Pedra Branca State Park
- Tijuca National Park
- Cidade Municipal Natural Park
- Catacumba Municipal Natural Park
- Fonte da Saudade Municipal Natural Park
- Jose Guilerme Merquior Municipal Natural Park
- Paisagem Carioca Municipal Natural Park
- Sugarloaf and Urca Hills Municipal Natural Monument
- Cagarras Islands Natural Monument
It also allows access to protected areas such as Sítio Burle Marx, Chacrinha State Park, Museu do Açude and the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden. In a second phase, the trail should also encompass Restinga da Marambaia and Morro Cara de Cão.
Symbol of the union between the three spheres of government, this initiative also aims to integrate and strengthen Rio's protected areas in the context of major international events hosted by the city. Its implementation is an initiative of the Mosaico Carioca de Áreas Protegidas, officially created by the Ministry of the Environment in July 2011, and has been intensively planned and implemented by the managers of the involved conservation units through meetings, workshops and management actions.
The Transcarioca Trail was initially conceived by Pedro da Cunha e Menezes in his book Transcarioca: todos os passos de um sonho (2000), supported by several successful examples of long-distance trails such as the Appalachian Trail (USA), Huella Andina (Argentina), Hoerikwaggo Trail (South Africa) and Te Araroa Trail (New Zealand).
Beyond generating employment and income within the guiding principles of sustainable development, it is the purpose of Mosaico Carioca that the Transcarioca Trail follows the example of these trails, which generated an increase in visitation and several improvements in the management of the protected areas they cross. It is intended that the establishment of the Transcarioca Trail provides environmental improvements for the city, such as the long-awaited forest corridor between the Tijuca and Pedra Branca massifs and the rationalization of the conservation units of Mosaico Carioca.
The trail will also serve as a conservation model for various Atlantic Forest ecosystems, serving as a living environmental education tool in areas of restinga, mangrove, beach, rocky shore, lowland forest and montane forest.