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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Rio De Janeiro

18 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Updated February 13, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in Rio de Janeiro

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Architecture 4
Architectural Oddities 4
National Parks 2
Waterfalls 2
Collections 2
Art 2
Follies And Grottoes 2
Forests 2

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Stories About Rio de Janeiro

Lightning strikes the hand of the Christ the Redeemer statue that stands on a mountaintop above Rio de Janeiro.

In Rio, a Reincarnated Spirit Can Chase Away the Rain

Cacique Cobra Coral is often tapped by officials to keep weather from ruining important events.
by Constance Malleret
In the 1950s, Carnival was a chance for Rio to display its growth and artistic flair.

Take a Parade Down Memory Lane to Rio's 1953 Carnival

Images of a city and culture showing itself off to the world.
by Ashawnta Jackson
The whip spider, or tailless whip scorpion, is neither a spider nor a scorpion.

Making Sense of the Great Whip Spider Boom

Studying the arachnids reveals as much about the structure of science as it does about the creatures.
by Eric Boodman
Alexsandro Brauna on the shoulder of a giant.

It's Hard Work to Restore Rio's Christ the Redeemer, but the Views Are Amazing

The work is for the 90th anniversary in 2021, but the real party is still a decade away.
by Lucy Bryson
This Brazilian navy ship had a strange insect encounter during nighttime operations.

The Ecological Mystery of a Stink Bug Swarm Far Out to Sea

The chance encounter has led to insights on how insects make it to distant islands.
by Erica Tennenhouse
The fire that swallowed Rio de Janeiro’s Brazilian National Museum on September 2, 2018.

Air Conditioning Caused the Fire That Claimed Brazil's National Museum

And budget cuts allowed it to spread.
by Evan Nicole Brown
The group known as Turma do Índio—one of the oldest and most respected—in Guadalupe.

In Praise of Bate-Bola, Rio's Seductive, Scary Alternative Carnival

Garish costumes, masked clowns, and favela funk.
by Lucy Bryson
A meteorite is seen amid debris at Rio de Janeiro’s treasured National Museum on September 3, 2018, a day after a massive fire ripped through the building.

Step Inside Brazil’s Museu Nacional, Before the Devastating Blaze

A new digital tour helps visitors jump back in time.
by Jessica Leigh Hester

Lists Featuring Rio de Janeiro

(Flickr/andreakw)
The bathroom
Some of the decorations include broken crockery that have been priced back together

11 Homes Transformed Into Amazing Mosaics

If you own your property, why not bedazzle it?

11

Including Wyckoff Street Mosaic, La Maison Picassiette, and House of Mirrors

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