Number 17- Pista Claudio Coutinho, Urca

Happy New Year to all!
I decided to start the new year doing something I have been meaning to do for a long time, to go to the borough of Urca and walk along the Sugar Loaf. I have known for a long time that there is a nice trail, called Pista Claudio Coutinho there. It is located at the left of the Praia Vermelha beach, as you stand looking out on the ocean. The trail is well-kept and open every day between 06:00 and 18:00. It is the starting point of hikes up the Sugar Loaf, so all backpackers that come to Rio de Janeiro come by the place, but for me it was a new adventure.
Sticking to the resolution of a new and greener life I went by public transport, from my house that meant taking the metro to Botafogo and from there an express bus. It was fast and simple. The bus stopped closed by Praia Vermelha, and it was a short walk over to where the trail started.

It was still quite early in the morning but it is summer in Rio and the beach was already crowded.

I just wanted some peace and quiet and to breathe some fresh air, and it turned out I had come to the right place!

The trail is mostly shaded by trees and vegetation, but opens up at intervals so you can get a glimpse of the sea. Here is Praia Vermelha seen from the trail.

Along the trail there are signs with information about trees and animals, one informed about the marmosets:

I didn't think I would actually see one, but there were many! They were obviously used to humans, but it was still not so easy to get a good picture...

I trotted along at my own pace, happy with the green and the sound of the ocean hitting the rocks below the trail...

But lots of people were there for the hikes up to the sugar loaf, some following paths in the woods, some literally climbing the mountain:

Can you see the climbers? There are two of them!

Could one ask for more on a Saturday morning? Is there anywhere as beautiful as Rio de Janeiro?

As I passed by the shrine of the virgin I stopped to give thanks, and to promise myself to come back often. I returned to Praia Vermelha feeling renewed and happy, and before I headed home I went to dip my feet in the ocean, hoping, praying that 2016 will be a good year, a very good year.