Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
29 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
29 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
29 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
29 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Brazil Rio de Janeiro Cachoeiras do Horto (Horto Waterfalls)
AO Edited

Cachoeiras do Horto (Horto Waterfalls)

A trio of waterfalls inside the world’s largest urban forest.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Added By
Jules Vandystadt
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Cachoeiras do Horto (Horto Waterfalls)   Mcalvet / CC BY-SA 3.0
Cachoeiras do Horto (Horto Waterfalls)   Mcalvet / CC BY-SA 3.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Cachoeiras do Horto encompasses three waterfalls, which can be accessed by a medium-difficulty hike in the woods. They're some of the many waterfalls found in the Tijuca Forest, a national park in the heart of Rio de Janeiro and the world’s largest urban forest.

Tijuca National Park is a 40 square kilometer swath of the Atlantic forest, a vast ecosystem that contains impressive biodiversity. The Atlantic forest once covered over 350 million acres, but logging, development, and other human activity have destroyed an estimated 88 percent of the original vegetation. Tijuca is a protected section of that endangered ecosystem.

A trail connects all three of the falls at Cachoeiras do Horto. The first small waterfall is right off the entrance of the trail. It’s good for washing hands and dipping your head on a hot summer day. A 10-minute hike will reveal the second waterfall, which is where the majority of the hikers stop to bathe. If you keep hiking up there is a small rocky wall with a rope, which can be a little challenging. Getting past that you’ll arrive at the third waterfall, the largest and most beautiful. There’s even a small natural shallow lake where you can dive.

Related Tags

Trails Hiking National Parks Forests Waterfalls Water

Know Before You Go

You can get there either by bike or by car (any taxi app, Google Maps or Waze will get you there). The national park opens at 8 a.m., which means that if you go by car earlier than that you’ll have to walk on the road from the park entrance to the beginning of the hiking trail. Bikes have 24-hour access, but make sure you bring a padlock chain with you.

Community Contributors

Added By

vandystadt

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

June 27, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240516-the-fight-to-rewild-the-worlds-largest-urban-forest-tijuca
  • https://parquenacionaldatijuca.rio/locais/cachoeiras-do-horto/
Cachoeiras do Horto (Horto Waterfalls)
Estr. da Vista Chinesa
Alto da Boa Vista
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
-22.964676, -43.24608
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Parque Lage

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

miles away

Hans Klussmann Square

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

miles away

Cascata Diamantina (Diamantina Waterfall)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Brazil

Places 16
Stories 8

Nearby Places

Parque Lage

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

miles away

Hans Klussmann Square

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

miles away

Cascata Diamantina (Diamantina Waterfall)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Brazil

Places 16
Stories 8

Related Places

  • Tumalo Falls.

    Bend, Oregon

    Tumalo Falls

    An attractive free-plunge waterfall outside Bend in the Deschutes National Forest.

  • Cascata Diamantina and its little natural pool

    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Cascata Diamantina (Diamantina Waterfall)

    A hidden and beautiful waterfall in middle of one of the biggest urban forests of the world.

  • Riberão do Meio

    Centro, Brazil

    Riberão do Meio

    A natural waterslide in Brazil’s most expansive national park.

  • Krushuna Falls

    Bulgaria

    Krushuna Falls

    These cascading falls resonate throughout the Bulgarian forest.

  • Cascade Falls.

    Duck Creek Village, Utah

    Cascade Falls

    An improbable waterfall springs from an orange-white cliff face, tumbling into the headwaters of the Virgin River above Zion National Park.

  • Hrabušice, Slovakia

    Sokolia Dolina Gorge

    Climb around the high waterfalls on series of iron ladders and bridges within the wildest gorge in the Slovak Paradise.

  • The view of the Blue Ridge Mountains here is spectacular.

    Canton, North Carolina

    Black Balsam Knob

    On a clear afternoon, you can see mountain peaks more than 40 miles away from this clearing in the Pisgah National Forest.

  • Water rushes through the upper reaches of the scar.

    Westmorland and Furness, England

    Ewbank Scar

    Water demonstrates its carving power along a Cumbrian trail.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.