Booked here
The Vidigal hike
Short, moderate, 3.5 hours
- ClimbNearly 1 hour
- Length3.5 hours
- Reviews517
Help me decide
Two Brothers hike in Rio de Janeiro, compared with the other big hikes
Two Brothers hike from Vidigal
★ 5.0 · 517 opinions
Two questions, one hike
Which Rio hike is yours?
Say what kind of day you want and where you want to start, and a hike appears with its guided fare.
Best choice for you
The Two Brothers hike
from $49
3.5 hours from Vidigal with a live guide, a moderate climb to a 533 m summit over the beaches.
Best choice for you
The Pedra da Gávea hike
from $39
6.5 hours for a small group of up to 8; Riotur gives 844 m and at least 3 hours up, with a guide advised6.
Best choice for you
The Tijuca peaks tour
from $76
5 hours through the national park with pickup; Riotur says the Pico da Tijuca path is shaded almost all the way5.
Best choice for you
The Morro da Urca trail
Riotur gives 1.5 km in about 40 minutes from Praia Vermelha, rated slight and easy4.
How the Vidigal hike stacks up against Pedra Bonita, Morro da Urca, Pico da Tijuca and Pedra da Gávea on time, effort, shade, guided prices and where each one starts.
Editorial team, twobrothershike.top · Updated November 12, 2026 · Quick read: 7 min
The essentials
- Dois IrmãosA short, steep trail up to a summit at 533 m.1,2
- Pedra BonitaRiotur gives 40 minutes, slight and relatively easy.3
- Morro da UrcaEasy, with 1.5 km on foot from Praia Vermelha.4
- Pico da TijucaAbout 1.5 hours in the shade of the trees.5
- Pedra da GáveaA climb to 844 m that takes 3 hours or more, guide advised.6
Rio hikes at a glance
Rio is a city built around its mountains, and the choice of hikes is wide. Riotur lists many trails, from short climbs to the lookouts of the south zone to the hard ascent of Pedra da Gávea, and recommends the help and company of a local guide for the trails of the city.7 The Two Brothers mountain hike sold on this site is one of the shorter and more popular ones, and this page puts it next to the others so that you can pick by your own time and energy.
The numbers are close at the short end. The Vidigal trail rises to a summit at 533 metres over 1.5 km, Pedra Bonita takes 40 minutes, and Morro da Urca covers 1.5 km in roughly the same time.1,2,3,4 Where they differ is in the start, the shade, the surface and the view. A walker who has done one will find the others familiar in length but not in character.
Further up the scale sit Pico da Tijuca at about 1.5 hours, Bico do Papagaio with a summit at 989 metres and Pedra da Gávea at 844 metres, a climb of at least 3 hours.5,8,6 The table below lines all of them up, and the decision helper above picks one for you after two questions about the day you want.
Side by side
Rio hikes by time, effort and shade
| Hike | Time and length | Effort | Shade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morro da Urca | 1.5 km, about 40 minutes4 | Slight, easy | Not stated |
| Pedra Bonita | About 40 minutes3 | Slight, relatively easy | None10 |
| Dois Irmãos | 1.5 km, about 40 minutes1 | Relatively easy to moderate | Not stated |
| Pico da Tijuca | About 1.5 hours5 | Gentle slope | Almost all the way5 |
| Morro da Babilônia | About 2 hours, 1.2 km13 | Signposted | Not stated |
| Pedra da Gávea | At least 3 hours up6 | Hard, guide advised | Not stated |
Times and ratings are Riotur's; shade is marked only where a source states it.
Two Brothers and the other short climbs
Pedra Bonita is the nearest rival, and it is a different kind of view. Riotur says the trail takes 40 minutes and is considered slight and relatively easy, with no big obstacles.3 It adds that the route has steep sections and, with the short vegetation, offers no natural sun protection, and that from the top you see Gávea rock, the Barra beaches, São Conrado, Leblon and Ipanema.10 It is a good, open view, but with less city below it than from the Vidigal summit.
Morro da Urca is the easy one. Riotur says the trail starts at Praia Vermelha, covers 1.5 kilometres in about 40 minutes with steep climbs and flat stretches, and is considered slight and easy.4 Like the Vidigal hike, it ends on a summit with a panorama of the city, in this case of Guanabara Bay, and it makes a good first walk for anyone who wants a view without a long effort.
The Two Brothers hike in Rio de Janeiro sits between the two in effort. The listing sold here rates its own effort as moderate, while Riotur's pages say fairly easy in one spot and moderate in another.11,2 What it adds that the others lack is the setting: you start in a living neighbourhood, take a scooter ride, and finish on a rock that every postcard of Ipanema and Leblon shows in the background.12
Track record
Reviews behind six guided hike listings
- Tijuca peaks tour853
- The hike we book517
- Pedra do Telégrafo452
- Gávea, 6.5 hours247
- Gávea, 7 hours207
- Pedra Bonita79
Review counts as each listing shows them.
Two Brothers or Pedra da Gávea
Pedra da Gávea is a different class of hike. Riotur gives its height as 844 metres and the climb as at least 3 hours, and calls it the most difficult trail, demanding attention, physical condition and above all the support of an experienced guide.6 The hardest stretch, the Carrasqueira, is a wall about 30 metres high where you use your hands to keep going.6 People type is the Two Brothers hike hard into a search box, and the honest answer is that Gávea sets the real bar for hard.
Guided listings reflect that. A small-group Pedra da Gávea listing runs 6.5 hours and starts from $39, with 247 reviews averaging 4.8, and warns against it for people who are not regularly active. Another listing sells a 7-hour hike with a climb of about 3 hours, calls it difficult with stretches of light climbing, and starts from $57, with 207 reviews.
The two hikes suit different people. The Vidigal climb takes about 40 minutes to an hour and leaves most of a morning for a beach or a lunch, while the Gávea climb takes the better part of a day and a good night's sleep before it. If you are unsure, do the shorter one first, enjoy it, and use the experience to decide whether the long climb is for you on a later trip.
Three guided hikes
Vidigal, Pedra Bonita and Pedra da Gávea
In the park
Pedra Bonita
A small-group hike
- HikingAbout 2 hours
- Length5 hours
- Reviews79
Hardest
Pedra da Gávea
The hard climb
- Length6.5 hours
- GroupUp to 8
- Reviews247
The longer forest and peak walks
Pico da Tijuca is the shaded option. Riotur says the walk takes about one and a half hours, is well delimited and rises gently, and follows the sides of the hills in the shade of the treetops almost all the way.5 It lies in the Tijuca National Park, which Riotur calls the most visited in the country, with about two million visitors a year.14,15
Bico do Papagaio has its summit at 989 metres, according to Riotur, and is one of the most visited peaks of the Tijuca National Park.8 A guided listing that visits the park's peaks, caves and falls runs 5 hours and starts from $76, with 853 reviews averaging 4.8, and recommends a moderate fitness level.
Two further names come up in searches. Riotur describes the Morro da Babilônia trail in Leme as about 2 hours over 1.2 km, fully signposted, and a chance to see the lifestyle of the community.13 It also says that visitors with better physical preparation can walk to Corcovado by the trail that starts in Cosme Velho and leads to the statue, a hike that belongs to the page on the statue and not to this one.16
A hiking week
Rio hikes from the easiest to the hardest
What the guided listings cost
Prices fall in a narrow band for the shorter hikes and climb for the longer ones. The hike sold here starts from $49 for 3.5 hours, with 517 reviews averaging 4.9. A Pedra Bonita small-group hike with pickup starts from $64, runs 5 hours with about 2 hours of walking and has 79 reviews averaging 4.8.
A Pedra do Telégrafo hike and beach day starts from $57, lasts from 4 to 6.5 hours and has 452 reviews averaging 4.3, the lowest score of the group. It belongs to the same family of hikes, and its reviews are a useful reminder that a big number of ratings and a high score are two different things.
Compare the numbers with care. A listing that bundles pickup, a long day or a park visit is not the same product as a shared hike from a square, and a low fare for a long hike is a different thing from a low fare for a short one. Our price page for the Vidigal hike goes through the listings that climb the Two Brothers hill, and the calculator there prices your party.
Video
The hike to Pedra da Gavea in Rio de Janeiro
Beyond Borders on YouTube · Playback files load only once you tap play.
It is necessary to give so much attention, physical condition and especially the support of an experienced guide on this heavy route.
For any Rio hike
What every hike on this page asks
Plan3
- Take a local guide, as Riotur recommends7
- Start early in summer, before the heat and showers
- Check the weather and the trail the evening before
Carry3
- Water, more for the longer climbs
- Sunscreen, a hat and repellent
- Shoes with grip and a small backpack
Choosing by time, effort and risk
Choose by time first. With a morning, the Vidigal hike, Pedra Bonita and Morro da Urca all fit, since each takes about 40 minutes on the trail.1,3,4 With a day, Pico da Tijuca or a Tijuca peaks tour fills it well. With a whole day and good legs, Pedra da Gávea is the challenge, preferably with a guide.5,6 Mixed groups of beginners and fit hikers should aim for the short climbs.
Then choose by view. Vidigal gives the beaches and the lagoon at their best, Pedra Bonita the mountains and the coast to the west, Morro da Urca the bay and Sugarloaf, and Pico da Tijuca the city from the forest. Choose by shade as well: Pico da Tijuca is shaded, while Pedra Bonita offers no natural protection from the sun, so the hour of the day matters on that one.5,10
Finally, choose by where you start. The Vidigal hike begins in a community, which is part of its appeal, and UK travel advice urges visitors to avoid every favela, tours included.17 Our safety page sets that beside Riotur's advice. If you prefer a start outside a community, Morro da Urca starts at Praia Vermelha and Pico da Tijuca in the Tijuca National Park, and the gentle Janela do Céu trail begins in a park in Leblon.4,14,18
FAQ
Fast, clear answers, short.
Is the Dois Irmaos hike harder than Pedra Bonita?
Is Pedra da Gávea harder?
Yes, by a wide margin.
The height is 844 m, the climb takes 3 hours or more, a wall of about 30 m needs your hands, and Riotur asks for an experienced guide.6
Which Rio hike is the easy one?
Morro da Urca is rated easy.
Morro da Urca is 1.5 km and about 40 minutes by Riotur's count, and the trail is called slight and easy.4
Which hike has shade?
Which of these Rio hikes costs least to book?
Pedra da Gávea, from $39.
A small-group Pedra da Gávea hike starts from $39, against $49 for the hike sold here, which runs 3.5 hours. Two small Two Brothers listings with only a handful of reviews start lower, and our price page lists them.
Do I need a guide for other hikes?
Riotur recommends one.
Riotur recommends the help and company of a local guide for the trails of Rio.7
Is Morro da Babilônia an alternative?
It starts in a community too.
Riotur gives about 2 hours over 1.2 km, fully signposted, and presents it as a chance to see the lifestyle of the community.13
Sources
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Morro Dois Irmaos ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Trilha Dois Irmaos ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Pedra Bonita ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Morro da Urca ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Pico da Tijuca ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Pedra da Gavea ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Rio: parques e trilhas ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Rio: parques e trilhas ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Pedra Bonita ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Pedra Bonita ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Morro Dois Irmaos ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Dois Irmaos Trail ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Rio: parques e trilhas ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Pico da Tijuca ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Parque Nacional da Tijuca ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Parque Nacional da Tijuca ↩
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (gov.uk) · Brazil travel advice: safety and security ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism authority) · Parque Natural Municipal Penhasco Dois Irmaos ↩