Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

Port Rio de Janeiro is a seaport on Brazil's Atlantic Ocean coast, located on Guanabara Bay's western shore. It is Brazil's 3rd-busiest port (after Santos-Sao Paulo and Itajaí). All its facilities are managed by the port authority Companhia Docas do Rio de Janeiro.

For the 2016 Summer Olympics, the port and its surrounding area underwent massive development. The named "Porto Maravilha" (translated Marvel) port development project included reconstruction of over 700 km (430 ml) of infrastructure (water, sewage, drainage), construction of around 17 km (11 ml) of bike paths, demolition of the elevated highway Elevado do Perimetral, as well as new public transport developments - Rio de Janeiro Light Rail (30 km / 19 ml lomg railway system linking the city's subway-, ferry- and bus stations).

Rio de Janeiro cruise port is the gateway to unique beaches and culture. The city is the country's former capital (1763-1960) and is also known as "Cidade Maravilhosa" ("marvelous city"). Main tourist attractions are the annual Rio Carnival, the statue Christ the Redeemer (total height 38 m / 125 ft) and the famous beaches Ipanema and Copacabana. Sport fans are attracted by the Carioca football’s home – Maracana stadium.

• Port's cruising season runs November through April.
• In 2016, the port handled a total of 265,188 cruise passengers. For 2017-2018 season (Nov 4 - April 29), the port hadled 24 ship calls and around 240,000 passengers.
• In 2017, the cruise port had 14 ships with scheduled visits during the 2017 Rio Carnival period. These vessels disembarked over 50,000 passengers at the port's Maua Pier. This alone injected into the city's economy around USD 18 million. Most of the ships arrived on February 26 (samba school parades's first day). On that single day, the number of disembarked cruise ship tourists and crew was over 35,000.
• To ensure the pier's security and faster terminal operations, the number of port employees was quadrupled. The port's statistics showed that between January and April 2017, a total of 93 cruise vessels were scheduled to dock at Maua Pier, carrying around 350,000 passengers and crew. These visitors injected into the Rio's economy around USD 105 million (based on the average daily spending USD 300 pp).
• Also in 2017, port's navigational channel was adjusted to be able to accommodate even the world's largest cruise liners. The channel currently allows navigation by vessels with max LOA length 346 m / 1135 ft and max. Following a dredging project, its current max vessel draft is 14 m / 46 ft.

Rio de Janeiro cruise terminal

Rio de Janeiro tours, shore excursions, hotels

City Tours and Shore Excursions

• Christ the Redeemer Statue: located at Corcovado Mountain’s top. The symbol of Rio de Janeiro welcomes the visitors and blesses the inhabitants. Is is one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World.”
• Copacabana: paradise beach with plenty of sunshine. It used to be a small fishing village. Now, Copacabana is a tropical paradise with Brazilian atmosphere.
• Ipanema: the other famous beach. You should definitely find a few hours to just sit on the beach. You can also visit the Rua Garcia D’Avila and Visconde de Piraja shopping center in the neighborhood.
• Botanical Gardens: 15 minutes from Ipanema and Copacabana. It is located on 350 acres area. Spend great leisure time and explore over six thousands different trees and plants. You will see more than 138 species of birds, including the symbol of the garden – “Caxinguelês.”There are lakes with many exotic and native fish species. Be aware of meeting snakes and lizards.
• Maracanã Football Stadium: in Brazil football is soccer. The stadium official name is Mario Filho. It was named after a Carioca Journalist. Maracanã is the name of the river that crosses the surrounding area. There is a museum with tropheis, uniforms and photos of the great Carioca footballers.
• Candelária Church: Latin cross church built in the period 1775 – 19th century end. The church has an amazing architecture with Baroque and Neoclassical influences.