Glide along the city of Rio de Janeiro aboard one of the cable cars from Sugar Loaf Mountain. Pao de Acucar (or Sugarloaf Mountain) is one of the popular attractions to be found in Rio de Janeiro. It has served as an important landmark through the years, guiding the first Portuguese safely into Guanabara Bay. Even now, it beckons, inviting visitors to climb the top and enjoy the exhilarating mountain air, as well as the spectacular vistas of surrounding mountains and the cityscapes below.
With a height of 396 meters above sea level, it affords some of the most gorgeous views of Rio de Janeiro. It is actually composed of quartz and granite. Sugar Loaf Mountain rises straight from the edge of the water.
It has since been visited by millions of tourists who were attracted to its unique shape. The mountain's shape reminds one of a sugar loaf. In Brazil, during the height of the sugar industry, sugar was packed into loaves shaped like bread. Hence, the name. However, some believe that the name is actually from the Tupi-Guarani words for 'high hill' (Pau-nh-acuqua).