Pedra da Gávea
Granite monolith rising directly from the coast to become the world's tallest coastal peak.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Pedra da Gavea in Rio de Janeiro opens with a number that upends the postcard skyline: this granite dome outranks both Corcovado and Sugarloaf in height, yet rarely gets photographed. It follows a 1920 claim by the self-taught scholar Bernardo Azevedo da Silva Ramos, who climbed partway up the rock face and insisted its cracks were ancient Phoenician writing naming a king's son, and the decades of argument that followed. Along the way it covers the Carrasqueira, the roped granite wall every hiker crosses hand over hand near the summit.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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