The natural rock of Sugar Loaf has become an essential symbol of Rio de Janeiro due to its rounded shape. It will soon receive a zip line, which is already under construction in the Parque Bondinho Pão de Açúcar, and whose inauguration is scheduled for the beginning of the second half of this year.
According to the creators of the project, this extreme descent of 395 meters will be a new way to discover the wonders of Rio will attract tourism by inviting it to a safe, sustainable and accessible adventure for everyone.
The zipline descent will have a total length of 755 meters and the maximum speed will be 100 km/h. There will be four parallel descent routes, with start and finish points on platforms next to the already existing cable car stations.
Future adventurers will wear a helmet and face shield and sit on a kind of “armchair” made of high-strength fabric, attached to the ropes using state-of-the-art technology. No objects are allowed during the descent: glasses, wallets and shoes are stored in a backpack attached to the chair.
The new tourist attraction has, of course, raised criticism, particularly on the visual impact of the ropes in this natural monument. However, Sandro Fernandes, the general director of the park, assures that all the necessary authorizations have been obtained from authorities such as the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute, and that the ropes will be barely noticeable in the panorama of the city. , with a diameter of 15 millimeters, much lower than the 50 millimeters of the already existing cable car.
