Brazil is a lively and fascinating country, above Chile and Argentina it is the well known party capital of South America and Rio de Janeiro is the party capital of Brazil.

Rio de Janeiro is a city of beaches, called the ‘marvelous city’ it is towered over by the magnificent sugar loaf mountain, home to world renowned carnivals it also has stunning architecture, fascinating museums and great food. Rio is also home to one of the new 7 Wonders of the World. Standing an imposing 38 meters tall atop the Corcovado mountain and inaugurated on October 12 1931 the statue of Christ the Redeemer stretches its arms welcoming visitors to the city and became the Brazilian wonder of the World.

This amazing statue was designed by the Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and created by French sculptor Paul Landowski, it took 5 years to create the statue and is built out of reinforced concrete with the outer layers made of soapstone. In 2006 a chapel was consecrated under the statue to allow Catholics to hold baptisms and weddings there.

The statue is amazing and the view from the top is good but the journey to the statue is also very interesting as you travel through the Atlantic rainforest where there are a number of beautiful waterfalls to see. You can also get up to see the statue using the Corcovado rack railway which takes about 20 minutes and leaves every half an hour. From the terminal or the road, there are 220 steps to the statue but there are also elevators and escalators for those unable or unwilling to walk.

The most popular times to visit the statue are Easter and Christmas when many people will come on a group or individual pilgrimage, it is generally advisable to visit outside of these seasons if possible and the best time to visit is in the later afternoon so that you can see the sun going down over the city. This Brazilian wonder somehow transcends religion and regardless of your faith a visit to the statue is a spiritual experience which you will never forget.