You can take a cab or just walk into the forest in Horto to get away from the city for a while. Within minutes you see monkeys and waterfalls, and are surrounded by serene and peaceful forest.

You can take Pacheco Leão up into the forest from Jardim Botanico. I didn't have a car when I was in Rio, and this is convenient to get to by public transport or on foot. From Leblon or Ipamena you can take the Horto bus straight there.

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Rio de Janeiro is at the entrance to Guanabara Bay. Ilha de Paquetá is an island further up the bay. No cars - horse-drawn carriages take you around the island. Lovely old colonial homes. A haven from the frenetic pace of Rio.

From Estaco dos Barcas - the boat station by Praca Quinze in Rio - the ferry takes 75 minutes to Paqueta while the hydrofoil takes about 20 minutes.

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You don’t really want to escape the crowds in Rio. To avoid the chances of getting mugged, try to always be around people.

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Lined by 40m-high royal palms, the Jardim Botanico is a haven of peace and tranquillity in this noisy, bustling city. It was founded in 1808 as a nursery for European specimens and is full of rare bromeliads, orchids and cacti. There are monkeys in the trees and I once spotted a sloth on a wall.

Rua Jardim Botanico, 1008; Tel: 274 48 98; Open: 8am-5pm, Tues-Sun; www.jbrj.gov.br/

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