//
Photo: Halley Pacheco de Oliveira, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
If you won't be making it to the Amazon or the Pantanal, this is a good place to see some of Brazil's more exotic creatures.
The Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden (Portuguese: Jardim Zoológico do Rio de Janeiro) is a zoo located in the district of São Cristóvão, in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The institution has among its main objectives the development of environmental and educational activities, based on the animals of its collection—which consists mainly of fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Park
Estádio do Maracanã
Once the world's highest capacity football venue, it was able to hold nearly 200,000 people. In modern times, the capacity has been reduced because of safety considerations, and the introduction of seating for all fans. It is undergoing renovation, to expand it to hold 80,000. The matches of Rio's football clubs like Flamengo or Fluminense are usually far from full, so go along and watch a game. There is also a Soccer Museum inside.
Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins (MAST)
Also has an observatory.
Parque Estadual do Grajaú
This 55-hectare park preserves some of the original forest and serves as a refuge for a wide range of species including marmosets, bush dogs, guinea pigs, parakeets, vultures, and hawks. The park includes the Pedra do Andaraí, symbol of the area.