The trip up to, and view from, Corcovado Mountain and Cristo Redentor is everything it's cracked-up to be. And then some. 

You ascend through jungle on a funicular railway - which in itself is a beautiful trip - and then gaze down the sheer drop on the city, jungle and beaches 800m below. 

I wish we'd gone up on day one as the astonishing perspective it provides helps you figure out what is where in Rio's crazy and complicated layout.