Lagoa Rio de janeiro. Lagoon rodrigo de freitas

Lagoa Rio de Janeiro - Lagoon Rodrigo de Freitas

Located behind Ipanema and close to Copacabana this lagoon is a nice area well worth a visit if you are staying in a hotel or an apartment in south zone of Rio de Janeiro.
As a place for jogging and walking this area is a safe haven for the privileged living in the surrounding areas of Ipanema, Leblon, Gávea and Jardim Botanico.

After a day at the beach it is relaxing to take a evening walk i this area. When arriving from Ipanema it is best to turn left and walk away from Copacabana if you plan to walk for more than half an hour, as the sights will be more pleasurable. For a very short walk either direction is just as good. A visit to the lake can be combined with a visit to Botanic Garden, but this is only for someone who enjoy walking over extended distances.

There are restaurants on each side of the lake. If you arrive in Rio during December there is also a large floating tree in the lake that gets lit every evening.
Nice place to be when this happen is by the restaurants on the side of the Jockey Club and Jardim Botanico.

Facts about the Lagoon
The lake has a long perimeter of 7,8 km (4,8 miles). At its widest point it is 3 km (1,9 miles), but does not get any deeper than 4,30 meters (14 feet).

Inside the lagoon there are shrimps, crabs and 30 species of fish.
The lagoon is often referred to as a lake. However, the water is a mixture of fresh and salt-water and therefore a lagoon. It is connected to the ocean via Canal Jardim de Alah.
This is a 835 meter long canal which separates the neighborhoods of Leblon and Ipanema.

The amount of algae in the water is being tightly regulated. There have been and also are ongoing efforts to clean the Lagoon.
Currently the lagoon is not very clean and there are needs of more projects to avoid destruction of the eco-balance.