Gigoia Island
A car-free village.
Fwellisch — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fwellisch — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Leandro Neumann Ciuffo — CC BY 2.0 · tukagaspar — CC BY 2.0 · VinnyWiki — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rafael Loreto Fernandes — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Florent Pécassou — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Eduardo P — CC BY-SA 3.0
Lagoa da Tijuca is a coastal lagoon in Barra da Tijuca in west Rio de Janeiro. Together with the Jacarepaguá, Camorim and Marapendi lagoons it forms the Barra lagoon complex, which reaches the Atlantic through the Barra da Tijuca canal, also called the Joatinga canal; the lagoons are linked to one another by channels. The lagoon has ten islands, the largest being Gigoia, home to about three thousand people, with hostels, guesthouses and restaurants, reached only by small boats, so it feels like a quiet village in the middle of the city. Mangroves line the lagoon, and broad-snouted caimans live in it. The name «Tijuca» comes from Tupi and means «stagnant water» or «marsh». The lagoon suffers from pollution, visible in the mats of floating plants, but it remains a lovely place for a boat ride or a short crossing to Gigoia to eat at its waterside restaurants.
A car-free village.
A quick crossing.
And caimans.
Barra da Tijuca, west Rio de Janeiro
By small boat from a pier near Jardim Oceânico metro station.
