One of the carioca’s favorite hikes: Pedra do Telégrafo (The Telégrafo Stone). The Telégrafo Stone is located in the National Park of Pedra Branca (Rio de Janeiro) and stands 354m high on the top of Guaratiba Hill. This place was a military station during the second World War. In fact, that is the explanation for the name Telégrafo (telegraph). The trail to the stone starts at Grumari beach. It covers 3,5km and within 2 hours all the way up to the Telégrafo Stone. But of course, it always depends on the group’s walking rhythm. There are many belvederes and viewpoints along the trail. The most advertised viewing point is  the telegraph stone, a huge sharp rock where everyone chooses to take the classic picture! If you just see those photographs without ever going there, you may even get the impression that there is an abyss under this rock. However, there is not! It is a tricky perspective because of the rock’s angle… There is solid safe ground right under there. During our hike towards the top, we will enjoy breathtaking views from wild beaches such as Grumari and all the Restinga de Marambaia (one of the biggest sand banks of Brazilian coast). We can also observe a number of mountains that form two of the largest urban parks in the world: Pedra Branca State Park and Tijuca National Park. A little bit of history: Guaratiba Hill housed one of Brazil’s military headquarters during II World War. It used to be a strategic observation point. From there, our soldiers could see German submarines moving and protect Brazilian vessels from U-boats possible attacks. All information was done using radio communication and it used to depend on a generator system to work. That is the reason why this viewing spot became popularly known as Pedra do Telégrafo (Telegraph Stone)