This was not how it was supposed to be. What started as a peaceful hiking trip for a sunrise has turned into an emergency situation for the hundreds of vacationers trapped on the mountain, where there are reports of gunshots being fired at tourists nearby.
Early in the morning, the tranquillity of the birth of the day was apparent as the soft light of the morning sun slowly arose from behind the mountains. Approximately 200 tourists gathered at Morro Dois Irmãos, a popular mountaintop from which there is a spectacular view of Ipanema Beach and the Atlantic Ocean, to witness the sunrise.
Then, without warning, everything changed. At a moment’s notice, the guides started telling the tourists to sit down without the time to explain why or the reason for the urgency. Only moments after being told to sit, the sound of gunfire rang out in the silence.
A Portuguese tourist who was on the trip with his sister described how he had been waiting for the sunrise but the sudden rush from the guides shocked everyone and the loud gunfire added to their confusion. This change from a serene natural moment to a dangerous event has increased the trauma from this situation.
In reality, there was much more going on behind the scenes than what we were being told. Brazil’s civil police and public prosecutors conducted a law enforcement operation against a criminal organization they believed was operating out of the Vidigal community in Rio de Janeiro. The criminal organization is known to control various locations and control a range of illegal activities in the area.
The entire street down hill from the community was also blocked during this operation and therefore nobody could leave and therefore everyone was effectively stuck on top of the hill.
By that point in the operation, the guides were already aware of the developing situation, as they had been communicating with the local authorities and had already taken action to maintain control of their groups.
Even still, there was a lot of anxiety among the travelers. The traveling group members were sitting on the ground and hearing gun shots in the distance and could not know how much longer the situation would last, so these would not make good “travel memories” for anyone.
Furthermore, when the police helicopter flew overhead and added another intensity to the situation, it was no longer just the noise of the helicopters, but a full lived experience taking place around them. However, both the guides and authorities continued to deliver the same message: remain calm and remain where you are.
Things began to calm down after approximately thirty minutes; the atmosphere had cooled and the group was finally permitted to depart. One by one, they safely made their exit.
The sun rose that day. Some tourists described the sky being lit and feeling tension at the same time as surreal.
No one from the group was injured and everyone supported one another, were organized, and worked together through the ordeal. However, it’s the type of moment that stays with you—not just because of the scenery, but because of everything surrounding it.
This story isn’t only a scary story—it serves as a reminder that no matter how well thought-out travel is there can be surprises.
Sometimes the most memorable travels can be the least uneventful ones; they are also some of the ones nearly ended badly when nothing happened.
