Private Walking and Cultural Tour Rocinha-Rio de Janeiro

Name: Private Walking and Cultural Tour Rocinha-Rio de Janeiro
Brand: Favela Brothers Tour
SKU: 107124P1
Price: 50.00 USD
Rating: 5.0 (203 reviews)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Favela Brothers Tours Private Walking Tour Rocinha Rio de Janeiro

3 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Favela da Rocinha is the largest favela in Rio, located in the South Zone. With this tour, join a local family-run tour to experience the rich history, culture, and heritage of Rio as you learn about life in the favelas. Explore the alleys of the favela on a guided walking tour, peek inside the shops and restaurants, and learn about local cultural projects

Immersive cultural experience: learn about local life in the favela
Admire views over Rio from the rooftops of the favela
Family-run tour company operated by brothers who grew up in the favela
Private walking tour: enjoy the undivided attention of your guide

What's Included

Bilingual Guide , Transportation, Roof Top Views, Walking Cultural Tour

Foods Drinks, and Souvenirs ( optional )

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Cardeal Arcoverde / Copacabana
Praça Cardeal Arcoverde - R. Barata Ribeiro - Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22040-030, Brazil
Metro Station

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Pick up is optional. Pick up is offered from any Hotels in the South Zone of Rio or downtown only. However we can also meet at a starting point

What To Expect

Rocinha

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Copacabana Beach (Pass By)

Leblon Beach (Pass By)

Ipanema Beach (Pass By)

Morro Dois Irmaos (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation

Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Operated by Favela Brothers Tour

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

203 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 203 reviews

Excellent

Zsolt_M, Mar 2024

True experience with many surprises and with an excellent guide . Worth to try it 😎 Rio is more than the Redeemer statue .

Not Like the Movies. It's Safe. Book it!!!

Dwayne_S, Mar 2024

Going into the walking tour I really didn't know what to expect and thought maybe I was going to feel unsafe because of the bad rep associated with favelas in Brazil. I was wrong! My friend and I did our tour with Roberto. Roberto assured us that all the misconceptions and bad reputations given to favelas are not all true. We felt perfectly safe the entire time being with him. We started the tour off with a motorcycle ride up the hill, walked around the Rocinha favela for a good 2 hours to observe everyday life of people and speak with some locals. He explained really well in English the favela's history and ongoing developments and projects in Rocinha. We also got the chance to visit a Capoeira school to watch students perform their traditional Capoeira martial arts. The Capoeira performance was one of my highlights of the tour because I grew up admiring Capoeira and to see it being performed live in front of me was awesome. The entire tour was the highlight of my trip in Rio. I felt like I connected with the experience and life of the people of the favelas because I know what it is like to grow up in poverty. Roberto was a great, calm, peaceful, and cool guide. We were lucky to have him. Thank you Roberto.

Daniel, our guide, was great.

James_E, Mar 2024

Daniel. our guide, speaks very good English (self-taught), and was friendly and caring throughout the tour. There was a bit of discomfort at the beginning which quickly went away as Daniel explained how his city works and how safe it is to be there with him. This is a cultural item I would recommend highly to everyone.

Amazing experience

Vaiva_A, Feb 2024

Amazing favela experience with Carlos, our guide. It was very informative, interesting and exciting to walk in the streets of favela. The tour starts with a crazy motorbike ride to the top of it, so be prepared! :)

Great experience

Sindy_L, Feb 2024

Thanks Roberto for his great service. He is very knowledgeable and caring. It is an eye opening experience for us especially with my teenage son.

Great adventure

William_B, Jan 2024

Excellent guide. Carlos showed us the real life in the favela. The progress, as well as the challenges faced by residents

Unique experience exploring Rocinha

Sandro_K, Jan 2024

Our tour guide Gustavo showed us his Rocinha and we are very great full for this experience! He met us in our hotel lobby and we took an Uber to Rocinha and a motorbike taxi up to the starting point of the tour. From there, he showed us what makes Rocinha special for him - the people, the community and the art! We spent about 2 hours following him down through the narrow pathways and his insight and personal experience was invaluable to contextualise what we were experiencing. Having Gustavo with us gave made us feel safe at all times as well as seeing a number of other, similar tours!

Excellent tour of a Rio neighborhood

Jeremy_S, Jan 2024

Carlos is a great guide! We did this on day ine and it was perfect. It was an excellent way to get to know the neighborhhods and people of Rio. Spectacular views of Rio from up high and great street art i the winding alleys. Safe from crime. There is a fun motorcycle ride (no helmets) up windy streets on the back of motorcycles which is like a local taxi service. A lot of steps, mostly down, but also one steep but short upward stretch. Highly recommend.

Amazing day in Rocinha

Janelle_C, Dec 2023

Gustavo was an awesome guy and tour guide through Rocinha! He was kind and considerate and the whole favela experience was awesome for me.. to see the people working together, babies, the children, families.. living and appreciating what they have, eachother and bonds. Working hard to survive... Thats rare to find in a neighborhood that does have money, power and authority. Thank you for my last day in Rio, Gustavo! I highly recommend to any visiting foreigner.. to anyone. The ride on the bike to the top is super fun as well :)

Gustavo was a 5 star guide

yo_y, Dec 2023

Taking a thrilling motorbike ride at the entrance of the Favela and arriving at a house of culture where kids give you a Capoeira performance against the backdrop of the beach and Favela rooftops, kind and fluent guide Gustavo let you see the glimpse of what is going on in the Favela with a walking tour. I felt safe and protected walking along a Favela 'insider'. A must do experience in Rio de Janeiro. Great thanks from South Korea.

A must-see and experience

BettyJean_J, Oct 2023

This was an interesting experience, well-known and comprehensible. A must-see experience and will return in the future.

Amazing experience.

Agustin_m, Oct 2023

I went alone so I was really scared and on edge at first. But it turned out to be an awesome experience. Carlos and the beautiful people of Rocinha made me feel at home. Really recommend this experience if you are in Rio , you will not regret it.

Rocinha is a must!!!

Kyle_B, Sep 2023

Carlos was a great tour guide. He was very confident and knowledgeable and really showed me a good time. I left that experience feeling enriched and grateful to have been able to immerse myself in such a vibrant community, even if only for an afternoon.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

We extremely happy that Carlos exceeded your expectations about this Experience. Thanks a lot for booking our tours and till next time!

Great tour!

Shannon_S, Aug 2023

Enjoyed this tour! Carlos was a great guide, very knowledgable. It was interesting learning about the community, history and people. Communication was great, pick up and drop off were smooth.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Carlos is great tour guide, Born and raised in Rocinha. He loves doing the tours and show people from all over the world how beautiful rocinha is! Thanks a lot and till next time!

Best Local Experience in Rio! Must do!!

devitos13, Jul 2023

This was a great private experience to see the local life and the real people of Rio. We were picked up by Roberto on time and taken to the favela entrance where bikers took us to the top of the favela. So much fun and exhilarating experience! There our guide Roberto was amazing telling us all the history and taking ua through locals’ homes. We also had bbq lunch at a great place together. Roberto was very knowledgeable and explained what life is like, the economy, health, and education and showed us different areas and types of homes and constructions,. It was a lot of fun and we are so glad we picked the Favela Brothers for this tour!

Response from Host, Oct 2023

We appreciate it a lot you gave us a positive feedback about the tour, thanks for booking and till next time!

Great Guide Full of History

Windel_W, May 2023

Carlos was responsive and answered all our questions. I was impressed with how much knowledge he had about not only the favelas but Rio De Janeiro. The stop with the Capoeira with the kids was a huge surprise. I am glad to see the Favelas has great people doing great things to change the views of what a Favela is. Thank you Carlos great guide

Response from Host, May 2023

Thanks a lot for booking your favela tour with us!!! We love doing the tours as much as you enjoyed it. Thanks again and till next time!

One of the highlights to my first trip to Rio!

Francisco_C, Feb 2023

Should you do this tour? Absolutely yes!! My cousin and I wanted to visit a Favela. We found the ‘Favela Brothers’ and read all amazing reviews so we decided to give it a try. We opted for the pickup at hotel option. Obi reached out after the booking was done and Carlos was assigned as our tour guide. He arrived on time to the hotel and took us to the bottom of the Favela. We started with an amazing motorbike ride all the way to the top, which had an amazing view of Rio. Carlos took us to a couple places around the Favela, including rooftops, maze like pass ways and the main shopping area. He shared a lot of information about the culture, lifestyle and how the community helps each other. It was amazing to see how lively the people and community is, along to the diversity of scenic areas. We went to a restaurant and we had some of the best meat we tried in Rio. The view of the Favela from the restaurant was insanely good! At the end, Carlos took us across the highway and asked us for a ride back to the hotel. Our tour took about 3 hours, or a bit longer. Recommendations before you go: 1. Learn a bit about the Favela’s. This will help you ask even more questions. I would recommend the movie ‘City of God’ as it has some good insight on the story. 2. Follow their rules. When no pictures are allowed, no pictures are allowed. 3. Bring cash. The restaurant we went accepted cards but we bought water at the rooftop. 4. Go with comfortable clothes and shoes. You will walk a lot. 5. Enjoy and appreciate everything during one of the best tours you will take! PS. Carlos and Obi, thanks for everything! I’ll definitely do the tour again next time I come to Rio.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thanks for trusting us to show you the Favela! The community thanks you for showing some love to our people and culture. Thanks again, Till next time!

Best Tour in Rio

Mark_Y, Feb 2023

We had a wonderful tour experiencing the favela. Our guide, Carlos was great. Definitely a great part of the experience was taking motorcycles to the top of the neighborhood. We also received a demonstration of capoeira that was fun. We learned about living in the favela and topped it off with a delicious meal. This was an exceptional tour.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thank you for the awesome experience, we are really happy you enjoyed the motorcycle ride, the capoeira show and learned about the community. Thank you again, till next time!

This tour is a must.

Victoria_H, Jan 2023

It was a surprise to find out that the tour began with a motorbike ride to the top of the mountain. The driver was excellent. My husband and I are over 70 and we were at ease. Our guide Carlos was excellent. He was born and grew up in the Favela. The tour was an eye opener. Everyone was friendly and made us feel welcomed and safe. Thanks

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thank you so much for trusting in our work, it meant a lot to us and to the community. Till next time!

Eye Opening Experience

Mike_M, Jan 2023

I felt completely safe with Carlos as he showed me a different side to Rio de Janeiro. Awesome experience

Response from Host, Feb 2023

We appreciate it a lot your feedback, Thank you!