Explore Rocinha Favela, the largest favela in Latin America, during this 4-hour guided educational tour. Walk through the local community with your guide to learn about what life is like there. Interact with members of the community, learn about the history of Rocinha and gain a deeper understanding of the economic and political factors that shape Rio society.

Explore Rocinha Favela, the largest favela in Latin America
Walk through the local community with your guide to learn about what life is like there
Interact with members of the community and learn about the history of Rocinha
Gain a deeper understanding of the economic and political factors that shape Rio society

What's Included

Transport

Food and drinks
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Av. Atlântica, 1702 - Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22021-001, Brazil
We are meeting by the statue in front of the Copacabana Palace Hotel

Start time

01:25 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Rocinha

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Minimum age is 5 years
Meeting point at Belmond Copacabana Palace at 13:25
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers

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.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

74 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 74 reviews

Our guide Edwardo was...

Firas_W, Apr 2024

Our guide Edwardo was very knowledgeable about the favela and very respectful to the locals. We would certainly recommend this tour.

favela tour

rod_g, Mar 2024

excellent guide, amazing bus ride to the Favela. Walked extensively in the favela, saw many amazing sites and sounds. Really a taste of a different and amazing way of life. The views across RIo are super too

Very insightful tour.

Lamarcus_B, Sep 2023

The tour was great! Very insightful and the people in the community were very friendly. Our tour guide was super knowledgeable and respected in the Favela.

Be advised

Patricia_P, Jan 2023

The guide should have never left us alone during the walking tour because the 5 minutes he went away for some personal shopping, at least two locals approached us asking for money or obliging us to put cameras in our pockets. Besides I paid a 4hour walking tour that lasted no more than 2 hours

An experience of a lifetime

Brady_B, Oct 2022

Though, I did the research on the favela, however the experience of this tour is out of this world. If you're visiting rio de janeiro, it is highly recommended.

Interesting place but not so interesting tour guide

Chakesha_J, Oct 2022

The favela community is definitely an unbelievable interesting place to visit. However, the tour guide made a couple of racist comments concerning Americans being out of shape and privileged that sparked some concerns with my spouse and I. The commentary lacked substance. The guide literally stopped in front door of a residence and said to us “a French man and his girlfriend lives here”. Everyone looked at each other in awkwardness like….. “ok?” In summary, this was a great tour, just not so good tour guide.

Highlight of my Rio Trip

Marko_S, May 2022

The best way to see the other side of Rio. Although the reputation is not very good, this tour offers you a very safe and relaxed way of seeing an incredible part of the city.

Response from Host, May 2022

Hello Marko We glad that you have enjoyed the tour and changed the bad reputation about the Favelas in Rio. This is the main proposal of our tour. Show that our favelas are part of the city and change the negative image about them.

Amazing guide/ great service

Peter_S, Mar 2022

I am so impressed with our tour operator. I had a snafu where the first guide didn’t arrive and then I called them and they promptly sent a second guide for a private tour that was just so exceptional. Our guide knew EVERYONE in the favela making this so personal and safe.

Response from Host, May 2022

Hello Peter Thank you for your patience and for the good review!

The tour is informational and well organized .

Xin_J, Mar 2022

The tour is informational and well organized . half of the time walking , half at souvenir or eating foods.

Response from Host, May 2022

Hello Xin Thanx for your testimonial.

A great and affordable tour

David_V, Jul 2019

This was an excellent tour of an area I may have otherwise avoided altogether. The tour navigated through many obscure side streets in Rocinha to give you a real glimpse of life and business in these communities. We also got to stop and sample local food which was a nice touch. Only negative thing to point out was that the organisation of the group was very messy as we ended up with double the group size, and the tour itself is only around 2 hours as the other 1 1/2 - 2 hours is spent travelling to and from with a train, not private transport. Overall, I think it was an excellent tour with only a few minor hiccups.

Excellent tour

TracyAnn_D, Dec 2018

First off, we were running late to meet the guide and was able to whatsapp the tour organizer to inform them, which was great. Edmundo is the best tour guide we have ever had. His care and love for the community in the favela is evident and that's what sets this tour apart from the rest.We are no strangers to the idea of a favela since we live in South Africa and have similar informal settlements and so we found ourselves comparing ours with Brazil's. Edmundo was really informative and exposed us to the day-to-day lives of the residents of Rochina. I will highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to experience all aspects of Rio. Edmundo you were really the best!

Favela tour

715manleyc, Sep 2018

A great way to see the other side of beautiful Rio!. Our guide Edmundo was a excellent tour guide who was very knowledgeable and friendly. Experience the day to day life of the Brazilian citizen! very informative and eye opening.

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We...

Shawn_M, Jul 2018

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We never once felt unsafe. It was great to see all aspects of Brazilian life and Brazilian society. Our tour guide - Carlos was fantastic. He is himself a resident of the Favela da Rocinha. It was like walking with an old friend in his neighborhood. I would recommend this tour led by Carlos to anyone who is interested in understanding the holistic social makeup and life in Rio. what a great experience. One for the memories!

Interesting & safe

FeliciaPL, Jun 2018

It's a fun day out to favela with Alberto, he knows most of the people there, shared with us lots of history & story, brought us to all odds & ends, showed us where to buy the good local snack such as coxinha & açai ice-cream, best lookout & postcard shots and many more. Highly recommended tour when you are in Rio.

The tour was interesting and Carlos...

Katrina_R, Apr 2018

The tour was interesting and Carlos was definitely a character but I think you should warn people that some of the pathways are very very steep and narrow - some people found it quite hard going. Carlos was informative but needs to be a little bit aware of his language e.g. swearing.

This tour was excellent. Our guide...

Priscilla_M, Feb 2018

This tour was excellent. Our guide was so friendly, knowledgeable and funny. It was really interesting learning about the Favela. I highly recommend.

Great guide, who gave first hand...

jrosewarne59, Nov 2017

Great guide, who gave first hand insight of living in favela, felt completely safe. Highlight was riding to the top of the favela on the back of a motorbike, which was suggested by the guide. Stopped for snack and caipirinha during tour. Didn't realise we would be catching public transport to get there tube but it all added to the experience.

Fantastic day! Friendly...

Theresia L, Nov 2017

Fantastic day! Friendly, knowledgeable guides. Saw some interesting things, and saw a side to the favela I wasn't expecting. This tour group had a very professional feel to it, I felt completely safe, which is a relief as I have heard about other operators being a bit dodgy. These guys knew their stuff. Great afternoon, highly recommend it.

Excellent guide showing us how the...

Hesper_C, May 2017

Excellent guide showing us how the other half live in Rio. Highly recommend this tour to everyone who visits this fabulous city. Definitely one of our highlights in Rio.

This tour certainly was NOT even...

Mark_K, Sep 2016

This tour certainly was NOT even close to being 4hrs long as advertised. It barely was over an hour long. Yes, it was the highlight of my trip learning about life in the favelas and I really wanted to learn and see more, but it was in and out. What a shame!!