Rio de Janeiro

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3 Hour Rocinha Favela Walking Tour with a Local Guide

Name: 3 Hour Rocinha Favela Walking Tour with a Local Guide
Brand: Favela Walking Tour
SKU: 30735P1
Price: 35.80 USD
Rating: 4.5 (558 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceRio de Janeiro, Brazil

Special Offer

From $35.80

$39.78 Save $3.98

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

3 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Get an in-depth local experience with this walking tour of one of Rio's favelas, Rocinha. Follow your resident guide to get an insider's perspective on daily life and learn about the challenges these communities face.

Enjoy a guided Rocinha favela walking tour
Learn about the challenges of life in Rio's slums
Gain insight into the community from a resident favela guide
Price of tour includes monetary contribution to the community

What's Included

Local guide
Transport by air-conditioned minivan
Hotel pickup and drop-off (select hotels only)

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

Type to search

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Begin your experience with convenient pickup at your Rio hotel, then transfer to Rocinha, Brazil's largest favela.

Meet your local guide, a favela resident, and set off through community on foot. Learn about daily life in the favela and the challenges that residents face. Hear about the history of the favela and how these communities have become a large part of the culture of Rio.

The price of your tour includes a monetary contribution to the community.

Please note: We are sensitive to the issues and concerns surrounding favelas; we understand that this tour may not be suitable for everyone. The purpose of this tour is for educational reasons alone and allows for a better understanding of local life.

Copacabana Beach

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ipanema Beach

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Rocinha

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
May be operated by a multilingual guide
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Be aware of uneven steps
You must be fit or in good condition to walk at least 5 km
Our walking tour is around 3km downhill
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 45 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.
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

4.5

558 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 558 reviews

Incredible and insightful

Daniela_L, Apr 2024

Fantastic tour, I’m so glad we did it. Our tour guide was the best part - having been raised there and still living there, he had an incredible insight. We felt save the entire time, no concerns at any point, though I wish I had brought hand sanitizer as we were touching common places. A highlight of our vacation and a very humbling experience.

A must-do in Rio! Very safe with Daniel and Bruno 👏🏻

Khristine_G, Apr 2024

Perfect favela immersion in Rio! Many thanks to our very good tour guides Daniel and Bruno for Guiding us and for answering all our questions regarding Favela Rocinha -probably the biggest favela within South America. It was totally safe, Thank God. Very nice to meet the kids and entertaining to watch them show and teach us the Capoeira and samba as well as take as many pictures and videos at certain parts of the favela. Also greatly appreciated the pick up and drop-off in either Copacabana or Ipanema.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks for your lovely message. We appreciate your booking and feedback too. Daniel and Bruno are a good team and they are also local guides. To be honest, you cannot have better than that. 2 local people who know the area very well and are friendly at all times. Thanks again and we wish you have had a great trip in Rio. Kind regards Favela Walking Tour

Passionate, informative & eye-opening experience

Peter_D, Apr 2024

Passionate, informative & eye-opening experience hosted by Carlos, our wonderful guide...who lives in the actual Favela.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks for your lovely feedback. We love to hear from you and know that your experience was great, it makes us feel that we are in the right path. Thanks again and we wish you a great day. Kind regards Favela Walking Tour

I RECOMMEND BRUNO MENDES! Excellent communication skills, friendly, professional!

Stanislav_I, Apr 2024

Excellent welcome from Bruno Mendes. Especially exciting for me were the local dances presented to us by a local group of talents. Respect

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks a lot for your precious message. We all appreciate your time for sending us such a lovely message. Bruno is a local guide who was born and raised at Rocinha Favela and he loves what he does! Thank you

Tour was okay wouldn't recommend

Ismet_M, Apr 2024

Tour was okay. Guide was informative on history and culture. But we were not taken to any views from the favela. No scenic areas for photos/videos. All we did walk down the favela. There needs to be better stops along the way down for photos/videos.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks for your feedback. We are sorry that you did get the chance to take pictures from the top but in any moment you did not ask our guide for it. I think communication is key for human interaction. Thanks for coming on our tour and hope you have had a great trip in Rio.

Good experience

Gyrgyi_L, Mar 2024

Carlos has a very good english,explains intresting facts with sense of humor. Recommended tour. You have a walk in the favela, panoramic view, posdibility to take a drink, to go shopping. I s safe.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks for your feedback and kindness to describe that you had a good time with us. Indeed, to be guided by a local person makes a huge difference on a tour. Carlos is a great tour guide. Kind regards Favela Walking Tour

Fabukous

Gail_C, Mar 2024

Really good tour- would highly recommend. If walking is an issue DON’T do this - it’s very steep in areas with large steps to negotiate, we had a lovely lad who helped us with the more challenging areas providing us with a hand to hold onto to and happy to take photos for us.. Really interesting tour - fabulous guides - little part of the tour where are were taken to a car park to listen up the guide talking about his historic careers weren’t needed -meeting locals would have been time better spent. Overall though - it is a fabulous tour - take some cash with you as there’s a little show you get to see and they are fabulous welcoming people - wish we had taken more to give them. Lovely locals - very smiley and happy - fabulous part of our holiday! Very heart warming - very feel good - eye opening tour!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thanks for your great feedback. We thank you for coming and we wish you have had a great trip in Rio. Kind regards Favela Walking Tour

Super interesting tour of Favela with great tour guide - A must while in Rio.

Kirsten_M, Mar 2024

Tour guide was from Rocinha Favela and he did a great job orienting us to the Favela and explaining it's history and how it operates. His English was very good and tour was wery well organized and paced. Really am glad we did this tour, highly recommend it. Only caution, you need 100% mobility to do this tour. Streets/steps are narrow and steep - this tour should not be attempted by anyone who isn't in physically up to the challenge.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thanks a lot for your feedback. You are so nice to take your time and write us a great review and even share your point of view about the tour. Yes, the tour can be difficult if you are not in shape or at least capable to walk 2km downhill. We wish you a great day and thanks for your time! Kind regards Bruno

Beyond the Beach

Andrea_P, Feb 2024

Understanding a way of life for many in Rio. The guide gave us insight into how life is in this part of the city.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thanks for your feedback. We appreciate your time for writing us a review. Rio has also to do with our differences - you are part if it now :) We all hope that your trip was amazing in Brazil. Kind regards Bruno

Guide’s introduction...

Hyun_K, Feb 2024

Guide’s introduction about favela was very interesting. Also, walking through favela, watching the galleries, postcards, and houses were a new social experience. It was an experience of breaking my stereotypes. Also the chance to eat foods and go to bar was nice. Guides, and people in the tour were very nice. It was a great experience!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thanks a lot for your feedback. This is our spirit. We do our best to make sure our customers are satisfied. overall, we wish you all have had a great trip in Rio.

loved it

Jeff_R, Jan 2024

one of the best things we did in RIO....learned a lot, felt totally safe, wish we brough more stuff to give out......

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thanks a lot for your feedback Jeff. Next time in Rio, let us know - you can always contribute with your time as you did. We appreciate your words and we hope you had a great trip in Rio. Kind regards Favela Walking Tour

Eye opener

Nigel_C, Jan 2024

Have to do this trip!! A great way to see a bit of Brazil that would remain unseen without local guide.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thanks a lot for your feedback. We appreciate your words and we hope you had a great trip in Rio. Kind regards Favela Walking Tour

Bad experience!

gwenyick, Jan 2024

Carlos was our guide, he lives in this favela and spoke good English. He disappeared from us few times (each time 10-30 min). He usually took us to a place where he could get his free drink/food, then disappeared and let us stayed there until he came back. Sometimes he said he used bathroom and sometimes nothing. The place was so rich culturally but we didn’t get much out of it, except listened to Carlos “whined” the entire time about people’s wrong perspective that this favela is “dangerous”. There was another guy who seems to partner with Carlos, that whenever we visited any shops or food stands, he would be the first one to buy stuff from those stores, intimidating us to buy as well. He bought a big lunch set at the last shop where Carlos left us, then said he needed to go to the bank. This stop kept us waiting for him for about 30-min. Not recommend with this agent!!

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thanks for your feedback first of all. We are very surprised about your review. Carlos is indeed one of our best guides in the favela and has been doing this tour since 1997. Over 1000 tours he performed, his behavior has been always good/excellent, but this time, it seems like something went wrong and yes, it bothered you. After reading your review couples of times, we also figured out that you were the one that went to a wrong meeting point and expected us to meet you whenever you wanted. Furthermore, you expectation was from a private tour not a group tour I believe. It is hard to understand why you did not get back to us primary before writing a review, which is your right but is very comfortable to sit behind a scream and write whatever you feel like. On the other hand, We did not hear from you at all but we understand that you wanted to write a review which makes you feel better. Although we kept in touch via WhatsApp. As for Carlos. We will talk to him to hear his version as it is a democratic way of pointing out things. Lastly, we just wanted to apologize for your bad experience and wish you a pleasant trip in Rio. Have a good day Favela Walking Tour.

Unexpected and inspiring Rocinha

Kerry_B, Jan 2024

Fantastic insight into the favela, its history and the people who live there. This is a must do for anyone visiting Rio. Our guides both spoke good English and couldn’t have given us a better experience or a more enjoyable 3hrs - meeting local street artists and touring the sometimes claustrophobic side lanes of Rocinha. We felt completely comfortable and very safe - money and time very well spent.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thank you very much for your feedback. We are the only ones who provide 2 local guides per group. We wish you a great day and thanks for coming!

Best tour you will find

Fred_L, Jan 2024

Great tour and the guide was funny yet down to earth along the way we stopped and people at the favela are friendly it’s not what you think! Great view from there as well thanks 5 stars 🌟

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thanks a lot for your time and review. We wish you have had a great trip to Rio - yes, the favela is much more than just bad news. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Happy New Years eve. Kind regards Bruno

Insightful tour

Becky_C, Dec 2023

It was a very interesting and insightful tour, you need to see the other side to Brazil as Carlos says Brazil is two countries. I felt safe and learnt a lot.

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Thanks Becky for your feedback. We wish we could have done a better tour for you so we could have earned a 5 star review. However, there's always room for improvement. We wish you a great day Kind regards Bruno

Very well organized tour

WOJCIECH_L, Dec 2023

This tour was very eye-opening and honest. Daniel was the greatest guide ever. It was worth the effort and a little bit of hiking, but nothing too strenuous. Overall, it was a nicely planned tour with places one would never see without the guide. I recommend this tour to people who like to walk and explore new places.

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Thank you very much for your lovely message. We appreciate all that. Daniel and all of us wish you a lovely day - xmas for you and your family. Kind regards Favela Walking Tour

Highly recommend

Louis_W, Dec 2023

Daniel was a great tour guide through the favella. It was the most interesting part of Rio for me. We walked from the top to bottom and never felt in danger

Response from Host, Dec 2023

We are very pleased for your message. That is what we try to achieve every day. Xmas and Happy New Year to you and family. Kind regards Bruno

Great to see the favela up close

Christopher_M, Dec 2023

The walk through the favela was fantastic. We felt safe and loved the experience. Carlos was was great and very enthusiastic. Could have been a little less talking and more walking. Also, we could have done without the profanity

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Thank you very much for you message. We will warn Carlos to watch out his language for the next tours. On top of that, your feedback is essential to all of us - thanks for being on tour. Kind regards Bruno

Excellent tour to get a feel of favelas SAFELY

Patryk_K, Dec 2023

This tour is excellent, and I can certainly recommend it to everyone. My guide was Carlos, who was a great person, a great guide, and spoke very good English. It is also worth mentioning that I felt very safe all the time throughout my trip. Certainly recommend!

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Thanks a lot for your review. Your words make us all very happy for your feedback. We wish you all a great day! Kind regards Favela Walking Tour

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