Brazil · FAVELA TOURS
A favela tour is worth doing when a resident is leading it and the money stays in the community. These 15 are compared on who guides them, which hillside they cover, how much walking is involved and what they cost.
See Rio’s Rocinha favela with a local guide, learn about daily life, and enjoy a respectful walking tour with transport from Ipanema or Copacabana.
“It was an amazing experience. And our guide Ray, was the best. Very good in English and she made you feel comfortable, which was nice, when it’s your first time in a favela.”
Walk Rocinha with local guides, learn its history, meet residents, enjoy Rio views, and see why this respectful three-hour tour earns high marks.
“If you go to Rio you have to do this tour it’s a great insight into life here and we felt safer with our guide than we had at times on Copacabana beach ! We had wellington as the guide and he was brilliant !”
Explore Santa Marta with a local guide, meet residents, see Michael Jackson Square, hear samba, and support community projects in Rio.
“Very authentic and enriching experience with Mario, who was born, raised and lives in the favella. Highly recommended if you want to experience a favella by a local.”
Explore Rio’s Santa Marta Favela with resident guide Gilson Fumaça, local stories, Michael Jackson sites, community projects, and sweeping views.
“The best experience ever. I highly recommend this tour. We dived into culture of favela, we got to know how they live, how their houses look like, where kids study, how the favela functions. The guide is amazing, he could answer each our question and provide the best service.”
Explore Rocinha with a local guide, motorcycle ride, music, viewpoints, and community stories in this thoughtful 150-minute Rio tour.
“Malu was a great guide, very lovely and friendly and she was able to give us such interesting and insightful information about the Rochinha favela where she is from. Stunning views along the way. Would highly recommend this tour, we weren’t sure about doing one but so glad that we did. We learnt so much and saw some amazing things!”
Review of Rio’s Vidigal Favela Tour and Two Brothers Hike, with practical advice on views, fitness, guides, safety, transport, and value.
“Great tour in Rio, we started with the hike and it was a fairly easy hike up. The views were amazing! After the hike we did a tour in the favela, very interesting and we enjoyed it”
Explore Rocinha and Vila Canoas on a thoughtful Rio favela tour with local projects, panoramic views, multilingual guides, and hotel pickup.
“Data non rispettata in quanto dopo aver pagato ho ricevuto un messaggio WhatsApp dove mi spiegava che non c’erano più posti per il turno in italiano e avremmo dovuto cambiare giorno. Dopo vari indecisioni, ho accettato il giorno concordato domenica 15 febbraio e la Guida ha deciso di non farci entrare a Rochina per una scelta in quanto c’era da pagare una “tassa” e lui non era d’accordo. Mi chiedo: perché vendete il tour Rochina se poi non portate le persone?? Avvisatele! Ci sono dovuta riandare! Bocciato!”
Explore Vidigal and Morro Dois Irmãos in 2.5 hours with local guide Jean, scenic views, favela history, alleys, and an ecological park.
“Jean gave us a breathtaking tour of Vidigal and hike up Two Brothers mountain. He really looked after us the whole time and we felt incredibly safe in his company. He was very knowledgable about the area, full of information - I would highly recommend his tours!”
Review of Rio’s Morro Dois Irmãos sunrise hike from Vidigal, with motorbike taxi, local guide, trail details, price, views, and practical tips.
“Really awesome hike! Although it was a bit cloudy the views were still beautiful and I could learn some Portuguese words on the way :) I felt much more comfortable doing this with a local since I was travelling alone. Thanks so much for the great time!!”
Review of Rio’s Morro Dois Irmaos and Vidigal hike, with sunrise views, motorcycle taxi rides, local food, pricing, fitness tips, and booking advice.
“Fernando is a Star. This is the best tour in South America that I have done thus far (travelled ~5 months over multiple years throughout South America). My partner and I took this tour for the sunrise option and the views are absolutely stunRead more”
Explore Vidigal in Rio with a local guide, striking viewpoints, community stories, and a small group tour for $35.
“This tour of Vidigal was both beautiful and deeply touching. Rodrigo is not only a very engaged, knowledgeable and generous guide, he also manages to tell the story of the favela, its history and the current political situation from the point of view of those who live there in a way that resonates across national and cultural boundaries. This is simply unforgettable and we will carry this experience in our hearts for a very long time.”
Explore Santa Marta with a local guide, see Michael Jackson’s statue, learn about community life, ride the tram, and enjoy a caipirinha workshop.
“It was THE BEST. Mario was our guide. He spoke multiple languages. The tour was authentic and informative. Not commercial.”
Explore Rio’s Santa Marta favela with a local guide, Michael Jackson’s viewpoint, community projects, street art, and mountain views.
“Mauvaise expérience. Début initiale à 10h, notre guide n’est arrivé qu’à 10h45 et nous avions stipulé une visite en français hors le guide attribué ne parlais que quelques mots. Pas beaucoup d’explication sur la visite et juste une balade dans la Favela.. bref, très mauvaise expérience et très peu d’information sur l’histoire de ce lieu.”
Explore Rocinha with local guide Luiz, learn about favela life, enjoy family-run food, and see Rio from a grounded local viewpoint.
“Our guide was so friendly and informative. We had a really good time walking around the area and learning about the history and present.”
Review of Rio’s Rocinha and Vidigal favela tour, with local guides, hotel transfer, city views, walking tips, pricing, and practical advice.
“I really enjoyed the this tour. It was very interesting to see the daily life in the favella. People were friendly and I felt safe the whole time. My tour guide, Danielle was excellent.”
Pick a coastline, a forest or a Friday night.
