Exclusive Rocinha Favela: Unforgettable Rio Immersion

We had such an amazing time in Rocinha thanks to Ray! From the very beginning, she made us feel relaxed, welcome, and completely safe, which really helped us enjoy the whole experience. Ray is not just a guide—she’s a wonderful person who truly loves what she does. She shared so many interesting stories about the community and gave us a real, honest look at life in the favela. It felt authentic and eye-opening, far beyond anything we could have learned on our own. She was super friendly, easy to talk to, and always happy to answer all our questions. Her positive energy made the tour even more enjoyable, and you could see the respect and care she has for the people and the place. If you’re thinking about visiting Rocinha, definitely go with Ray—you’ll have a great time and walk away with a much deeper understanding of the area. Highly recommended!

Martin,s tour was Excellent with lots of background information and Insight int Favela living. Very interesting morning

A one of a kind experience to see how people live without running water. No pictures! (The gang members will remind you)

This was a super-interesting tour through the heart of the favela. Our guide was Martin who was born and bred and lives in the favela. He clearly explained how life was and made sure we knew where we could (and occasionally could not) take photos. We felt perfectly safe and I would thoroughly recommend this tour! If you want to see the real side of Rio and then this is the tour.

This was a super-interesting tour through the heart of the favela. Our guide was Martin who was born and bred and lives in the favela. He clearly explained how life was and made sure we knew where we could (and occasionally could not) take photos. We felt perfectly safe and I would thoroughly recommend this tour! If you want to see the real side of Rio and then this is the tour.

It was very interesting experience. We felt safe all the time and were clearly informed of the local rules. The guide was amazing! So friendly and happy to answer all the questions :) I would highy recommend this activity.

This experience was incredible and I would highly recommend it! Our tour guide was called Ray, she lived in the area and was very passionate about the area and the people in it. She provided insights we could have never got without the tour, let us know where & when it was safe for us to record and take photos and she answered every question the group had to make sure we all understood how the favela came to be, the history and the current landscape. One of the best, most insightful things I did in Rio.

Super experience. Bruno was a great guide. Totally recommend. First part, like 10 mins, is with scooters

The guide take the time to explain us everything about the favelas. Also, he take us to a great place where we can see the whole favela and take dron videos easier than the other places. I highly recommend you to bring water, cap and comfortable shoes/clothes to walk

This Favela tour was an incredibly safe introduction to the Rocinha Favela. The safety of the tour cannot be understated - the tour guides organized with one in front leading the way, and one in back to ensure our group was not bothered. However, the experiences and itinerary did not seem to meet the expectations of the group. On this tour, we saw: - Capoeira dancing performed by neighborhood children - too long on a crowded, hot rooftop. 10-15 minutes of the performance were basically forcing gringos to try the dance. - Art gallery visit - not interesting if you want to experience authentic life in the favela - Fast and the furious 5 photo moment - not interesting if you want to experience authentic life in the favela - Walking on the streets and alleys in between moments - fantastic and easily the best part of the tour. But that was only one hour of the three hours. Before the tour, we had an in-depth history lesson from the guide. That was good. However, when we arrived at the favela, we had another 10 minutes history lesson when it would have been better to start walking. If this tour company wanted to improve their itinerary, I would recommend: - Meeting locals in their homes - Discussions and Q&A opportunities with other locals, diverse types of people (women, children etc.) or other personalities important to the community - Community projects - Areas of modern history - Show how the community is organized and how it works. Where water comes from, how food is delivered, show the construction challenges faced by the community today based on the history, etc.