Visiting the Rocinha favela, one of Rio's hundreds of "favelas" (the Brazilian term for a slum or shantytown) and the largest in the country, is a local experience that gives you the chance to see Brazil from another point of view. With a resident guide, take a non-intrusive walking tour to learn about daily life in the favela and gain insight into the challenges these communities face. When your tour is finished our driver will be heading back to Copacabana neighborhood crossing the beaches of Leblon and Ipanema, therefore you must inform our tour guide where you are staying so we can make sure you are dropped off as close as possible to your hotel. Duration of our tour including pickup and drop off is around 3 hours.
Reviews
Reviews and Rating (Tripadvisor)
5 stars
Reviews by Tripadvisor travelers
krzysztofsF8609AH, 10/19/2025 8:17:45 PM
Ray was very nice, well informed. She had a patience to answer all of our questions, thanks to her we could understand history and present life of the favela. Really unforgettable experience.
ClaudiaSurjadjaja, 10/19/2025 8:03:44 PM
Ray Vieira passionly shared honest stories about life in the favela — the struggles, but also the pride and innovation. It isn’t poverty tourism - it is people showing their resilience and sharing their world with openness, dignity, and creativity. This tour is a lesson in humanity. Claudia Surjadjaja, Indonesia
F3456DHjohnm, 10/19/2025 12:35:03 PM
Ray was an incredible tour guide, extremely knowledgable and authentic! 10/10 would recommend doing the tour with Ray.
Compass57735930994, 10/18/2025 10:29:37 PM
The tour with Ray gave me a deep insight into life in the favela — not only by seeing the surroundings, but also by understanding its culture and history. Ray is a very knowledgeable and patient guide. Two of the tour members were Americans who asked several rather offensive questions, yet Ray responded to them politely and with great patience. I would definitely recommend her to my friends and family who are interested in learning about the favela!
MichaelaH632, 10/18/2025 7:55:09 PM
One of the best Rio experience!! Our guide Ray was excellent and shared many fascinating personal experiences. Very safe and informative. Truly recommended!
Danielle M, 10/17/2025 8:05:56 AM
What a great tour this was! Martin, who lives in this favela, was a passionate and knowledgeable guide. It was a super authentic experience.
538trevork, 10/16/2025 9:58:12 AM
A real eye-opener. Having a local guide (Ray actually lives there) offers a whole new experience and a unique perspective on life in Rocinha. If you're in Rio, don't miss out on this.
KiwiDanWhite, 9/28/2025 7:04:33 PM
I had a great experience on this tour with Martin & his team. I booked last minute, only an hour or so before the tour commenced, & when I messaged Bruno to confirm the pickup point, he responded promptly & professionally, also giving me the direct contact for the tour guide, Martin. The tour had about 15 attendees, almost all from Europe (I am from New Zealand). Tour guide Martin’s communication was clear & concise - the Rocinha Tour has rules that must be followed & most attendees did not speak English as a first language, so at times Martin was blunt but always courteous. He & his 2 assistants made sure everyone was informed & safe (shout-out to Deniz who was really a genuine & friendly young guy). The views of the city along the way are also fantastic Wear comfortable footwear, & I recommend going on a day without rain as a a lot of the backstreets could get pretty slippery in the wet weather, based on the tour guides’ stories. Highly recommend for those who want to scratch beyond the surface of the beaches & bars - my only regret is that I waited for my second visit to Rio to do this tour.
Rebecca_B, 9/24/2025 5:31:55 AM
Martin was one of the best guide I’ve ever had. Attentive and knowledgeable and passionate. The tour gave us a good introduction into life inside rocinha and was fascinating.
deborah_s, 9/21/2025 9:25:03 AM
After pick up from our hotel, we headed to Rocinha Favela. Our guide, Edson showed us his Favela, where he had lived all of his life. We felt very safe under his charge and took us to parts of the Favela only a resident would know. An incredible experience and never once did we feel unsafe. A real eye opener for anyone visiting Rio!!
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- May be operated by a multilingual guide
- Be aware of uneven steps
- For the privacy and comfort of all participants, we do not allow sunglasses equipped with cameras on our tours.
- You must be fit or in good condition to walk at least 5 km
- Our walking tour is around 3km downhill
Departure point
For this option there is NO PICKUP in Copacabana or Ipanema - You all must come to the only meeting point only at 4:30PM. Igreja Universal SAO CONRADO (Please wait outside the church) Av. Niemeyer, 780 at 16:30 Ps: You must take an uber or taxi to meet our guideReturn details
Visiting the Rocinha favela, one of Rio's hundreds of "favelas" (the Brazilian term for a slum or shantytown) and the largest in the country, is a local experience that gives you the chance to see Brazil from another point of view. With a resident guide, take a non-intrusive walking tour to learn about daily life in the favela and gain insight into the challenges these communities face. When your tour is finished our driver will be heading back to Copacabana neighborhood crossing the beaches of Leblon and Ipanema, therefore you must inform our tour guide where you are staying so we can make sure you are dropped off as close as possible to your hotel. Duration of our tour including pickup and drop off is around 3 hours.Redemption
Any question? E-mail us at favelawalkingtour@gmail.com Only WhatsApp: +55 21 98178-9239 (Bruno) Emergency Call: +45 2980-1109 Times are subject to change due to local traffic conditions. Drop off by beach (Leblon, Ipanema and Copacabana).24 hours before travel date - 100% refund
Less than 24 hours before travel date - 0% refund