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
4 stars
Reviews by Tripadvisor travelers
Explorer518989, 12/7/2025 3:27:16 PM
This tour gives you the opportunity to see a side of Rio Janerio not found in glossy travel journals. Our guide Ray was able to offer us a realistic glimpse to some aspects of what life is like in the flavela. What struck me was the community cohesion and resilience inspite of the adversities they face including racism. Credit to Ray she was an excellent guide she was happy to engage with all enquiries made of her. She made this a wonderful experience. It is one of the best things I did in Rio Janerio and yes it was unforgettable.
JB_B, 12/7/2025 1:34:54 PM
A very enlightening tour of one of Rio's favelas giving an insight into the community. Our guide was a resident there, and having his first hand knowledge and guidance makes for a very special experience.
marco_m, 12/5/2025 6:28:53 PM
well structured and well explained tour. Ray is highly professional and well prepared. she makes sure that everyone is involved at every stage of the tour. we had very good time. in the end, we didn't want to leave! highly recommended !
finno824, 12/2/2025 4:40:02 PM
This was a fantastic tour! Ray provided great insights today and helped us experience a part of Rio that was totally unique. Will definitely recommend the group and her to anyone that plans on going to Rio in the future!!
Carsha_O, 12/1/2025 7:05:33 PM
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable! The motor taxi ride up was fun! It was great learning activity. However as a black American some of the part of the tour was a little too familiar. But that’s just based on personal experiences. Overall would recommend for the history and knowledge of the tour plus the rooftop photo was 100/10!
Mark H, 11/27/2025 1:53:22 PM
Very interesting experience, having a glimpse into the favela .. a very poor but really vibrant and colourful, if slightly smelly place ! It felt safe enough, although there clearly are some dangers at one point it was sobering to see a man guarding an area with an automatic rifle) .. although I reckon you are more likely to slip down steep steps than get robbed or shot! You do have to be careful though, so follow the local guides instructions (Edson was excellent .. informative, honest and passionate) .. and wear sensible shoes! It did feel a bit long though and more of the same after two plus hours .. One thing that would have been nice would have been one extra visit eg to a school, community centre or to something else cultural .. if possible.
Fahd_H, 11/24/2025 4:33:55 PM
Carlos is a legend and very down to earth, spoke very good English and is doing it with true passion
alexbN9056TW, 11/22/2025 5:49:40 PM
I had the very best start to my day in Rio de Janeiro with a tour of the Rocinha Favela led by the most expert local tour guide Ray. I must say I felt safe and wasn’t for second worried about anything dangerous happening. Ray was great at telling us when to have our phones out and when to put them away. It broke all of my pre-existing thoughts about life in the Favelas and made me fall in love with a community that has so much more to offer than it may first appear. Visiting local galleries, homes, elementary schools to my personal favourite a football/basketball court, all hidden away in this labyrinth. You must go on the tour if you come to Rio and you must must must have Ray leading you. She was brilliant! @guiarayvieira
willtK2812IH, 11/21/2025 1:47:09 AM
Amazing tour from somebody that knows the favela inside and out. The most accommodating tour guide ever. We would highly recommend!
John_m, 11/20/2025 3:14:05 PM
Martin was a good guide and was informative, interesting tour. The weather was nice. And we did some walking
- 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