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
Leia_V, 3/23/2026 3:18:28 PM
Bruno was a great guide! The motorbike ride at the start was both thrilling and terrifying. Bruno was great at answering questions and telling about how the favelas operate. I felt very safe and was overall a very interesting experience.
Sue_A, 3/23/2026 11:32:27 AM
Amazing and insightful tour. Our guide Martin lives in the favelas and was really informative and made the tour incredibly interesting and memorable
David250386, 3/22/2026 2:20:56 PM
This was an excellent tour through the Rocinha favela with Daniel. He shared so much information with us and was a fantastic guide. If you follow the instructions you will remain safe and at no point did i feel uncomfortable. I am so glad i had the opportunity to do this and playing some football in the favela with some of the kids was amazing.
aidanball20, 3/21/2026 9:45:02 AM
Could not recommend this tour enough. Daniel was our guide whom lived in Rochina his entire life and I quote “knew it like the back of his hand” which couldn’t be more true. Everyone including the locals were so welcoming. The place is full of history, culture and community and it was the best excursion I have ever done not only in Rio. Can’t thank Daniel enough for letting me experience it. Was also great to meet pipoca!
Anastasianat, 3/17/2026 4:18:29 PM
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!
Stuart_C, 3/16/2026 11:38:08 AM
Martin,s tour was Excellent with lots of background information and Insight int Favela living. Very interesting morning
John K, 3/11/2026 8:33:55 PM
A one of a kind experience to see how people live without running water. No pictures! (The gang members will remind you)
Norbert_Whiteley, 3/11/2026 8:23:32 AM
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.
Nick_P, 3/11/2026 8:22:59 AM
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.
Corusia, 3/9/2026 11:07:33 AM
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.
- 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