Favela Tour Rocinha and Vila Canoas in Rio de Janeiro

As a rule I generally shy away from certain types of "cultural tourism" while traveling abroad (e.g. those that cater to relatively wealthy tourists seeking out local and indigenous communities for the sole purpose of treating the locals as glorified props with which to spice up an otherwise sheltered, all-inclusive resort vacation and make their bubble trip seem more "exotic" to their instagram followers...) but this tour was anything but! Our tour guide Leo kept things dynamic and interesting but was highly informative as we explored the community - we were able to go from the rooftops to the deep alleyways and everywhere in between as we got a crash course into favela life. I felt totally safe the entire time and our small group size (just Leo and my group of 4) ensured we really got an in-depth view of Rocinha and all of our individual questions answered. My favorite part of the tour were the opportunities to buy local food, drinks, and souvenirs where the revenue could actually go back to the community. Highly recommended to anyone visiting Rio!

The Favela tour was amazing! Our tour guid was very informative, showed us a lot of things!definitely must do thing while you are in Rio! It shows you culture and different way of life in Brazil! Views are fantastic there as well! It will take you around 3,5 hours to complete the whole tour and it is a quite workout but our tour guide Leo made it fun and interesting even though some parts of favellas are steep and it is quite good workout to go up the hill!

This is a must do tour of Rio! See how a favela or shantytown operates. Barbara was our tour guide and she was great. She took us thru Vila Canoas first, a small favela where we walked through and within. We made a stop at the school where part of the tour fee gets donated to. Then we went to Rocinha, a large favela and walked the main shopping street and district. We stopped for a beautiful view of Rio on our way down the hill and had a chance to buy some merchandise from a few shops run by the locals. Barbara our guide answered any questions and provided lots of interesting facts. The tour is somewhat physically rigorous having to climb up and down steps and uneven pavements. We also did a mini tour of the areas as we drove through to the favelas. We were picked up and dropped back at our hotel also. If you go to Rio, this tour is one you shouldn’t miss...It’s a major contrast to the beautiful beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema too.

Provides a very positive view of the favalas and the strong communities that’s they have. Great to meet the locals and see their positive reception to us tourists.

We had a great afternoon at the favela. The tour guide was very passionate and informative and the whole experience was fantastic. I would highly recommend.

Visitare una favela è un'esperienza molto forte e interessante ; il tour è organizzato benissimo : la guida era preparatissimo e disponibile; la consiglio vivamente!