RIO DE JANEIRO · BRAZIL
The best of the marvellous city.
The 15 most popular favela tours in Rio de Janeiro, with prices, run times and who you book through. The ones worth building a day around, and what each actually gets you.
Walk Rocinha with a local guide, learn daily life up close, and get a safer, respectful Rio perspective from a small-group tour.
Most Popular“I want to thank our tour guide Ray She was really nice and very helpful Her English was great, all the information she gave us was really clear”
Walk Rocinha with local guides in 3 hours: respectful, safety-focused insights, community contribution, and Rio city views for $35.
“I loved this tour, seeing a whole different side of Rio and understanding the history and how the culture was born. It was really important to see this first hand, I felt extremely safe and welcomed. The people were so friendly. We stopped at a rooftop bar first where we could buy a drone video…”
Walk Santa Marta with a local guide in Rio. See Michael Jackson Square, views, samba, football, and community projects for $28.
“Luis the guide was excellent - very friendly and warm and professional, he gave us a great tour of the favella. explained life there and answered all questions. Always felt very safe and the people we met were very friendly. Michael Jackson Square and visiting the guide's own home were highlights. would highly recommend this…”
Meet Gilson Fumaça on a Santa Marta favela tour: real stories, smart safety, views, and community projects for $27.
“Gilson is an amazing guide, being himself from Santa Marta and knowing so many people there! We discovered not only the favela, its history and challenges, but also the education projects that Gilson is running in the community, such as art, music and foreign languages. It was also fun walking through the famous spots from…”
A small-group Rocinha favela tour with local guide, motorbike ride, viewpoints, and capoeira/samba—responsible and practical.
“The tour was amazing - the guide had excellent knowledge of the favela and was happy to answer questions. The places that we stopped at were great local businesses and projects so everything went back into the local economy. Highly recommend!”
Walk Vidigal with a local guide, then hike Morro Dois Irmãos for panoramic Rio views and beach spotting.
“We had an amazing trip with our guide Jessie she was very knowledgeable about the Favela and gave lots of information, the hike of the two brothers was good and incredible views from the top, we had a brilliant time on the motorbike taxis up and down the Favela an unbeatable experience”
A 3-hour guided walk in Rocinha and Vila Canoas, mixing Rio views with community stops and respectful local perspectives for $33.
“Det var en rigtig god oplevelse. Guiden talte perfekt engelsk og jeg fik mulighed for at tale med andre i gruppen. Der kunne godt have været flere informationer om farvelaerne, men guiden skulle oversætte til flere sprog, så måske derfor der ikke var tid til det.”
Small-group Vidigal and Dois Irmãos circuit with local views, a resident-led ecological park stop, and a guided favela walk.
“It was an incredible tour and whole new experience for me to travel to Favéla, the amazing view and how the history of constructing Favéla left deep impression on me. I really appreciate the whole tour with Jean, who is a very nice and easy-going guide. With his professional and detailed explanation, I enjoyed the…”
Sunrise hike to Morro Dois Irmãos from Vidigal, with a motorbike taxi ride and city views over Rio. Small group, early start.
“Really awesome hike! Although it was a bit cloudy the views were still beautiful and I could learn some Portuguese words on the way :) I felt much more comfortable doing this with a local since I was travelling alone. Thanks so much for the great time!!”
Sunrise hike at Morro Dois Irmaos plus a guided Vidigal walk with big views, local stops, and an HD photo album for $53.64.
“Fernando is a Star. This is the best tour in South America that I have done thus far (travelled ~5 months over multiple years throughout South America). My partner and I took this tour for the sunrise option and the views are absolutely stunRead more”
Take a small-group tour of Vidigal in Rio, learn favela history, and enjoy top viewpoints like Pedra da Cruz.
“This was an exceptional tour and Rodrigo was a wonderful teacher, not just a guide. Mindblowing experience”
Guided Santa Marta favela tour in Rio: Michael Jackson statue, tram ride, caipirinha workshop, and community social projects. 3 hours.
“I rarely write reviews but this tour was so heart-warming that I would like to share it with all. We were staying in copacabana and very worried how safe it will be to go to favella. To our surprise, our guide was the sweetest person who made us feel safe at every moment. It was…”
A 150-minute guided walk through Dona Marta, with the funicular, murals, community stops, and the Michael Jackson viewpoint.
“Mauvaise expérience. Début initiale à 10h, notre guide n’est arrivé qu’à 10h45 et nous avions stipulé une visite en français hors le guide attribué ne parlais que quelques mots. Pas beaucoup d’explication sur la visite et juste une balade dans la Favela.. bref, très mauvaise expérience et très peu d’information sur l’histoire de ce lieu.”
Walk Rocinha with a locally raised English guide, learn daily life beyond the headlines, add optional donation-shopping, and choose lunch in the community.
“I highly recommend this tour to anyone staying in Rio. We were a bit hesitant booking this tour but our guide luiz put our minds at rest and opened our eyes on life in a favela. I guarantee you will truly see what life is really like instead of what the films show you! I'd…”
See Rocinha or Vidigal up close from Copacabana. Walk local streets with a community guide, learn Rio’s social reality.
“Our tour with Ellio was the real deal. He told us the history and shared with us the culture of the favelas. He introduced us to lots of people and he clearly knew his way around. There is no way you should do his without someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Ellio however, and the…”
From Christ the Redeemer and the Sugarloaf cable car to the beaches, the rainforest and the Lapa nights, every way to spend a day in the Cidade Maravilhosa.
