Top Rio de Janeiro Scavenger Hunts

Rio de Janeiro is the home of samba, a lively type of Afro-Brazilian music and dance that's seen at the festival of Carnaval. If you want an immersive way to learn more about samba, skip professional performances and instead, try out a dance class and visit a real samba nightclub. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned dancer, an instructor is on hand to guide you through the steps. After mastering the basic movements, head out to show off on the dance floor.

Visit the islands of Angra do Reis aboard a boat on this excursion from Rio de Janeiro. Relax as the boat sails through the deep blue waters and you watch the vibrant green of the Atlantic forest pass by on the shoreline. Get a chance to interact with some local dolphins and participate in water sports (own expense). Disembark on some of the small islands to explore the beaches, shop the open-air markets for local handicrafts and sidle up to one of the beach bars for a drink. Lunch on board the boat and round-trip transportation from Rio hotels are included.

Ipanema and Copacabana are two of the world's most famous beaches — and behind the waterfront, there's a whole city worth getting to know. This app-led scavenger hunt takes you through Rio de Janeiro on foot, using phone-based riddles to guide you from one landmark to the next. No guide, no fixed start time. • Walk the iconic Praia de Ipanema, the beach that inspired a bossa nova classic and became one of Brazil's defining images • Discover the rocky peninsula of Arpoador, where the two beaches meet and the surf breaks hard against the stone • Continue to Praia de Copacabana, one of the longest and most famous stretches of urban beach in the world Around 2 hours, any group size, available in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. The Girl from Ipanema walked this way — now it's your turn.

Attend the Ginga Tropical Show, a dance and music that allows you to learn about Brazil's vibrant history and culture through its traditional music and dance. During this show, see talented performers dance the lambada, samba and bossa nova dressed in outrageous Carnival costumes. Hear folklore from around the diverse country, live drumming and the Brazilian martial art: capoeira.

Salvador's Pelourinho is the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture — a UNESCO-listed hillside neighbourhood where every wall, church, and square tells a story. This app-led scavenger hunt takes you through Salvador on foot, using phone-based riddles to guide you from one landmark to the next. No guide, no fixed start time. • Stand at Praça Castro Alves, the grand square named for Brazil's abolitionist poet and still a living stage for the city's cultural life • Visit the Igreja Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos, a church built by enslaved Africans in the 18th century — a monument of resilience and faith • Step into the Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado, dedicated to Brazil's most beloved novelist and the man who put Bahia on the literary map Around 2 hours, any group size, available in Portuguese, English, and French. Pelourinho is where Brazil's soul lives — and this tour takes you right to it.