Favela Walking Tour in Rio de Janeiro
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Explore Rocinha Favela, the largest favela in Latin America, during this 4-hour guided educational tour. Walk through the local community with your guide to learn about what life is like there. Interact with members of the community, learn about the history of Rocinha and gain a deeper understanding of the economic and political factors that shape Rio society.
- Explore Rocinha Favela, the largest favela in Latin America
- Walk through the local community with your guide to learn about what life is like there
- Interact with members of the community and learn about the history of Rocinha
- Gain a deeper understanding of the economic and political factors that shape Rio society
What's Included
- Transport
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Av. Atlântica, 1702 - Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22021-001, Brazil
We are meeting by the statue in front of the Copacabana Palace Hotel
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.1:25 pm
Itinerary
1
Salocin Tour
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Minimum age is 5 years
- Meeting point at Belmond Copacabana Palace at 13:25
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 101 reviews
PAUL_K, Oct 2025
Nobody showed up at the meeting time and location. I showed up 15 minutes early and waited another 15 minutes. First and last time I use Viator.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
I’m truly sorry about this. Your reservation came in at the last minute 3hours before, and we didn’t have enough time to add it to our passenger list before departure. That’s our mistake, and I apologize for the inconvenience.
Please request a refund directly through Viator (in My Bookings → select your booking → Request refund). As soon as Viator forwards the request to us, we will authorize it on our side.
Again, our apologies for the situation.
Christie_D, Jul 2025
The walking tour was so interesting. Our guide lives there and told us all of the ins and outs of the Favala. He was always making sure that we felt safe and provided the history around the Favalas.
Response from Host, Sept 2025
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! 🌟
We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the walking tour and felt safe throughout. Our local guides are passionate about sharing the history and daily life of the favelas, and it’s wonderful to know that this made your visit even more meaningful.
We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again for another experience in Rio!
Deidra_L, Jul 2025
Wear comfortable walking shoes - going up is bit more strenuous than going down. Be cognizant that you are being allowed to experience the culture and lifestyle of the inhabitants of the favela. Be respectful, especially when it come to pictures and recordings!!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hello
Thank you for joining our Favela Walking Tour!
It was a real pleasure having you with us on our favela walking adventure. We hope you enjoyed learning about the vibrant culture, stories, and spirit of the community.
Your interest and respect meant a lot to us.
All the best!
Shirley_M, Jun 2025
fantastic view of the favela area thanks to our guide Wellingotn. so knowledgeable and full of information
Response from Host, Jun 2025
We’re very grateful that you took part in our favela walking experience. It was a pleasure to share the culture, history, and everyday life of our community with you.
Your curiosity, respect, and openness helped make this tour truly special. We hope it gave you new perspectives and unforgettable memories.
Amad_H, May 2025
The tour was a really enlightening experience that really helped contextualize Rio. Daniel was an amazing guide and we felt safe and informed at all times.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hello Amad
We’re very grateful that you took part in our favela walking experience. It was a pleasure to share the culture, history, and everyday life of our community with you.
Your curiosity, respect, and openness helped make this tour truly special. We hope it gave you new perspectives and unforgettable memories.
Thank you
laura_d, May 2025
Our tour guide, Wellington, was awesome! He gave us amazing information and brought us to some great places to eat, drink, and hang. For anyone visiting, go with an open mind and a willingness to see life through another's eyes. What you'll find is that life is magnificent, fast, and beautiful. You'll meet locals, have time to get food and shop, and get to appreciate the true beauty of life in the Favelas. My husband and I found life there to be its own work of art. And it's a form of art the we personally loved. We had so much fun and would go back again. It was truly captivating and the highlight of our trip. It's going to sound silly, but my favorite part was looking at the electrical wiring, it was just very pretty to me!
Ps, best drinks in Rio 🧉🧉🧉they be doing heavy pours
Again, I would not recommend you go if you are not open minded or if you are going to be judgemental. You are visiting a place that thousands call home. Be respectful of the people and be appreciative that they've welcomed you into their home.
And most importantly- TIP YOUR GUIDES!!!! None of the Europeans on our tour tipped, and that's not cool. They tip in Brazil! Fellow Americans - tip your guides like you'd tip your guides in the states. Don't be cheap!
Other advice, wear good walking shoes and be prepared to walk a lot of steps. If you have issues walking I would not recommend going. Also I'd recommend dressing down. I was dressed up and was fine it was more so that my long skirt made walking the steps more difficult.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hello Laura
Thank you for joining our Favela Walking Tour!
It was a real pleasure having you with us on our favela walking adventure. We hope you enjoyed learning about the vibrant culture, stories, and spirit of the community.
Your interest and respect meant a lot to us. Thanks for walking with us — and we hope to see you again someday!
Warm hugs,
Rico_M, May 2025
The tour was very eye opening and our guide Wellington did a great job giving us the real background the of the amazing people from Rocinha. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, May 2025
Hello Rico
Thank you for participating in our Favela Walking Tour
We appreciate your time and openness in joining this favela walking experience. Through this tour, we aim to break stereotypes and share the authentic life, resilience, and richness of the favela.
Your presence contributes to positive exchange and mutual understanding. Thank you for being part of that.
Kind regards,
Camila_R, May 2025
Great experience fantastic tour really recommend .
very safe I didn’t be scared the bar very good drinks .
Ernest_D, Jan 2025
Edmundo was an exceptional tour guide. He explained to our group so many different details about these neighborhoods and answered any questions that we had. He also advised us as to where and when we could film, and we were also treated to a fantastic performance by some young children/teenagers who couldn't be more accommodating. It was a great way to spend an afternoon and learn about a part of Rio de Janeiro few tourists get to see, and that more tourists should.
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you for participating in our Favela Walking Tour
We appreciate your time and openness in joining this favela walking experience. Through this tour, we aim to break stereotypes and share the authentic life, resilience, and richness of the favela.
Your presence contributes to positive exchange and mutual understanding. Thank you for being part of that.
Yvette_W, Jan 2025
Ashura Guy did such a great job of giving us so much information about the history of the Cabela’s! He took wonderful pictures of us and even showed us the kids and we got to talk to the kids as well. I really enjoyed that her and I feel even more well-informed about the fella that idea before I took a tour. My daughter and I would recommend this tour guide to anyone who takes the tour! We love our tour guide.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hello Yvette
Thank you for joining our Favela Walking Tour!
It was a real pleasure having you with us on our favela walking adventure. We hope you enjoyed learning about the vibrant culture, stories, and spirit of the community.
Your interest and respect meant a lot to us. Thanks for walking with us — and we hope to see you again someday!
Dimitri_M, Dec 2024
The Guide was friendly, energetic, and insightful regarding the history versus the present circumstances of the favela culture. As the guide prepared us for, the people living in the favela were inviting and demonstrated that you do not need to be wealthy to have class and a passion for life as they eagerly shared with is. I highly recommend this tour. It’s an eye opener and a great life experience to share.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hello Dimitri
Thanks for walking with us in the Favela!
You’ve just completed an amazing favela walking experience — and we’re so happy you were part of it!
We hope you felt the energy, culture, and heart of the community. Your participation helps keep these stories alive and shared with the world.
All the best!
Joseph_P, Oct 2024
This was a great way to explore a favela. We learned a lot and got to interact and meet fun and interesting people.
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you so much for joining us on our favela experience! It was a pleasure having you with us and sharing a bit of our culture and community. We hope this experience was as enriching for you as it was for us!
Your presence and interest mean a lot to us, and we were thrilled to show you the beauty and authenticity of our community. May this experience inspire new perspectives and connections!
Chandra_A, Sept 2024
I learned a lot on this tour and there were unexpected elements of fun, like the rooftop capoeira performance by local children and the pick up game of futbol. I felt safe with our guide, who lives in the favela. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Sept 2024
Hello
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're glad you enjoyed the experience. The Favela Tour is all about showing the vibrant culture and unique stories of the community. We believe it's important to share a different perspective of life in Rio, and we're thrilled that it resonated with you!
KENRICK_T, Aug 2024
I love our guide, Martin's sense of humor. It was really a privilege to be able to walk through a favela since we are strongly discouraged to go there by ourselves. I felt very safe and did not feel uncomfortable at all. It was a great opportunity to see, hear and learn about the history and how the favela functions. The paths that we took were one of a kind, and the views from the lookout point was breathtaking. Would highly recommend it!
Response from Host, Sept 2024
Thank you for joining our Favela Tour! We truly appreciate your participation and hope it was a meaningful experience that gave you a deeper understanding of the community's culture and resilience.
Firas_W, Apr 2024
Our guide Edwardo was very knowledgeable about the favela and very respectful to the locals. We would certainly recommend this tour.
rod_g, Mar 2024
excellent guide, amazing bus ride to the Favela. Walked extensively in the favela, saw many amazing sites and sounds. Really a taste of a different and amazing way of life. The views across RIo are super too
Lamarcus_B, Sept 2023
The tour was great! Very insightful and the people in the community were very friendly. Our tour guide was super knowledgeable and respected in the Favela.
Patricia_P, Jan 2023
The guide should have never left us alone during the walking tour because the 5 minutes he went away for some personal shopping, at least two locals approached us asking for money or obliging us to put cameras in our pockets. Besides I paid a 4hour walking tour that lasted no more than 2 hours
Brady_B, Oct 2022
Though, I did the research on the favela, however the experience of this tour is out of this world. If you're visiting rio de janeiro, it is highly recommended.
Chakesha_J, Oct 2022
The favela community is definitely an unbelievable interesting place to visit. However, the tour guide made a couple of racist comments concerning Americans being out of shape and privileged that sparked some concerns with my spouse and I. The commentary lacked substance. The guide literally stopped in front door of a residence and said to us “a French man and his girlfriend lives here”. Everyone looked at each other in awkwardness like….. “ok?”
In summary, this was a great tour, just not so good tour guide.
Marko_S, May 2022
The best way to see the other side of Rio. Although the reputation is not very good, this tour offers you a very safe and relaxed way of seeing an incredible part of the city.
Response from Host, May 2022
Hello Marko
We glad that you have enjoyed the tour and changed the bad reputation about the Favelas in Rio. This is the main proposal of our tour. Show that our favelas are part of the city and change the negative image about them.
Peter_S, Mar 2022
I am so impressed with our tour operator. I had a snafu where the first guide didn’t arrive and then I called them and they promptly sent a second guide for a private tour that was just so exceptional. Our guide knew EVERYONE in the favela making this so personal and safe.
Response from Host, May 2022
Hello Peter
Thank you for your patience and for the good review!
Xin_J, Mar 2022
The tour is informational and well organized . half of the time walking , half at souvenir or eating foods.
Response from Host, May 2022
Hello Xin
Thanx for your testimonial.
David_V, Jul 2019
This was an excellent tour of an area I may have otherwise avoided altogether. The tour navigated through many obscure side streets in Rocinha to give you a real glimpse of life and business in these communities. We also got to stop and sample local food which was a nice touch. Only negative thing to point out was that the organisation of the group was very messy as we ended up with double the group size, and the tour itself is only around 2 hours as the other 1 1/2 - 2 hours is spent travelling to and from with a train, not private transport. Overall, I think it was an excellent tour with only a few minor hiccups.
TracyAnn_D, Dec 2018
First off, we were running late to meet the guide and was able to whatsapp the tour organizer to inform them, which was great. Edmundo is the best tour guide we have ever had. His care and love for the community in the favela is evident and that's what sets this tour apart from the rest.We are no strangers to the idea of a favela since we live in South Africa and have similar informal settlements and so we found ourselves comparing ours with Brazil's. Edmundo was really informative and exposed us to the day-to-day lives of the residents of Rochina. I will highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to experience all aspects of Rio. Edmundo you were really the best!
715manleyc, Sept 2018
A great way to see the other side of beautiful Rio!. Our guide Edmundo was a excellent tour guide who was very knowledgeable and friendly. Experience the day to day life of the Brazilian citizen! very informative and eye opening.
Shawn_M, Jul 2018
We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We never once felt unsafe. It was great to see all aspects of Brazilian life and Brazilian society. Our tour guide - Carlos was fantastic. He is himself a resident of the Favela da Rocinha. It was like walking with an old friend in his neighborhood. I would recommend this tour led by Carlos to anyone who is interested in understanding the holistic social makeup and life in Rio. what a great experience. One for the memories!
FeliciaPL, Jun 2018
It's a fun day out to favela with Alberto, he knows most of the people there, shared with us lots of history & story, brought us to all odds & ends, showed us where to buy the good local snack such as coxinha & açai ice-cream, best lookout & postcard shots and many more. Highly recommended tour when you are in Rio.
Katrina_R, Apr 2018
The tour was interesting and Carlos was definitely a character but I think you should warn people that some of the pathways are very very steep and narrow - some people found it quite hard going. Carlos was informative but needs to be a little bit aware of his language e.g. swearing.
Priscilla_M, Feb 2018
This tour was excellent. Our guide was so friendly, knowledgeable and funny. It was really interesting learning about the Favela. I highly recommend.
From $35.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Favela Walking Tour in Rio de Janeiro
101
4 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$35.00
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Santa Teresa (Barrio Santa Teresa) Tours & Tickets
- Rocinha Tours & Tickets
- Sao Francisco da Penitencia Church (Igreja Sao Francisco da Penitencia) Tours & Tickets
- Casa Franca-Brasil Tours & Tickets
- Christ the Redeemer Statue (Cristo Redentor) Tours & Tickets
- Guanabara Bay Tours & Tickets
- Parque Garota de Ipanema Tours & Tickets
- Sugarloaf Mountain (Pao de Açúcar) Tours & Tickets
- Crystal Palace (Palácio de Cristal) Tours & Tickets
- Pedra da Gavea Tours & Tickets
- Rio-Niteroi Bridge (Ponte Rio-Niteroi) Tours & Tickets
- Rio Scenarium Tours & Tickets
- Angra Dos Reis Tours & Tickets
- Red Beach (Praia Vermelha) Tours & Tickets
- Santa Marta Favela Tours & Tickets
- La Candelaria Church (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria) Tours & Tickets
- Morro da Urca Tours & Tickets
- Vista Chinesa Tours & Tickets
- Floriano Peixoto Square (Cinelandia) Tours & Tickets
More attractions near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Christ the Redeemer Statue (Cristo Redentor) Tours & Tickets
- Sugarloaf Mountain (Pao de Açúcar) Tours & Tickets
- Maracana Stadium (Estádio do Maracanã) Tours & Tickets
- Tijuca National Park (Parque Nacional da Tijuca) Tours & Tickets
- Copacabana Beach (Praia de Copacabana) Tours & Tickets
- Selarón Steps (Escadaria Selarón) Tours & Tickets
- Ipanema Beach (Praia de Ipanema) Tours & Tickets