Favela Walking Tour in Rio de Janeiro

Recommended by 95% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Great choice

10+ bookings last month.

4 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.8

· 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.

· Camila_R ·

May 2025

Great experience fantastic tour really recommend . very safe I didn’t be scared the bar very good drinks .

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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

Rocinha

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

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8

based on 99 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Nobody showed up at the...

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.

The walking tour was so...

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, Sep 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!

Awesome and Eyeopening Experience!

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!

Fabulous experience

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.

The tour was a really...

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

An amazing last minute tour!

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,

The tour was very eye...

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,

Very nice and great english

Camila_R, May 2025

Great experience fantastic tour really recommend . very safe I didn’t be scared the bar very good drinks .

A Favela Expedition to Remember

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.

We love our tour guide!

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!

The Guide was friendly,...

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!

Fun and Safe Favela Tour

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!

Interesting and Enjoyable Favela Tour

Chandra_A, Sep 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, Sep 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!

A good learning experience

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, Sep 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.

Our guide Edwardo was...

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.

favela 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

Very insightful tour.

Lamarcus_B, Sep 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.

Be advised

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

An experience of a lifetime

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.

Interesting place but not so interesting tour guide

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.

Highlight of my Rio Trip

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.

Amazing guide/ great service

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!

The tour is informational and well organized .

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.

A great and affordable tour

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.

Excellent tour

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!

Favela tour

715manleyc, Sep 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.

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We...

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!

Interesting & safe

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.

The tour was interesting and Carlos...

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.