Favela Tours

A very good tour with Patrick, a passionate and knowledgeable guide. With only 5 on the tour, we were picked up from our hotel in a taxi, with one other stop to collect the other 3. In the favela, we did have stops at a couple of businesses, but there was no pressure to buy and the art for sale was of high quality. The capoeira show was great, in a small room with very talented performers right up close. We descended down through the favela via a myriad of tiny lanes and stairways. Patrick was greeted by so many people along the way, in particular children, with whom he is working to keep them in school and engage in interests apart from the grim underbelly of favela culture that is part of their day-to-day lives. All in all, a very enlightening and enjoyable experience.

Booked then got a message an hour later stating they had no more room. I asked them to cancel so I could book elsewhere. They said they would but never did. So I had to waste my personal time with Viator to obtain my refund.

It was a bad experience from the very start. Our guide turned up at 10.30am , half an hour late. We were in sqeezed into a tiny taxi, 5 of us plus guide being driven to the favela. The guide had no real talent at story telling, spat out statistics about everything other than the tour , spend a lot of time at an eatery , spouting on topics such as Angelina Jolies encounter with bees etc. Over all disappointing , listless and poor guiding.

Great trip. Excellent guide. Very informative

Very eye-opening experience. Patrick, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable.

This was a top notch "Rio experience". Patrick was knowledgeable and evidently cared about people living in favelas. You must hear the real stories of the people to understand the favela life. I hope next time I visit Rio favelas there will be more kids playing soccer than working.

If you have been lucky enough to stumble across this tour, then please don’t hesitate to book it. It was the best tour I have ever done because i honestly can’t stop thinking about it. Patrick, our tour guide, was incredible, he created a calmness for us and he knew the people and what to do and what not to do. I never felt scared, I just felt utterly honoured to meet such beautiful people. It was humbling and a day I shall never forget

Whilst we got off to a late start due to me following Viator instructions and not the company WhatsApp instructions- the tour company were absolutely brilliant in making this tour happen for us. The weather however couldn’t be organised and it rained all throughout the tour. This didn’t distract Patrick our guide from providing a fascinating narrative as we walked down through the favella. Highly recommended company and tour guide.

This was a pretty cool tour. A bit pushy on the politics, but it was overall enjoyable. The tour guide was great.

Outstanding tout with a wonderful guide- Patrick. He displayed a clear and through knowledge with a lovely mixture of factual detail and local chat chat. And he knew everyone! It was superb. Strong recommendation for a tour we were unsure about at the point of booking!

Educational, informative and safely led by Patrick. Really enjoyed learning about the Favalas, their history and the residents. Would highly recommend.

Good communication prior to pick up which was from our hotel. Minibus transfer in a comfortable bus to the favela entrance followed by a walking tour of approximately 2 hours through the favela. Opportunity to buy snacks, drinks and local art. Good mix of main roads and side streets to explore. Patrick stopped regularly to give information on a range of topics about the history and life in the favelas. I left feeling better educated about the favela community. A thought provoking tour which I highly recommend.

Patrick was a knowledgeable and kind guide (does good work in the community). Fantastic views from top of the favela and good to see a flavour of life in the town. Free drink and snack and good access to street art and craft goods.

It was a great trip! The guide introduced me to the history and current situation of the favelas, which gave me a deeper understanding of the local residents. He’s also involved in a meaningful initiative where he exchanges balls for toy guns to help children get out of the favelas.

A great way to see the favela. No need to worry about safety. Please be respectful to the locals and follow your guide :)

This was a very enriching and moving tour as we learned that Brazil has 12,000 Favelas. Rocinha, which is what we toured, is the largest. It is an amazing experience that should be seen by everyone because it brings stark awareness of the difference in equality and also the tenacity and industriousness of a people to live and make life work. There is beauty in the art within the Favela and the scenery within Rio is spectacular. We learned of moving stories of families and children being positively motivated to become whatever they wanted to be. Patrick, our tour guide, has been very involved in being a mentor to young children to choose a positive path in life instead of being influenced by gangs, drugs etc. We would highly recommend this tour.

Generally ok but nothing more! In my opinion there were a couple of serious shortcomings. Rio traffic is horrible and whilst it’s commendable to collect everyone from their hotels, we wasted more than an hour. Far better to get people to come to a central point (metro station). Also, I was expecting much more insight from the guide, Sergio. It was very basic and I didn’t really learn anything which I didn’t already know. It would have been far better to have had a good intro into life in a favela during the huge amount of time we were in the bus rather than just apologising for the endless stops we needed to make to collect people.

Great tour we saw the favela in a very safe environment would highly recommend tour guide is very passionate

Guide was informative, took us all around the favela, felt very safe, I would highly recommend this tour!

Such a fun and enriching tour with a very knowledgeable guide. Great experience! 10/10 would recommend to groups or solo travelers!

Favela trip in here.We saw many views which is different in our mind.Most of the people is kindly,we saw the children who have hopefully in there eyes.Hope government will pay more money improve their life. 30years ago which have same places also in my hometown Shanghai,Now It’s changed too much.

We had a wonderful tour with our guide Patrick. It was clear that he knew a lot about the people and the neighborhood that we walked through. The tour company was incredibly responsive and very easy to work with. I would highly recommend this tour group!

This was such an amazing, unique way of discovering a bit of an off-the-beaten-path side of Rio. Patrick was absolutely amazing. Not just as a guide but also as a person. Such a warm and caring man. We loved our time with him.

Quite a good overview of Rocinha. The guide, Patrick, was very insightful and provided a fresh perspective to the lives of the dwellers in Rocinha.

It was phenomenal! Patrik is first of all a good man, and then an impeccable guide, and he gave us an unforgettable experience. Most guides do their job routinely, but Patrik allowed us to see the Favela through the eyes of tourists and people who live in the Favela.

We enjoyed this 3 hours walkng tour. Patrick was very helpful and the route that he took us through and his explanations were brilliant.

Wonderfull experience for visitors to understand the real Rio and peopl that make the city work everyday

This is a great tour, with Patrick it really felt as we were locals, the in depth stories are really good and amusing! Overall a great experience!

Walking through the favela was an amazing experience and our guide knew all the do’s and dont’s. Surreal at times but never felt unsafe

If you are in Rio and looking to do a favela tour, this is a great option. You'll be part of a small group, but your tour guide is an asset. Patrick was our tour guide, and he helped to humanize and place into proper context life in the favelas. This is a safe tour. I had no concerns about my safety, and these sorts of tours happen all the time. This would be the best experience for anyone wanting to see a whole different reality in this beautiful, vibrant city. The tour comes highly recommended.

Patrick's entertaining presentation left us with a deep impression of the favelas and we benefited a lot from his warmth and wisdom. He knows everything about the local area and you don't have to worry about your safety at all.

Marcio and his team are great! He recommended the best attractions based on what we wanted to do. The guides were friendly, knowledgeable and trustworthy. Patrick took us around the Favela and was able to teach us about the everyday life there. Hang-gliding in Rio is also a MUST!

Fernando our tour guide of the Favela was great. He was very informative from the moment we were picked up. During our tour of the favela we got to learn and see various parts of the Rocinha Favela. We felt secure with Fernando and did not feel much concern at any point. We traveled with our two kids ages 21 and 17. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to experience the favelas in a safe setting. One thing to note is that being in good physical condition is a plus. Tour requires going up and down steps. Nothing out of the ordinary, but think worth knowing. Would love to do it again!

What an experience! Tourguide was very professional and made us feel very safe. Definitely worth the visit. What an eye-opener.

What an amazing experience! The tour guide was very knowledgeable and made us feel very safe. A must see in Rio. A piece of life that will make you realize life can be very hard. 10/10

Sergio was a great guide. From the outset he told us what to expect, when we could take photos and when we can’t take photos, but always made sure we were safe. The favela was such as eye opening experience. Whilst it was quite confronting at times it was good to see how people live. The most important thing was we felt safe: would highly recommend seeing the favela if you enjoy learning about life outside the tourist bubble of Rio!

Transport - the van was spacious and clean. Guide - Patrick was great and he seems very welcomed in the community. He wasn’t pushy at all and kept the tour interesting while providing a ton of information. Tour - it didn’t feel as if we were intruding while walking around. It was very insightful and a great way to spend money with the people directly.

The favela tour was excellent. Our guide Patrick had a wealth of knowledge and shared many interesting insights about the way of life in the favela. It was heartwarming to see Patrick's friendly relationship with the local residents, especially the children. 😊

Knowledgeable guide. Didn’t feel as if we were intruding. Made us aware that the favela accepts tourists if the tour is done sensitively which it was

We had a great tour with Patrick! He was really informative and led us through all the streets of the Favelas. We enjoyed every bit of it. Immersing ourselves in the culture is key, and Patrick made sure we knew the history and took us through it all. Such a great tour, and we will definitely be back for more, very soon!

The climbing up and down so many steep stairs and alleyways where people live their daily lives, there was on the journey to the Favelas many nice houses and then you get there and make your way through the narrow streets there the accommodation for families is very tight, my main little worry was as a tourist we were perhaps intruding into the world in which they live and we did feel a little uncomfortable with that, our guide Patrick was very patient and informative and answered all our many questions which did put us at ease.

Patrick our guide was amazing very knowledgeable and gave us lots of information about Rocinha and its history. We felt very safe through the whole tour and stoped in some amazing places. I highly recommend it.

Going right into the heart of the favela and seeing how people lived day by seeing the little kids and the animals that lived there as well.Also the services that are provided for the community.

Best tour ever, real favela experience, safe and fun. Super suggested! Great view for pictures from the top.

Myself and my wife did two tours with be a local. We did the city day tour with Alex and the favela tour with Patrick. Both tours were excellent and we couldn't recommend the tours enough as both guides were extremely informative.

So great the guide was a local and he had no filter he showed us everything and told us exactly what we needed to know and the views were amazing if you have any issues with your knees or limited walking mobility don’t do this it’s not difficult but there are stairs ! I felt very safe and people there are so more friendly really great tour

Highly recommended this tour. Not only do you get to see some incredible views, you also get to see and experience the real Rio. The guides are incredibly knowledgeable and make you feel very safe at all times as well as answering all your questions.

The Rocinha Favela Tour was a great experience. Our guide Patrick was superb and I would recomend him and the tour to anyone.

Patrick took us for the tour around Rocinha. It was a nice small group of 13. Patrick kept us safe and informed of life in the local community. Would recommend to use Be a local for all Rio tours.