Favela tours in Rio with guides from the community
Walking tours and hikes in Rocinha, Santa Marta, Tavares Bastos and Vidigal, with who guides them, where they start and which project gets a share.
Germany’s Federal Foreign Office advises against visiting any favela in Rio de Janeiro, guided tours included. The US State Department rates informal housing developments at Level 4, “Do Not Travel”, even on guided tours. The UK Foreign Office advises against all favelas, including favela tours. On 20 April 2026, around 200 hikers were stuck on Morro Dois Irmãos during a police operation in Vidigal, as Brasil de Fato reported.
This site lists the tours together with that advice, and the decision to go is yours. Ask your travel insurer if your policy still covers a visit against official advice.
Rocinha
Santa Marta
Tavares Bastos
Dois Irmãos and Vidigal
Every favela tour on this site
Sorted by number of reviews. Tap the reviews or price header to re-sort.
| Photo | Tour | Favela | Guide from the favela | Meeting point | Money to a project | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Rocinha walk with minivan pickup Favela Walking Tour | Rocinha | Resident guide, per Viator listing | Minivan pickup (Copacabana, Ipanema) | Part of the price goes to the community (Viator listing) | ★ 4.8 (4,453) | €32 per person | Book now |
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Rocinha tour from Metrô São Conrado Favela Tour Guide | Rocinha | ✓ Resident-led, per listing | Metrô São Conrado, exit A | Not stated | ★ 4.8 (2,234) | €40 per person | Book now |
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Tavares Bastos and the street pitch Favela-República | Tavares Bastos | ✓ Resident-led, per listing | Not stated | Supports the Centro Social Dona Irene | ★ 5.0 (846) | €25 per person | Book now |
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Santa Marta Top Tour Favela Top Tour | Santa Marta | ✓ Resident-led, per listing | Praça Corumbá, Botafogo | Supports the Santa Horta garden project | ★ 4.9 (779) | €28 per person | Book now |
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Two Brothers hike by Saira Ecotour Saira Ecotour | Dois Irmãos hike | Not stated | Praça do Vidigal | Not stated | ★ 4.9 (648) | €43 per person | Book now |
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Rocinha walk by Jupiter Tour Jupiter Tour | Rocinha | ✓ Resident-led, per listing | Metrô São Conrado, exit C | Not stated | ★ 4.9 (580) | €33 per person | Book now |
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Tavares Bastos by Explore do Brasil Explore do Brasil | Tavares Bastos | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | ★ 4.9 (399) | €25 per person | Book now |
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Santa Marta with Copacabana pickup Favela Santa Marta Tour | Santa Marta | Not stated | Van pickup in Copacabana (weekdays) | Not stated | ★ 4.9 (383) | €30 per person | Book now |
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Two Brothers hike with Rodrigo Indio Rodrigo Indio | Dois Irmãos hike | ✓ Resident-led, per listing | Vidigal, mototaxi or van included | Not stated | ★ 4.8 (271) | €53 per person | Book now |
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Santa Marta tour with Gilson Fumaça Favela Tour Santa Marta (Gilson Fumaça) | Santa Marta | ✓ Resident-led, per listing | Rua São Clemente 320, Botafogo | Half of the price goes to residents’ projects (Viator listing) | ★ 4.5 (246) | €26 per person | Book now |
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Rocinha walk by Rio As A Local Rio As A Local | Rocinha | Not stated | Metrô São Conrado, exit A | Not stated | ★ 4.8 (234) | €37 per person | Book now |
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Dois Irmãos hike with Catharina Catharina Emanuelle | Dois Irmãos hike | Not stated | Vidigal, mototaxi included | Not stated | ★ 4.8 (223) | €43 per person | Book now |
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Hike plus Vidigal by Urban Jungle Urban Jungle | Dois Irmãos hike | Not stated | Hotel pickup (option) | Not stated | ★ 5.0 (207) | €74 per person | Book now |
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Vidigal and hike by Nattrip Nattrip Brasil | Dois Irmãos hike | Not stated | Hotel pickup (option) | Not stated | ★ 4.6 (124) | €82 per person | Book now |
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Vidigal tour with Nat Carioca Tours with Nat | Vidigal | Not stated | Hotel pickup | Not stated | ★ 4.6 (44) | €48 per person | Book now |
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Santa Marta walk with Marco Antônio Marco Antônio Rocha Martins | Santa Marta | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | ★ 5.0 (29) | €19 per person | Book now |
Prices are per person as the booking platforms list them today; the amount for your date shows on the booking page.
What we look for in a favela tour
Four points, partly drawn from the advice RioOnWatch, a news site covering Rio’s favelas, gives to visitors. The table above shows what each listing says about them.
A guide from the favela
A tour counts as resident-led here only when its own listing says the guide or the founders live there. “Local guide” in a title is not enough, and where the listing is silent we write “Not stated”.
On foot, not by jeep
The tours on this site are walks and hikes, some with a mototaxi ride or a transfer to the start. Jeep tours, party and baile funk nights and drone add-ons are left out; residents have criticised the jeeps for passing through without a local guide.
A small group
Most listings do not give a maximum group size. The Santa Marta tour with Copacabana pickup names up to 15 travellers. For the others, ask through the booking page before you pay.
Money for the community
Some listings name the project that benefits: the Santa Horta garden in Santa Marta, the Centro Social Dona Irene in Tavares Bastos, and residents’ projects that receive half the price of Gilson Fumaça’s tour, according to its Viator listing.
Where the tours go
Rocinha, above São Conrado
Most Rocinha tours meet at the São Conrado metro station at the foot of the hill, and some include a mototaxi ride up. Favela Walking Tour works differently and collects its guests by minivan in Copacabana or Ipanema. Meeting points, guides and mototaxis are compared on our Rocinha tour page.
Santa Marta, above Botafogo
Santa Marta climbs the hillside behind Botafogo. Favela Top Tour meets on Praça Corumbá and includes the funicular ticket; Gilson Fumaça’s tour starts on Rua São Clemente. The tour with a weekday pickup in Copacabana also stops at the Laje do Michael Jackson viewpoint and its statue.
Tavares Bastos in Catete
The tours here are built around the FIFA street football pitch in the middle of the favela. Favela-República is run by residents and supports the Centro Social Dona Irene. To watch a professional match while you are in Rio, riofootballtickets.com explains how to get tickets for the Maracanã.
Morro Dois Irmãos and Vidigal
The Two Brothers hike starts in Vidigal, usually with a mototaxi ride to the trailhead, and climbs about one and a half kilometres to a summit at 533 metres. Several operators start before sunrise. The police operation of April 2026 caught sunrise groups on the summit. From November to March, the rainy season brings a risk of flash floods and landslides, according to the UK Foreign Office, and reviewers describe the wet trail as hard going.
For the coastline and the hills from the air, the helicopter flights are compared on rio-helicopter.com.
On the day
- Photograph people only after asking them, and follow your guide when a spot is off limits for cameras. Favela Walking Tour bans camera glasses and recording devices; Jupiter Tour bans drones.
- Carry some cash in reais. Tips for the guide are paid in cash, and Rio As A Local charges a small fee on site.
- Reviewers describe the mototaxi rides as anything from a bit dangerous to exhilarating. If you would rather walk, ask the operator before the tour.
- Expect many steps. The Santa Marta tour with Copacabana pickup is not recommended for people who struggle with stairs, and several operators exclude guests with heart or back problems.
About this list
favela-tours.com notes for every tour what its listing says about the guide, the meeting point and the community, and puts the official travel advice next to the booking buttons. If you book through a link here, GetYourGuide or Viator pays a commission from its own share; your price does not change.
Before you book a favela tour
Is it safe to join a favela tour in Rio?
This site cannot promise that, and neither can the operators. The governments of Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom all advise against visiting Rio’s favelas, including on guided tours; the links are at the top of this page. A guide who knows the area can choose the route, but no guide controls a police operation. Read the advice and decide for yourself.
What does resident-led mean here?
A tour is marked resident-led only when its own listing says that the guide or the people who founded the tour live in the favela. A “local guide” in the title is not enough, and neither are reviews. Where a listing says nothing about it, the table shows “Not stated”.
Do the tours pick me up at my hotel?
Most Rocinha and Santa Marta tours meet at a metro station or a square at the foot of the favela. Favela Walking Tour collects guests by minivan in Copacabana or Ipanema, and Favela Santa Marta Tour picks up at two hotels in Copacabana on weekdays. For the Two Brothers hike, Urban Jungle and Nattrip Brasil offer hotel pickup as an option.
Can I take photos in the favela?
Ask before you photograph people, and put the camera away when your guide asks you to. Some tours have their own rules: Favela Walking Tour does not allow camera glasses or other recording devices, and Jupiter Tour does not allow drones.
How fit do I need to be for the Two Brothers hike?
Fit enough for a steep climb, on sunrise tours partly in the dark. After rain the path gets slippery. Several operators exclude guests with heart or back problems; check the card of the tour you choose.
Why are there no jeep tours on this site?
Residents have criticised jeep tours for driving visitors through the favela like a safari, often without a guide from the community, as RioOnWatch reports. This site lists walking tours and hikes only, and leaves out party nights and drone add-ons as well.
Does my travel insurance cover a favela tour?
That depends on your own policy. Cover can be tied to official travel advice, so ask your insurer before you book. This site cannot assess it for you.
Should I bring cash?
Yes, a little in Brazilian reais. Tips for the guide are usually paid in cash, and some tours charge small fees on site.
Pick a tour with the advice in mind
Guide, meeting point and project for every tour, in one table.
Back to the table