Guilherme was so helpful and we did not even take his tour this time. Long story, I had been…read moresearching for private tour guides and this company caught my eye! Gui reached out via WhatsApp and was very generous with his recommendations and sharing insights for visiting Rio during a rainy few days. Perfect English, flexible with ideas/plans, and patient with my tourist questions. We will definitely reach out when we are in town and the sun is shining again. Thanks Giu!

My best friend and I were fortunate enough to encounter Gui & Rafa. If you're coming to Rio, you…read moremust have Gui as your tour guide!! They made our trip the best trip we've ever had. With a personally curated tour to fit our wants and needs, Gui was exceptional. 10/10 stars!

Big place!!! Very easy to get lost cause a lot of it looks the same. Monkeys are seen throughout…read more Look at all the colorful birds as well. Its 80 reais (about $16 USD). Worth every dollar as i would be okay with getting charged more. If you get lost just open your phones map and you can find your way to the exit.

I loved this huge botanical garden, which was like a beautiful tropical paradise. It was my first…read morestop after checking my luggage at the hotel. The cost was around $15 for US residents (less for locals) and only cash is accepted. Upon entering, I noticed black monkeys walking around the rainforest-esque environment, as well as climbing trees. There were palm trees, bright and colorful flowers, bodies of water, lovely little bridges, gorgeous fountain, yellow and green state house, greenhouses with rare and award winning orchids, a wonderful cafe serving fancy coffee & beverages, playground, and more. There were plenty of breathtaking views of the many natural wonders. I really enjoyed my time exploring the vast expanse of the garden. The place was sprawling and easy to get lost in. It tops the list as one of my favorite botanical gardens that I have visited.

I took two great tours with Be A Local when I was visiting Rio. I found the agency through Green…read moreToad Tours, which works with Be A Local to provide Rio sightseeing. Both of my tours were in January 2019. First I joined the Complete Rio City Tour, which lasted about 7 hours and included visits to: - Christ the Redeemer - Santa Teresa - Steps - Municipal Cathedral - Sugarloaf Mountain and Cable car Everything was included except water and snacks. Fernando was our guide, and he did a great job with an informative and humorous commentary. Aside from as few sexist remarks, it was very well done. Just please stop talking about women's "purity" Fernando, that's a sexist social construction. Two days later, I took the Favela Tour, which lasted about 5 hours. The tour visits the Rocinha Favela and includes: - Art gallery - Short "samba" drumming and kids dancing - Bakery - Artisan jewellery stand - Community Centre Tipping and purchases are not included. While it felt oddly voyeuristic to visit a favela, and was the closes to dark tourism I've ever been, I am glad I went. It was raining a bit but this wasn't a problem. If anything, it made the weather more bearable. I happened to have Fernando again and he was on the spot with a lot of his insightful political commentary. Only problem was that he only talked about men in the favelas. We had to ask about women's quality of life to get Fernando to include info about women. That's something the company should work into its script. Altogether these tours helped me get to know Rio. I'm glad I took them, and would recommend them. They were a fair value for the price and Fernando was quite a pleasant guide. Happy travels!

While in brasil, I found this great company for day trips…read more I did the citytour (5hrs) and favela trip. The citytour involved seeing the major highlights of rio in one day and the favela tour was a walk down the hill in one of the favela. What I liked: - small group (we were with 3 on citytrip and 5 on favela trip) - even though rio is not a safe city, I felt save at all time with our guide - the company does tours but also supports the local community - good price quality - focus on the young at heart (as tours involve some exercise in walking) - knowledgeable guides - pick up and drop off at hostel reception

My sister & I hate guided tours. Mainly because we don't need to spend a lot of time at each sight…read more You spend half the day waiting for other people as there is always someone who wants to spend hours at 1 sight or worse, a gift shop. After reading about private tours on TripAdvisor we decided to give it a try. After we inquired prices were not that much for 2 of us on a private tour than a bus tour. The decision was easy. We booked a full day tour with Ederson. He picked us up at 8 am and we were off to the Tijuca National Rainforest. Our first stop was the Chinese View, but we mentioned that we wanted to get some fruit and we happened to pass a fruit truck. He stopped for us and even helped us select the best fruit and negotiate a great price for all the fruit. The Chinese View (Vista Chinesa) gives you a great overlook of the city of Rio and Ipanema. After a few minutes, we stopped by a local waterfall. Then, we were on our way to Christ the Redeemer. The crowd wasn't too long, but with his pass, we were able to cut the line. I can imagine how great that benefit is during busy season. It's amazing to the see the modern wonder that is Christ the Redeemer. The view of the city is amazing too. I can't believe how this city go blessed with so many mountains all over that give you a truly breathtaking sight of this gorgeous city. We stopped by a local restaurant that just opened up for lunch. He had never been there but asked if we were curious like him. I always am. It was a Brazilian/Italian mix restaurant that served very good food. Even Ederson was impressed. We made our way back to the city and we drove through the Lapa neighborhood & stopped at the mosaic steps. They reminded me of the steps in San Francisco but these were on a bit of a grander scale. To end the day, we went to Sugarloaf Mountain. This was my favorite view of the city. It was gorgeous up there. Sugarloaf left me in a completely awe. Edersen is a great guide. He can adjust the tour based on people's interest and can speak on lots of topics. He loves local politics and history so be sure to prod his mind on those topics. If you prefer other topics he's happy to change the subject. His English is not perfect and there can be a slight language barrier at moments, but we had no problems communicating.

My boyfriend and I did a private tour with Ederson, whom he found on Trip Advisor. I HIGHLY suggest…read moreprivate tours! It is more intimate and you don't have any conflicts with people holding up the tour. Ederson was very knowledgeable and answered all our random touristy questions. Lol. Oh yes, and he takes AMAZING photos which is always nice because it's better than asking strangers for a pic. We visited Christ the Redeemer, Selaron Steps, Sugar Loaf and other beautiful locations in Rio. The end we went to a Brazilian steakhouse that Ederson suggested and it was the perfect ending to the tour. Oh and his car is very clean and cooling. Just a perfect day!

My daughter and I took the Tijuca forest small group tour, it was one of the best tours we have…read moredone over the last 10 years of traveling. Our tour was 3 participants, the tour guide Luiza, and our driver (I believe his name was Rafael). Luiza was full of knowledge about the rainforest and Rio. Both were looking for wildlife for us to see. luckily we saw a sloth, toucans, bees, spider. I was the slow poke, and slowed our group down but they were all very patient. The views in the rainforest are amazing. Well worth the money, and you won't be disappointed with this tour, especially if you get Luiza and Rafael.

Is it possible to give this company more than 5 stars because they deserve it! We first read about…read morethem online on a Google search. We reached out to them and had the pleasure of exchanging emails with Anna who was more than helpful in answering our 1000 questions. They provided all the information we needed to be ready for our hike. We decided to go with the Tijuca Forest Adventure Full-Day Hike. When the day came, we met Tito who was our guide for the day. We couldn't have been any luckier! I would have not chosen another person to lead us on this hike. Tito did an amazing job through out the hike with encouraging us and being super supportive. We never felt unsafe because he made us feel completely comfortable and you could tell he loved doing this. The hike itself was not the easiest, but we did not give up and all the spots we stopped at were worth it. He took us on different trails so that we could see the most we could. Tito was also very knowledge and did a great job giving us a little history lesson on Brazil. The sites we stopped at were beautiful and you really get to experience the beauty of nature in the Tijuca rainforest. Tito also recommend some spots to check out while in Rio and they were spot on. I cannot wait to return and book another adventure with them! If you want a great guide who will take you on the best hike of your life, Jungle Me is the place for it.

From the owner: Founded by Vicente Cardone, Rio Alternative Tour is an Agency of Receptive Tourism in Rio de…read moreJaneiro, who loves the city and is pleased to welcome the people who come to visit her. Our great advantage is the personalized service. Flexibility is the key word on the tours that we provide. You will visit the places you want, the way you want to see them. We identify the needs of visitors to the city, optimizing your valuable time and money. Our work goes far beyond a conventional tour, is an alternative way to see the city. Along the Rio Alternative Tour, you will visit the most interesting places where you will find the true essence of Rio Your ride will be more agile and comfortable, without being subject to all the limitations of a tour group, will have an infinitely greater freedom and can choose the places you wish to visit. Our tours are conducted in modern vehicles and insurance. We have a diverse team, tour guides and drivers experienced, skilled and responsible, that will make you feel at home.