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!

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!

Bernard is an excellent and thoughtful guide, fluent in several languages, knowledgeable of…read morehistory, culture and all the lovely neighborhoods of Rio. We enjoyed a marvelous half day tour with him and when weather altered the course of our plan, he adapted beautifully and took us to places we loved to see. He was careful of our safety, had a nice new vehicle, fair price, was prompt and charming. I highly recommend Bernard for a custom tour of Rio. Our visit was 11/2/18.

I booked a Jeep tour leaving from Rio to this park in the morning. A lot of locals come here to…read morepicnic, hike, and swim in the lagoons with waterfalls. The tour was really fun with great sights and you really feel like you're in the rainforest even though you're pretty close to Rio. Some highlights: -Mirante das Canoas - Great view at the top of the park above São Conrado beach -Cascatinha Taunay - large waterfall where you can swim in the lagoon below -Mayrink Chapel - a small, pink chapel that is in the middle of the rainforest I would definitely recommend the tour, it was really fun to ride in the Jeep and only requires half a day.

5 stars gives this place zero justice! Did a hiking tour via trip advisor. And it was my top 2…read moreexperience while in rio (with my number 1 experience being a helicopter ride over the city and by christ the redeemer). The waterfalls was so nice and scenic. Lush green everywhere! We hiked up to 2 caves. And got in the water by 2 of the falls. Had a fun little group. Was such an experience though!

I had a great time. It was my first time hang gliding and it went very smoothly with the staff. I…read morewould do it again!

I made the mistake of reading the following snippet from a life insurance company website before…read morehang gliding: 1. Hang Gliding Deaths: 7 (2011) Causes of Deaths: Pilot error, equipment malfunction Hang gliding is actually one of the most dangerous in-air sports possible. According to HSE, a U.K.-based watchdog group, the risk of death in a hang-gliding accident is 1 out of every 116,000 flights. In 2010, according to the National Transportation Safety Bureau, there were 32 accidents, resulting in seven fatalities. There have already been seven deaths this year, with another three months to go. Regular hang gliders seeking life insurance can see their premiums rise substantially, or be declined for coverage altogether. But out of all the stupid insane stuff I do on a regular basis, this was the safest things I have actually done. Most of it was due to the fact that Rio Hang Gliding runs a efficient, safe program with excellent pilots. Let me explain how the process works: 1-Sign up on line for your party in advance for a lesson, and include people's height and weight. If you sign up on line ahead of time, you can pay by credit card. If you make last minute arrangements (within 48 hours) please be aware you have to book by phone and pay in cash. Also be aware prices are increased during Carnival, World Cup and New Years, and all operators do this so it's hard to shop around for a bargain. 2-I am not gonna start a controversy by posting the weight limit, but be aware there is one, and this is not the time to lie about your weight. Paragliding is open to those who are over the weight limit. 3-After you book your appointment, you can either have a driver pick you up or meet the owner, Konrad Heilmann (a great guy) at a location by the beach in Sao Conrado. 4-You will be directed to sign up for insurance at this small building on the beach. You pay 30 R$ and get this awesome hang gliding license.This is a separate charge from the fee you pay for the lesson, so have cash on you. 5-You drive up with your pilot to the Pedra Bonita launch. This is actually the scariest part of the day. Basically in Brasil drivers go at two speeds: traffic slow crawl and warp speed. Warp speed up a one lane road mountain road with no seatbelt is kinda terrifying. 6-You get harnessed up and you practice running about 8 or 10 steps with your left hand on their shoulders and your right hand at their waist. They keep emphasizing not to stop running, I don't know who would actually stop running, and I would run as far as you tell me to if my life depends on it. 7-In all actuality you run about three easy steps, and then you're just floating. 8-Enjoy the ride for about 15 minutes with a great view. The landing is a breeze too. Being in the safe hands of Rio Hang Gliding, I feel like the only dangers now are: 1) Sunburn 2) Potentially Empty Wallet

This is one of the best food tours I have ever done and I do one in every city I travel to that has…read morethat option. You will not be hungry. The wide range if food and the Rio history go together well. Save your appetite. You start in a food market and end the day with a full course meal. All I can say is: awesome.

We did this tour the day we arrived in Rio for the Olympics in August! It was a true highlight of…read moreour trip and the organizers could not have been more helpful! They even offered to store our bags for us while we went on the tour since we were coming straight from the airport. It's a great way to get an introduction to Brazil, its food, the city of Rio, and the culture! If you are lucky you will also have some other great folks on your tour with you that you will meet up with again later on in your trip! Cannot recommend this enough! Worth every penny!!

I went to Rocinha for the second time and decided to take a tour with Ailton. It is a great way to…read moreengage with locals, and get to know a bit about its history. I chose the Panoramico Tour but there are three types for you to choose from and pay online on the website. To get there you have a few options. You can take the subway, line 4 towards Jardim Oceanico and stop at the Sao Conrado/Rocinha station. Go on to exit A/Rocinha. Ailton met me there and the tour started right away. We had lunch at a restaurant in Rocinha as well that was very good. Simple good brazilian food :) definitely recommend taking the tours.