I go to Brazil often on business. It can sometimes be difficult to get around especially if your…read morePortuguese is terrible like mine. I finally found Rio Cultural Secrets in Rio to help guide clients through the city going to and from appointments for business and also to squeeze in some fun. Alan and his partner Fabio were fantastic. They were prompt, professional and really knew the city. We always felt safe, as they always appeared exactly when we needed them. In addition, as we went to our business meetings, they told us about the city, it's history and people. A special highlight was to visit favela Vidigal near Rio. It was a special honor to visit there and see the talent of the street artists, and meet the people little bars and snack shops. We went to Helena's bar and thrift store. She made us a nice drink and visited with us. It was a lovely place curated with found objects which she cleverly decorates and uses through her decor. Go there- so wonderful. We can't thank them enough and will always call Rio Cultural Secrets for every trip to Rio and look forward to seeing Alan and Fabio soon!

From the owner: Rio Cultural Secrets - Tour Privativo no Rio de Janeiro Que tal acordar em seu hotel, tomar seu…read morecafé da manhã e encontrar seu guia privativo pronto para lhe mostrar tudo o que o Rio de Janeiro tem a oferecer em um inesquecível Tour?A Rio Cultural Secrets nasceu com o objetivo de oferecer Tours alternativos na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Temos a motivação de mostrar a Cidade Maravilhosa de uma maneira descontraída e informativa. Queremos mostrar locais incomuns até mesmo para os cariocas, seja em um Favela Tour, um passeio pelo Centro Histórico, ou atravessando a ponte rumo à Niterói, como também descobrindo os Segredos de Petrópolis, a Cidade Imperial.

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!

Didn't want to take one of those bus tours that treat you like cattle when visiting Rio de Janeiro…read more Expensive and you spend alot of your time sitting on the bus picking up and dropping off other tour guests at all the different hotels. Instead we booked toursbylocals.com - and found the best English speaking tour guide Michael Serruya. You can book before you leave and it is a reputable agency. Michael gave us a personalized tour of Rio for 8 hour which included all the major attractions and more, and booked a 4 hour tour for the following day to see the beaches, favelas, Santa Teresa, and downtown at a very resonable rate. I highly recommend Michael for a personal, friendly, insightlful introduction to Rio. He was prompt, reliable, dependable, knowledgable, friendly and an all round great guide!

Fully agree with Cynthia H. Toursbylocals.com is the best way to go. Our guide Michael Serruya…read morespoke English and was very prompt, courteous, professional, knowledgable and very personable. From the moment we touched down in Rio, he was right there . He met us at the airport ready to show us his town. We covered all the main attractions, Corcovado,Sugarloaf, all the beaches Leblon, ipanema and Copacabana , downtown and even ventured into some Favellas. Cannot say enough about the personal touch having a local person one on one to tour a totally unknown territory. No worries about safety or language dilemma . He booked shows and gave us very valuable tips to help navigate our way through an amazing City/place. Our vacation in Rio , was made that much more magical and memorable with the assistance of Mr. Michael Serruya and toursbylocal.com. Would definitely recommend them and our guide Michael Serruya!

We had an amazing experience with Manu. It was a two-day tour (on non-consecutive days), and we saw…read morealmost everything Rio has to offer: Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain, Santa Teresa, the favelas, the Selarón Steps, the old town, Tijuca National Park, Ipanema and Leblon, and much more. Each tour lasted nearly nine hours, yet the time flew by. Manu arranged a private car and was fully at our disposal throughout the tours.

Manu is a an amazing guide!! We had a wonderful experience in Rio seeing sights on and off the…read morebeaten path. He is entertaining, knowledgeable and fun and knows where to get the best food!