Rio de Janeiro - Jeep Tour Favela da Rocinha

We took a Jeep excursion to the Rocinha favela in Rio de Janeiro. The guide Mario was excellent, both in his treatment and all the explanations. The best guide from many of the trips I have taken. Totally recommended.

This excursion with Juan Emilio and Georges the driver was very pleasant, very good explanation, guide very attentive and smiling, very good time and day spent in his company. I highly recommend both!

A very punctual pickup from the hotel. Very friendly tour guide. I've been coming to Rio de Janeiro since 2003 because I'm married here but it was the first time I was in a favela. But the restaurant with the terrace is almost exclusively aimed at tourists and has a souvenir shop that is more expensive than on the Copacabana.... Would I recommend the tour, yes you can absolutely do it! The tour guide was really friendly and speaks very good English!

I came to Rio on a solo trip for my 30th birthday and booked this tour through my hotel with no idea what to expect. I just knew I wanted to experience both the Favela and the Tijuca Forest, and this tour exceeded anything I could have hoped for. From the moment Ana Daxbacher (our guide) and Maxwell (our driver) picked me up, I felt welcomed and safe. Ana is incredibly knowledgeable, passionate, and clearly proud of her home. She’s fluent in multiple languages and effortlessly navigated English, French, and another language I couldn’t quite place—making sure everyone in our small group felt included and understood. There were about 8 or 9 of us total, which made the experience feel personal and well-paced. Ana shared rich historical context and brought the city’s transformation to life using photos from the past and present. Her deep respect for the Favela and the community of Rocinha stood out the most. She was intentional about preparing us to visit with awareness and respect, shifting our focus to the vibrant art, music, and community spirit rather than viewing it through a lens of poverty. That really mattered to me. You could also tell how connected she is to the people—especially the children—which added a level of authenticity and warmth to the experience. In Rocinha, we had time to enjoy live music, grab some local food and souvenirs, and take in the amazing street art (all created by community members). The walking is moderate with a few hills, but Ana made sure we moved comfortably. Our second stop was Tijuca Forest. Though it was technically winter in July, Ana and Max made sure we experienced as much as possible before it got dark. Ana’s love for nature was just as clear—she could identify trees, plants, and wildlife effortlessly, turning the forest into a living classroom. We even got to visit a beautiful waterfall where she kindly offered to take photos for everyone. Max, while not very fluent in English, was a wonderful and attentive driver, especially as the sun set and the air cooled. Riding in the Jeep (which has no windows or doors) was part of the adventure, but I’d recommend bringing a light jacket just in case—it can get chilly toward the end of the day. If you enjoy culture, nature, and learning from someone who truly loves where they’re from, this is the tour for you. Ana and Max made it an experience I’ll never forget. Highly recommend!

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Tour booked through concierge with Lila for tour of favela and tijuca rainforest. Cannot thank Lila and driver enough was an absolutely fantastic tour. Seriously their knowledge and fun we had on the trails was a brilliant day. If you go please try and book with Lila she really did make the most of our journey on the tour! Thanks again 🙌

We did two tours with this company and the second one we did the favela tour and we enjoyed it very much. The tour guide Bela and the driver Wallace were very nice during the whole trip. Bela was very knowledgable and attentive towards us to be safe and enjoy every part of the tour. Would definitely recommend doing this tour.

Very disappointing experience. The favela tour resembled a human zoo. We have not received any information about the favela from the guide. The guide was bored and had a very vulgar expression. He was in no way respectful. We are shocked. In addition, unfortunately, he openly admitted that no money from our ticket prices goes for the benefit of the favela residents. What an exploitation of the favela inhabitants and tourists at the same time. Avoid this tour provider by all means.

Our guide was a great guy, but we found the tour distinctly average with little to no explanation of the favela and more like a stroll through the streets, popping into a number of supermarkets. There was also an internal issue with Jeeptour which meant we spent an hour waiting for an additional 4 tourists, which was quite a waste of time.

We visited the favela with Juan Emilio and the driver Marcuel. We highly recommend! Juan Emilio is full of energy, he shares a lot of anecdotes about life in the favela and beyond, in Rio. We were marked by this city within the city. Thank you also for letting us taste the acai sorbet, it’s delicious! Good luck Juan Emilio, and maybe see you soon in Cuba 🌴 Nicolas&Marie

A visit to the poorer part of Rio brings home how people struggle to live. Very narrow steep stepped access to very small living spaces. Lots of inivitive ways of getting around the narrow streets. I'm glad we did it.