15 Best Rio de Janeiro Tours & Experiences 2019

Claudio Rocks

It was great to have a "friend in Rio" for my short weekend there. Claudio planned a full day for us to tour the best of Rio and we had a blast. He is very knowledgeable and shared some details and history for most of our stops. All in all, it was just fun to pal around with someone on my solo trip. Claudio is personable, smart, and super easy to get along with. I highly recommend booking a tour with him if you're in Rio.

Reviewed by Jesse • February 13, 2019

Full-Day Tailored Tour of Rio de Janeiro

Amazing Tour in Rio

Claudio was absolutely incredible! We managed to make the most out of our short trip to Rio and he suggested several places to visit on our following place. On top of visiting all the tourist sights we managed to get the local feel by following his suggestions. I would totally reccommend him :)

Reviewed by Marta • November 28, 2017

Full-Day Tailored Tour of Rio de Janeiro

Great guide, great trip!

Claudio was a great guide! We went to see some of the must-see landmarks as well as some places known only to locals. Lots of info, lots of tips for your entire stay in Rio. And he's a great guy to hang out with! Highly recommended!

Reviewed by Michał • July 14, 2018

Full-Day Tailored Tour of Rio de Janeiro

M

Amazing family holiday in Rio!

We had an amazing family holiday in Rio - and much of the credit for this experience was down to Claudio!!!

I booked Claudio for 2 full days (day 1 and day 5 of a week long holiday in Rio). My choice was largely based on the smiley picture. I have to say that my choice was absolutely 'spot on' (luck or judgment...???)

Claudio was very knowledgeable, put together a great itinerary for both days, including a Brazilian Musical concert on day 1, which was fab) and engaged really well with all four members of our group (myself, my wife, daughter and daughter's boyfriend). He was really nice, not over bearing – so struck just the right balance.

Claudio and I were in constant communication in the week leading up to our arrival, which again helped me enormously to plan the holiday. He made us feel really welcome, we learned lots of new things about Rio and Brazil generally and we were all really sad when we said our goodbyes to Claudio.

Rio is a fantastic city and Claudio is truly RIO's NUMBER ONE TOUR GUIDE – hopefully someone we will keep in touch with in future. I can wholeheartedly recommend Claudio.

Reviewed by Mike A / Rent A Local Friend • July 18, 2017

Full-Day Tailored Tour of Rio de Janeiro

K

Great tour!

We got in contact with Claudio a few days before our trip to Rio. He was really caring to organize the perfect tour for us and asked us about what we would like to see and what our interests were. We met up directly at our hotel and spent a great day walking around Santa Teresa and downtown Rio with Claudio. Thanks to him we had the chance to discover a lot about the city: amazing point of view, walk in charming places and streets, meal in a typical local restaurant and great local bar to have a cold beer in the evening! We have been experiencing the local life in a way we couldn't have done without Claudio. In addition to be a very welcoming and kind person, he is a true Carioca with so much knowledge about the city, its culture and its history, which made the tour even more pleasant. Thanks again Claudio for sharing your passion for your city with us, we had a great day!

Kevin & Maeva

Reviewed by Kevin • August 01, 2017

Full-Day Tailored Tour of Rio de Janeiro

P

Thanks a million, Claudio!

We spend a really great day with Claudio in Rio! Started mailing each other a few month before our visit, and came to an interesting program for our day to spend. Kept contact via WhatsApp whilst in Brazil before, to set the last details. Claudio is very responsive and accurate; bought some tickets in advance we couldn’t order from home, and he was also very flexible during our trip, fitting in a few extra’s that aren’t in any guide. We enjoyed our walks, had a great lunch, and made a dinner appointment for the evening because we couldn’t get enough of Claudio’s interesting and enthusiast stories. Loved Rio, but Claudio especially made it an unforgettable experience for the both of us. After Rio we moved on to Buzios and experienced some trouble which Claudio solved smoothly for us. Also got a lot of tips and advices before and after Rio which were really great.

Reviewed by Paul & Timon / Rent A Local Friend • July 18, 2017

Full-Day Tailored Tour of Rio de Janeiro

A

Amazing Day in the Tijuca Forest!

I had booked the 8 hour Tijuca Adventure Circuit tour which is classified with a difficulty level of "hard". Maybe due to this I was the only one on the tour and therefore scored a private tour just for me. I've had an absolutely amazing day, learning a lot about the political history of Brazil from the colonialization until now, as well as about plants and wild life. The tour took us off the beaten track along lesser known trails. For most of the day we didn't see many other hikers. We've climbed a peak with views to the western parts of Rio, saw several waterfalls and a huge cave. My guide who is also the founder of Jungle Me was incredibly wonderful. I can only highly recommend this experience to anyone into long hikes, nature and great conversation!

Reviewed by Aniya O / TripAdvisor • January 03, 2017

Advanced Rainforest Hike in Rio’s Tijuca National Park

R

Beautiful and quiet hike in Rio's forest

The experience with JungleMe was excellent, from the nice e-mail with the last details to the quiet uncrowded forest path the experience was great. I was lucky enough to be alone on the tour with two! guides who shared their experience of the forest, historical heritage, geography of Rio and Brasil, as well as an unexcted but very interesting political lesson. The tour is a must-do in Rio for these reasons, it is a great first approach to the country from all sides for a first time ini Brasil/Rio as well as for a experienced traveller who would like to discover the nature in between the streets of Rio. Thanks again for the tour!

Reviewed by Romain / TripAdvisor • January 11, 2019

Advanced Rainforest Hike in Rio’s Tijuca National Park

E

Tijuca Forest History Lesson and Hike

My wife and I took the Tijuca Forest Half Day Hike with Thiago who goes by “Tito.” Probably one of the best tours I have ever taken. Highly recommend it if you are visiting Rio de Janeiro. I was expecting a routine hike through the rain forest, but it was so much more. Tito took the time to review the Brazilian History and how it tied into the current rain forest which made the trip extraordinarily unique. It gave much more meaning to the rain forest hike. Along the way Tito helped to bring meaning to various sites along the trail and there place in history. Great experience! Thoroughly enjoyed my day!

Reviewed by Eric E / TripAdvisor • March 25, 2018

Easy Rainforest Hike in Rio’s Tijuca National Park

E

Fantastic tour run by passionate and knowledgeable team!

We went on the tour after arriving in Rio and wanting to learn more about Brazilian food and culture. The process of booking was extremely easy and the team were on hand to answer and questions we had.

We loved every second of the tour as it showed a side of Rio that you would not see without the team’s help. During the tour we sampled a huge variety of traditional Brazilian food and the team explained the significance and history behind each within the Brazilian culture.

Highly recommend to anyone coming to Rio, you will not leave either disappointed or hungry!

Reviewed by Emily D / TripAdvisor • January 09, 2019

Foodie Tour of Rio de Janeiro

M

Tijuca Adventure Circuit (Hidden Trails)

The tour - Tijuca Adventure Circuit (Hidden Trails) was wonderful. The tour was confirmed the evening before and Tito, the guide, picked us at the hotel on time. Tito was excellent. He was so kind and he gave us lot of information about history of Brazil, about Tijuca forest and about Brazil in general. We had so much fun, we had shower in a waterfall and we hiked up to Taquara hill which was one of the most beautiful viewpoint I have ever seen. This was truly unbelievable experience to me so I definitely recommend this tour and Jungle me!

Reviewed by Michaela / TripAdvisor • December 17, 2018

Advanced Rainforest Hike in Rio’s Tijuca National Park

M

Great experience!

Before going to Rio, we heard lots of bad stories, people were telling us how dangerous is there and how careful we should be. Meeting Claudio on the first day being there completely changed our feelings!!! It was great, safe and beautiful!!! He showed us places we probably wouldn’t go on our own, he made it interesting and super tasty (taking us to a known restaurant).

So, don’t think, don’t worry, go to Rio and enjoy 😉

Reviewed by Marta • January 19, 2019

Full-Day Tailored Tour of Rio de Janeiro

S

Highly revommended !!!

We did the 8 hour tour with Claudio upon arrival in the city. Claudio gave us a very good feeling, feeling almost as meeting up a new friend.
He is a very down to earth guy, who really enjoys showing his city to visitors.
And we saw and visited a lot !!
For the second day, he gave us recommendations.
We highly recommend to do the tour with this friend in Rio.
Molto obrigado Claudio !!!

Reviewed by Silvia • February 06, 2019

Full-Day Tailored Tour of Rio de Janeiro

J

Best Food Tour I Have Done

Brilliant tour – well planned, well guided, relaxed, excellent guide and very well organised. This is a real insight into Brazilian food and culture and you only scratch the surface – could do another one and still enjoy it. Also, Eat Rio provide exceptional advice on Rio, places to go, where to eat and how to get there – and an excellent summary of what you saw on the tour.

Reviewed by JimmyPops / TripAdvisor • December 03, 2018

Foodie Tour of Rio de Janeiro

E

A great day!

I had the chance at short notice to spend a weekend in Rio but didn’t know where to go. Through likealocal I found Claudio. He helped me plan the day in advance and then met at my hotel on Saturday morning. I had a really good day, we saw all the top sights and also some areas I never would have known about - plus a great spot for lunch. I’d highly recommend it!

Reviewed by Emma • July 16, 2018

Full-Day Tailored Tour of Rio de Janeiro

D

Absolutely a must for everyone interested in great food, local surprises and a great time!

The Eat Rio Tour is a must for all of you interested in tasting really great food, get to know Rio from an insiders perspective and for you looking for a great time around some of the best parts of Rio. Add to this a sightseeing tour that takes you to several of the more famous sights in Rio and you are in for a stunning 5-6 hours. So recommended!

Reviewed by DonAdamo / TripAdvisor • December 27, 2018

Foodie Tour of Rio de Janeiro

L

Claudio is fantastic!!!

We recently spent two days with Claudio in Rio and had a great experience. We wanted to make sure we saw the major tourist highlights but also got a local feel for the area. Claudio made sure that we got both experiences, and we thoroughly enjoyed the two days we spent exploring Rio with him. Highly recommended local tour guide, he is great!!!

Reviewed by Leigh • January 29, 2019

Full-Day Tailored Tour of Rio de Janeiro

S

Great family activity for all ages!

Tito did a fantastic job showing us the jungle, but also educating us on the history of the land and how that was relevant today. His English was very good and he was flexible and accommodating which allowed for the trip to be enjoyable for all of us, including my parents who are in their 80's. Highly recommend this trip!

Reviewed by Scott G / TripAdvisor • December 18, 2018

Easy Rainforest Hike in Rio’s Tijuca National Park

J

Very Nice !

We had a very good time hiking in the rainforest of Tijuca with Thiago ! I recommend the family hike if you are a beginner. The guide was very nice and we learned a lot of this about the rainforest but also about Rio in general. Open wide your eyes and you might even see a sloth !

Reviewed by Jonathan G / TripAdvisor • July 18, 2018

Easy Rainforest Hike in Rio’s Tijuca National Park

E

Balanced tour and pleasant companion

Although, I had vague ideas where I wanted to go on my last day in Rio, Claudio was very spontaneous, showing me additional locations along the way. He seemed knowledgeable and I had a good sampling of few different neighborhoods in the city.

Reviewed by Eva • October 08, 2018

Full-Day Tailored Tour of Rio de Janeiro