We had an incredibly positive experience with Berkana Travel. The guides were knowledgeable,…read moreprofessional, dependable, with wonderful personalities. The accommodations that were arranged for us were first class in every way. We had wonderful experiences in both Rio and and Iguassu Falls. The ease of it all from airport transfers to tours was flawless. Obrigada for an amazing experience.

Clara was our guide she was amazing knowledgeable funny and helpful. My husband and I both really…read moreenjoyed this we had done other tours in the area that were not nearly as good. I would highly recommend this tour!

This is my first free walking tour and it was awesome!! Ive heard wonderful thing about the free…read morewalking tours all over the world. RIO had a free Olympic Blvd & African Heritage walking tour at 3pm meet up at the Historical Clock. I learned so much in 2.5hrs of time walking Brazil. The tour guide was on time, knowledgeable and gave us info about each stop listed below from there website. I will indeed use them again thru out the world. Make sure you tip whatever you want at the end of the tour! It was indeed worth my time to learn more about some the heritage of AAM in RIO. XV Square: The most important square of Rio de Janeiro is the first attraction of the tour. In the XV Square is located the Imperial Palace, where the Royal Portuguese family habited 1808 after moving from Portugal to Rio de Janeiro. Candelária Church: One of the most important and beautiful churches of the city. Construction of Candelária church started already in the beginning of the 1600's and continued for over 200 year before the official inauguration. Olympic Boulevard: Total length of the Olympic Boulevard is 3,5km, and we will be covering approximately a half of it. This area of the city was completely renovated for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and offers beautiful views of the Guanabara Bay. Mauá Square: This square is a mixture of history and modernity. Here we'll find the Museum of Tomorrow and the Museum of Art. Mauá Square used to be an amphitheater for several historical moments in Rio de Janeiro. Today it's a popular spot for locals to have a stroll, but it also hosts different cultural events especially during weekends. Pedra do Sal: A small street square in the heart of "Little Africa". This place is said to be the birthplace of samba! Part of the historical patrimony of the city, Pedra de Sal also hosts a traditional "roda de samba" every Monday night! Valongo Wharf: Official UNESCO World Heritage site since 2017. Valongo Wharf is the largest port receiving African slave ships in the world. The wharf was covered with land in the beginning of the 20th century, and re-discovered in 2011 during the renovation project of Rio's Docks zone. Graffitis on the Olympic Boulevard: Largest graffiti of the world made by one artist is located in the Olympic Boulevard! A mural made by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra was a project for Rio 2016 Olympic Games. It covers a wall of 3000 square meters! I gots some really cool pics while on the journey of exploring!

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!

Condor Travel is the company hired by our travel agent, Captivating Journeys based out of Wailuku,…read moreHI for a 15-day, private tour of Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Lima. RIO DE JANEIRO: One of Condor's reps met us at the airport and got us situated for transport to the Miramar Windsor hotel on Copacabana Beach about 30 minutes away. The next day Renata was our guide. She was friendly, patient, spoke English well and taught us a new panoramic trick with our phones! We took in Christ The Redeemer where there was no waiting in line for the train thanks to pre-purchased tickets, then stopped off at the Metropolitan Cathedral, Escadaria Selarón (steps), Sambodrome and Mário Filho stadium. Lunch was at Churrascaria Carretão (see separate review). Sugarloaf was last on the agenda where she left us because we wanted to watch sunset from there. She was nice enough to drop off our belongings we left in the car back to our hotel. On departure day, no Condor rep escorted us, just an unknown woman who dressed like a business executive but helped us with our bags like an airport porter in heels! TIPS: Definitely use Uber in Rio. Cars were plentiful and fares were cheap! Try not to use your credit cards as mine got compromised early on.

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!

Ack! My first Brasilian review! I suppose there's no better place to start than at the beginning…read more Unless you live in the country, odds are you're going to be flying into Rio. And, if you're flying into Rio, you're going to need someone to pick you up and show you around. And, if you need that person, that person is Eraldo. After one of the more harrowing flights of my life and frustrating arrivals, I was dizzy and disoriented. I just wanted to get to my apartment and get acclimated to where I was. Prior to coming to Rio, I'd arranged a car service thanks to my apartment hosts. I sent over my arrival time, airline, etc. and as soon as I walked out of the baggage area, Eraldo was there with a sign and we were off. Not only does he have a comfortable van in which to relax and spread out, he speaks fantastic English, has suggestions about where to visit, is extremely knowledgeable about the city and things to do that are touristy and more locally-inspired, and, best of all, is just really nice. The drive in to Ipanema from the airport is rather long and during it all, Eraldo pointed out things for me to photograph and was able to speak on a wide variety of subjects. More than just a shuttle to and from the airport, he offers tour services and thanks to the sneak peek I received to/from the airport, I have no doubt he excels in that area. While email (edomello@hotmail.com) is bit better than phone to set things up, Eraldo was always available, prompt and helpful. Without a doubt, I'll be using his services upon my next trip to Rio and I suggest that you do the same. Cash is king.

The Free Walker gastro tour takes you through three restaurants, one that has roots in native…read moreingredients from the north of Brazil, and the others with African roots. Our guide, Fernanda, was well informed and simpatico, and her choices fantastic. We learned a lot, and enjoyed the food tremendously. Fernanda is sensitive to her guests' interests and in our case selected some pretty out-there dishes. Highly recommend. (This tour isn't one of the free tours, but given the in-person guide and the free food and (limited) drink, well worth the money.)

Lucas was our walker guide. He told us so much about the history of Brazil and the royalty. Very…read moreinteresting and informative. We to to see the oldest bakery in Rio, the Teatro Munical, the Library,

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