Before traveling to Brazil, I spent a lot of time researching tour companies, reading reviews, and…read moretrying to understand what kind of experience my wife and I wanted to have. After spending time in Rio and São Paulo from April 16th through April 29th with Rio4Fun and Guilherme, I can honestly say this became one of the best travel experiences we have ever had anywhere in the world. I know sometimes Google reviews can sound exaggerated, and I honestly wondered the same thing before booking. After this trip, I completely understand why people write such passionate reviews about Rio4Fun. If anything, I do not think words fully capture the level of care, personalization, and effort Guilherme puts into making sure people have an unforgettable experience in Brazil. My wife and I booked three private tours with Rio4Fun: the Rio City Tour, the Favela Tour, and the Food Tour. What made everything so special was that Guilherme never made us feel like customers being moved from stop to stop. From the first day we met him, it genuinely felt like we had a friend in Brazil who wanted us to experience the city the way he would want his own friends and family to experience it. We told Guilherme we were huge foodies and wanted to explore Rio through food, culture, and local experiences instead of just doing typical tourist activities. The Food Tour especially was incredible because it felt authentic and personal. He introduced us to places we never would have found on our own, and every recommendation felt thoughtful and intentional. Outside of the tours themselves, Guilherme helped us with so much more than we expected. We would casually ask questions about beaches, neighborhoods, shopping, restaurants, chocolate shops, nightlife, or places worth seeing, and he always had amazing recommendations ready for us. What impressed me most was that he actually listened to what we liked and tailored recommendations around our personalities and interests. One thing my wife absolutely loved was how flexible and relaxed the tours felt. Guilherme has incredible style and knowledge of local fashion and shopping spots, and anytime we walked past stores or boutiques that caught our attention, he happily adjusted the day and gave us time to explore. We never once felt rushed or pressured to stay on a strict schedule. Instead, the experience felt fully customized around us. Another thing that made this trip unforgettable was how much effort Guilherme put into helping us create memories. Everywhere we went, he offered to take photos for us using our own phones, which completely changed the experience. We never had to struggle with awkward selfies or ask strangers to take pictures. Somehow he knew camera settings on my brand-new iPhone that I did not even know existed, and every single picture came out incredible. I am also a huge soccer fan, and after learning that, Guilherme helped create an experience I will never forget. He helped us navigate ticket options and guided us through the process in a way that made everything easy and stress-free. The timing of our trip also ended up being perfect. Traveling through Rio and São Paulo from April 16th through April 29th gave us beautiful weather while avoiding overwhelming tourist crowds. Because things were less crowded, our experience with Guilherme felt even more personal and relaxed. By the end of the trip, we were not just sad to leave Brazil -- we were genuinely sad to say goodbye to Guilherme. I truly wish yelp allowed more than 5 stars because Rio4Fun deserves it. If you are planning a trip to Brazil and are debating whether or not to book with them, stop debating and do it. It will completely change your experience for the better.

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!

Bromelia Rio Travel and Tour are the best way to introduce yourself to Rio and fall in love with…read moreit. I was amazed by how each experience I had with Lauren and Val led me to want to do another tour with them. Each one I did was unique and amazing. First I decided to stay at Casa Bromelia. This B&B is ran by Lauren and Val. I found this option on their tour site. I stayed 3 nights and am positive I will return for more. Casa Bromelia is a block from Ipanema beach. You cannot beat this location. It has so much historical charm on the outside and the interior decor Lauren selected is beautiful! It has 3 bedrooms that could potential be booked. The beds are super comfortable and the sound proof windows make you forget the outdoor world is even there. Trust me this is bliss after long adventures all day in Rio. You share a bathroom with the other guests, but I often felt like it was my own. Never had issues waiting for it. Besides the amazing comfort of the rooms having Lauren and Val there to give advice on your stay made the trip. They could point you in the right direction for whatever you are in the mood for that day. You could join in on one of their tours, they will give you advice on restaurant to try, and the best beach stand to visit. Lauren and Val are so genuine and you can tell love Rio. They want you to love it too. I highly recommend staying at Casa Bromelia for your accommodation for your stay. Second, I did the Rainforest Hiking Tour to Dois Irmãos. The view for this is the best I have seen. Better then Christ or Sugar Loaf in my opinion. You can see a 360 view of Rio. I joined in last minute for this tour. I heard about it from a guest who was staying in a different room the afternoon before. Staying at Casa Bromelia made it easy for this last minute addition. A couple staying at a different location joined our group too. We met at Casa Bromelia and headed to the mountain. Val guided this tour and you can tell he has a love for the environment. He was picking up any little piece of trash as we hiked. I appreciate this gesture. In this tour we started at the bottom of the Vidigal Favela. We each took a separate motor bike taxi to get to the start of the hike at the top of the Favela. This was very safe and a great way to see the favela briefly. The hike was great for beginners. I am 35 years old and in average shape. There are some steep parts, but nothing you can't do. Val guided us at our pace and made sure we all were doing okay. The group talked the entire way up. Trust me the view is worth it!!! We walked down through the favela on the way back. It felt safe and interesting to see close up. Third, I did the Back Street Samba Party Excursion. I scheduled this in advance when I booked the place. Lauren guided this tour and you can tell she truly enjoys Samba and the spirit it brings to the Rio culture. I did it with one other guest (31 years old) staying at Casa Bromelia and an older couple (70 years old) staying at a different location. The ages didn't matter. We all had such a fantastic time together. There is no way you can't in this particular tour. First, we all met at Casa Bromelia at 6pm and learned how to make a Caprinhina! We also had one too! Then we headed to the central part of Rio to a back street Samba gathering. The location was amazing to see. Something I would never have found on my own in Rio. We listened to music, drank a few more Caprinhinas, ate espichinos (meat on a stick) and danced the night away!! Lauren's enthusiasm for this amazing tour really made us all fall in love with Rio and Samba. If I had more time I would have loved to do the cooking class tour, which Lauren doesn't run, but sets up for you or the City Walking Tour that Lauren does. Oh .... or the Photography Tour. The photos taken look amazing and how often do you have a beautiful background like Rio to do a personal photo shoot in. Lauren sets this up for you as well. I have officially fallen in love with Rio AND Bromelia Rio Travel and Tour! I will be back!!

Best Local Experience! I would not have found any of the information I received nor experienced any…read moreof the authentic moments I had without the help of Bromelia Rio Travel. And best of all, you made me feel prepared for my trip even before I arrived! Always available to answer my questions, offer suggestions and get me excited for my Rio holiday. Highly Recommended.

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.

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!

Upon our arrival it was not bad, we got our luggage within a reasonable time after landing. Getting…read morean uber was easy u head outside to the designated area. On our way out it was easy as well, security was nice & quick we had a nice amount of time & were able to go to the Plaza premium lounge, nice looking lounge. If u don't have lounge access no problem there are a lot of places available for food, drinks & shopping enough to keep u occupied. My only complain for this airport would be if it were a bit more organized, there was a lot of people & seemed like it was not as clear to view flight info on the monitors. For such a big airport overall it was as easy as u can expect, no crazy delays & plenty of options to help u pass the time.

The terminal and gate that we were at were aged looking, but the seats did have a/c plugs and USBs…read morecharging ports. The restrooms were clean and food is priced much more reasonable than IAH Houston.

I took two great tours with Be A Local when I was visiting Rio. I found the agency through Green…read moreToad Tours, which works with Be A Local to provide Rio sightseeing. Both of my tours were in January 2019. First I joined the Complete Rio City Tour, which lasted about 7 hours and included visits to: - Christ the Redeemer - Santa Teresa - Steps - Municipal Cathedral - Sugarloaf Mountain and Cable car Everything was included except water and snacks. Fernando was our guide, and he did a great job with an informative and humorous commentary. Aside from as few sexist remarks, it was very well done. Just please stop talking about women's "purity" Fernando, that's a sexist social construction. Two days later, I took the Favela Tour, which lasted about 5 hours. The tour visits the Rocinha Favela and includes: - Art gallery - Short "samba" drumming and kids dancing - Bakery - Artisan jewellery stand - Community Centre Tipping and purchases are not included. While it felt oddly voyeuristic to visit a favela, and was the closes to dark tourism I've ever been, I am glad I went. It was raining a bit but this wasn't a problem. If anything, it made the weather more bearable. I happened to have Fernando again and he was on the spot with a lot of his insightful political commentary. Only problem was that he only talked about men in the favelas. We had to ask about women's quality of life to get Fernando to include info about women. That's something the company should work into its script. Altogether these tours helped me get to know Rio. I'm glad I took them, and would recommend them. They were a fair value for the price and Fernando was quite a pleasant guide. Happy travels!

While in brasil, I found this great company for day trips…read more I did the citytour (5hrs) and favela trip. The citytour involved seeing the major highlights of rio in one day and the favela tour was a walk down the hill in one of the favela. What I liked: - small group (we were with 3 on citytrip and 5 on favela trip) - even though rio is not a safe city, I felt save at all time with our guide - the company does tours but also supports the local community - good price quality - focus on the young at heart (as tours involve some exercise in walking) - knowledgeable guides - pick up and drop off at hostel reception

I used Rio Adventures to go paragliding from Pedra Bonita out over Sao Conrado and Rio de Janeiro…read more The guides were wonderful and both bilingual in Portuguese and English. Can definitely say that it was the most fun and beautiful way to see Rio, and I say that having been up to the top of Dois Irmaos and Cristo. My girlfriend and I went in July, and though it was the winter, the tickets were still pretty expensive, R$450. But the trip was worth every penny. My guide was right in saying that people who are afraid of heights (like I am) have the most fun on the trip. Highly recommend doing this and working with Rio Adventures. They also include a video and about 120 photos from your trip on a memory card immediately after the trip. We had a great experience! Though be careful that you get connected with the right people once you arrive at the beach in Sao Conrado. There are TONS of people working for different companies who will assume that you're going up with them once you arrive. Also, there is a bus stop nearby, so you don't necessarily have to pay for a cab to get to/from the beach.

I have worked with Italcambio since I moved to the USA in 1987. I find them courteous,…read moreprofessional, and trustworthy. Mr. Luciano is a gem, and I love to chat with him about Italy every time I travel to Rio.