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Rio Top Tour
This tour is a fantastic way to hit two birds (or five!) with one stone, plus it´s great value!
Run by two lovely cariocas (bred and raised here in Copacabana itself) Orlando and Rodrigo, they take you around for a fun day in their VolksWagen Combi van with great tunes, the nicest atmosphere and all of RJ´s MUST-SEE destinations. The best thing is that you see a lot, but it´s informative, well-paced and chilled-out, and you don´t feel at all rushed even though you end up seeing so much!
This is a great, hassle-free way to get the things done that must be seen in RJ (known as 'Cidade Maravilhosa' or 'Marvlous City') without having to worry about the normal how to get there, what bus to catch, how not to get ripped off, organising entry etc. etc.! AND it works out cheaper, and more importantly EASIER!, by the time you pay the entries separately, and organise transport to each destination.
LAPA
A historical neighbourhood full of Samba music & dance history, the tour takes you past some important spots of this downtown quarter, before stopping at the mosaic-tiled street/ steps work-in-progress by eccentric Chilean artist, Jorge Selarón. Made even more famous by the popular video clip of Snoop Dogg & Pharrell, Beautiful, you can meet the artist on the steps, check out his studio, and even buy some of his work. Try and find the tile/s from your country!
CHRIST THE REDEEMER
What´s there to say? 30 metres (98 ft) wide, 38 metres (120 ft) tall, weighing 635 tons at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city – and he´s opening his arms out to welcome you. It´s Christ of course!
A lovely ride up through the forest and then AMAZING 360° VIEWS OF THE ENTIRE CITY.
SANTA TERESA
The tour takes you for a drive up this originally upper-class quarter of the city. Worlds now collide in this hip, artistic neighbourhood full of art studios, bars and restaurants: old, colonial mansions overlook favela communities replete with amazing views over RJ. Look out for the excellent urban street art & graffiti that line the walls on the ride up.
SUGAR LOAF
The boys walk you up on a forest trail up to the first point of Sugar Loaf where you can put your feet up and enjoy the views on the huge outdoor lounge chairs. Then you take the cable car up to the peak - rising 396 metres (1,299 ft) above sea-level, a natural wonder of granite and quartz, not much more here to explain!
PALMEIRAS
A lovely nature spot set atop the valley of the gigantic Tijuca Forest National Park affording a great view of Christ the Redeemer.
Funki Party with Fabio
Funki is a type of dance music from Rio de Janeiro – also known as Funk Carioca, Rio Funk, Favela Funk, and Baile Funk.
It is a genre of electronic/ street-dance music that mixes Brazilian hand & electronic drumming, drum machines and samplers, various vocal snippets, melodies and changing beats making amazing rhythms to which only Brazilian hips, & nimble foot-work, can keep up to!
Funki not only refers to the music, but to the actual favela environs in which it is played.
The funki party that Casa Carioka goes to is a big street party near the top of one of Rio´s northern favelas. There are DJs playing in two distinct dance spaces teeming with drink and food stalls all around, mixing up their creative rhythms. The energy is electric as the party packs out with the fast beats (& even faster hips!) blaring through the ENORMOUS speakers stacked daringly to the sky.
Watch out for the dance moves! Brazilians can certainly dance – men, women, boys and girls, everyone has something to offer in their competitive & creative dance-offs. From Samba to break-dancing, the foot-work is fast, the hips really do gyrate, & boy do they shake their asses!
Bob's Jazz Party at The Maze
Should you have the very good fortune of being in RJ on the first Friday of the month, this is a party that absolutely cannot be missed! And we´d even go as far as saying that if you´re in RJ the days nearing this important monthly event, EXTEND your stay – you don´t know RJ until you´ve been to this party!
It´ll give you a very good idea of just how extensive RJ´s nightlife is – how rich and varied are the places on offer, and the amazing, open and interesting people this fair city attracts because of its cultural and historical richness.
English ex-pat Bob Nadkarni has, over a number of years, built this stunning work-in-progress studio home – a labyrinth, an art gallery, a family dwelling, a performance space... Atop Tavares Bastos, his home hides in one of the few favelas in RJ that has escaped the rule of drug lords in recent years despite remaining a humble and modest (albeit happier!) community.
Eccentric, interesting, and with 1001 stories to tell from his adventures and experiences the world over, Bob hosts this lovely gathering with some excellent jazz musician friends of his, providing fantastic music to the stunning backdrops of RJ – views that are enjoyed from the various vantage points while chilling out with a caipirinha, dancing with a beer, or simply chatting to your friendly neighbour. This is the kind-of party where you can chat to anyone and everyone – people from all walks of life come to this party to meet and be met.
Meet, converse, dance, watch, drink, look, eat, explore, get lost – enjoy, it´s The Maze!
Boat Party
Organised by two clever, young & hip Cariocas, this boat party is a sure-fire way to party on Rio-style: dancing & drinking to fun rhythms while taking in spectacular views of the city's best scenery - sea, mountains, and a starry sky.
Boarding starts at 22h59, & during this one hour at the dock enjoy Brazil's finest fruit & nut platters to snack on while sipping on the Happy Hour 2 for 1 specials: caipirinha, what else?! :-)
The DJ spins a mix of rhythms from popular house and dance tracks to 60s classics, all to get you teeming onto the two dance floors - a big, centre podium or up the winding staircase to the upstairs dance space.
The boat sets off at midnight, making strategic stops on the water during the party ride. A fun, international backpacker crowd enjoys the best views only offered from the water - stopping under the spectacular Rio-Niterói bridge, passing by Botafogo playa, and what is Rio de Janeiro without Christ the Redeemer, or Sugarloaf...
Another fabulous Carioca party that will give you a great taste of Rio's fantastic nightlife!
Maracanã Football Stadium
Government-owned Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, better known as Maracanã Stadium, is the largest stadium in South America and claims the biggest attendance in history for a football game: 200, 000 people for the event that it was originally built for – the 1950 FIFA World Cup. It is the home of the Brazilian national team and hosts all the biggest matches between local Carioca clubs including Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco da Gama. It was reduced to an all-seater in the 1990s, with a current capacity of 90,000 spectators.
It hosts huge concerts and other sporting events, already having seen the likes of Pope John Paul II, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, Sting, Frank Sinatra, Prince, George Michael, INXS and Guns N´ Roses to name a few.
No one takes soccer or futebol quite as seriously as the Brazilians do, and watching a League match is a must for any fan of world-class soccer, and indeed an experience for anyone who is yet to witness a major soccer game – if you´re ever going to watch a football match in your life, it should at least be done where it´s done best! The energy is electric and the energy vibrant: locals make a show capable of outdoing even the world-class soccer played on field - decked out in their team´s soccer jersey, flags and out-of-this-world paraphernalia, supporters zealously yell, cheer, and even cry to the shoots, passes, glories, triumphs, upsets, wins and losses of their beloved team.
It is due to host the World Cup Final in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, becoming the second stadium to host soccer’s most important match twice after Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca.
Please ask at the Casa Carioka Rio Hostel reception for more specific details and to book your tours.
Favela Tour
The community or favela of Rocinha is the largest in South America. Although considered one of the most densely populated and urbanized communities in RJ, it is actually impossible to carry out any kind of census – as such, population estimates are dizzyingly disparate running anywhere between 55,000 and 200,000. It sits on the steep backside of Ipanema Beach’s picturesque mountain peaks, Two Brothers or Dois Irmaõs, just 20 minutes drive from Casa CarioKa.
The Tour
Upon arrival at Rocinha you are taken to the top of the community on a motor bike. It is from here that the sheer size and scale of Rocinha is made apparent. The tour takes you through the main street of Rocinha – a micro-commercial zone and the main hub of locals, replete with a post office, banks and general shopping with all the usual goods and wares found in a city.
Accompanied by the tour guide, the descent on foot to the bottom of the community gives you a glimpse quite unlike this commercial district – it is here that you are allowed a real insight into the life of its people, witnessing first-hand the living conditions, and the resourcefulness and survival skills of these people to tackle the many problems of their situation. Basic conditions such as sanitation, standard of dwelling and access to electricity can be greatly affected by the location on a steep morro or mountain.
Be A Local also hopes to show you the reality of Rocinha’s residents despite the fear and preconceptions that arise from communities affected by drugs and violence. The reality for the majority of the locals is that they are hardworking, lovely, caring people that have no involvement, but due to poverty, are forced to live alongside such conditions.
Please ask at the Casa Carioka Rio Hostel reception for more specific details and to book your tours.
Plataforma Samba Show
30 beautiful Brazilian dancers accompanied by an incredible live band will take you on a magical journey of music and dance including African percussion, Capoeira and Samba. The grand finale is not to be missed, a spectacular samba parade full of amazing Carnival costumes. In the grand finale you get a taste of Carnival, with a parade of elaborately dressed samba dancers moving their hips to the beats of Samba. If you are not in Rio for carnival, this tour is a must.
Please ask at the Casa Carioka Rio Hostel reception for more specific details and to book your tours.
Samba School
Samba schools in Rio de Janeiro are social or cultural groups that meet regularly to play music and dance Samba. They practice the school’s samba dance and song until it is perfect, in order to perform it at the up-coming carnival. You too can take part! Full of live percussion music, incredible dancers and energy that will really put you in the Rio de Janeiro feel of things, if you like percussion/ Samba music and to dance and to feel high on life, then this is the tour for you. Take part in the preparations for carnival, feel good and learn how to dance Samba.
Please ask at the Casa Carioka Rio Hostel reception for more specific details and to book your tours.
Hang Gliding
World renowned for its natural beauty, Rio de Janeiro is the perfect place to experience hang gliding. Considered the best place in Brazil for tandem flights, the Pedra Bonita take-off ramp is located inside the famous Tijuca National Park, the largest urban rainforest in the world.
Although many sights in this stunning city boast ´the best views over Rio´ it must be said that the views you are afforded on a hang glider soaring through the sky above ALL of Rio´s hot spots and indeed the entire city is undeniably the king of all vistas.
The hang gliding sight is 20 minutes drive south from Casa CarioKa, in the upper-class district of São Conrado. This quarter plays home to the most luxurious and affluent shopping centre in Rio, São Conrado Fashion Mall, together, ironically enough, with the largest favela of South America, Rocinha. It also sports the legendary Pedra da Gávea, an impressive rock formation composed of gneiss and granite, claiming a giddying 842 metres in height above sea level – the biggest of its kind found seaside on the planet. Tijuca National Park can certainly not be forgotten in this district, nor missed! 32 square hectares, it is the biggest urban forest of the world, hosting the mythic Pedra da Gávea.
Needless to say, these are just SOME of the things you´ll grab a panoramic view of upon take-off from Pedra Bonita – 520 metres above sea level. With the trust-worthy guidance of super-experienced local Juan you will be given a 20 minute flight with additional views over the crowning twin peaks of panema beach, Dois Irmãos, Christ the Redeemer, the coastal waters of the South Atlantic, the list goes on...
Absolutely no experience is required to take the jump and enjoy prime views over one of the world´s most stunning cities - Juan, the licensed and confident pilot with over 20 years of experience, takes you on the tandem flight. He makes for an excellent, trust-worthy partner – under his careful guidance, you are made to feel very safe from being taught how to jump and preparing for take-off, to the actual flight, to a smooth landing on Praia Pepino.
Jump, fly, dip, duck, soar and glide through the sky and over forests, ocean, and mountains: where else? In Rio de Janeiro, A Cidade Maravilhosa of course!
Booking your flight
• Flights have to be made on a clear day - if there are any doubts with the weather, it´ll be confirmed on the day of your flight.
• The entire tour with pick-up and drop-off to Casa CarioKa is about 2 hours.
• BRL$240.- with transfers, book and pay the day before. Photo and video of the jump with additional charges.
Please ask at the Casa Carioka Rio Hostel reception for more specific details and to book your tours.
