Rocinha
4
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Neighbourhood: Zona Sul (South Zone)
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4.0
377 reviews
Excellent
176
Very good
109
Average
45
Poor
13
Terrible
34
Jason
Pittsburgh, PA44 contributions
Mar 2023 • Friends
We visited Rocinha on a tour with Martin @ Brazil Expeditions. We had an amazing day and met many great people, the residents of Rocinha were very friendly and welcoming. We had the opportunity to spend some time at a bar right across from the building painted with “I ❤️ Rocinha 1930”. I highly recommend stopping here at the views from the upper level were amazing. We also had the opportunity to watch a local group of musicians and dancers practicing. Highly recommend visiting Rocinha.
Written 25 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicola C
40 contributions
Feb 2023
A must-do thing. Compulsory: with a guide. Seriously, with a guide! Our guide was great, perfect English and a knowledgable guy who showed us how the life there is.
We also had a meal in a restaurant there (surprise: credit cards accepted!). Lots of cables everywhere and chaos but it's a controlled chaos, nothing really that makes you feel you are in danger. Something to visit if you want to see the world, and I suggest buying souvernirs and other stuff around, it's nice to develop proper economy in a "ghost-city". A great experience!
We also had a meal in a restaurant there (surprise: credit cards accepted!). Lots of cables everywhere and chaos but it's a controlled chaos, nothing really that makes you feel you are in danger. Something to visit if you want to see the world, and I suggest buying souvernirs and other stuff around, it's nice to develop proper economy in a "ghost-city". A great experience!
Written 28 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Similtiades
Riga, Latvia3,490 contributions
Nov 2019 • Friends
The only advice for visiting Rocinha would be to not go with one of the government-funded tour agencies. They are essentially propaganda machines set up to make a profit for the authorities at the expense of the people living there, that will overcharge tourists for a quick bus ride through the district whilst giving them the same narrative they have been fed in the media.
Instead, if you decide to go, go with a real local who understands the situation. We did a tour of Rocinha with the owner of our hostel, Aurora Hostel in Botafogo, who grew up alongside many of the kids from the favela and runs his tours not-for-profit, but instead to raise money for social projects within the favela.
Our visit was a truly eye-opening experience, but not one for the faint hearted. If you visit, you are accepting that the Brazilian authorities have no control over what happens in Rocinha. You are going to see drugs, you are going to see guns, and you should definitely be very careful when taking photos. But you are also going to see the reality of life here, that these are people living their lives and, mostly, living happy lives. Everything in the favela is affordable because the gangs keep it that way; the schools and hospital are some of the best maintained in the city for the same reason.
If you go to Rocinha, go with an open mind to reject the propaganda being fed to the outside world in order to further demonise the poor. Don't treat it as a safari, and you will come out of the experience all the more knowledgeable for it.
Instead, if you decide to go, go with a real local who understands the situation. We did a tour of Rocinha with the owner of our hostel, Aurora Hostel in Botafogo, who grew up alongside many of the kids from the favela and runs his tours not-for-profit, but instead to raise money for social projects within the favela.
Our visit was a truly eye-opening experience, but not one for the faint hearted. If you visit, you are accepting that the Brazilian authorities have no control over what happens in Rocinha. You are going to see drugs, you are going to see guns, and you should definitely be very careful when taking photos. But you are also going to see the reality of life here, that these are people living their lives and, mostly, living happy lives. Everything in the favela is affordable because the gangs keep it that way; the schools and hospital are some of the best maintained in the city for the same reason.
If you go to Rocinha, go with an open mind to reject the propaganda being fed to the outside world in order to further demonise the poor. Don't treat it as a safari, and you will come out of the experience all the more knowledgeable for it.
Written 28 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cmagalha
Rio de Janeiro, RJ56 contributions
I don not really understand why someone could ever want to visit this place. Extremelly unsafe, housing drug dealers. This place used to have a very good vegetation, "mata atlantica", devastated by now residents.
Do not listen to tour sellers. STEER CLEAR FROM THIS.
Do not listen to tour sellers. STEER CLEAR FROM THIS.
Written 18 June 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fernando M
27 contributions
Sept 2017 • Friends
Do not advise anyone to visit. This is an area where drug dealers Patrol streets and Wars among heavily armed gangs are quite commonplace. This weekend, even though brazilian army had 950 Men trying to take Control,shots are heard and famílies are seeing leaving . Even though most people are honest working class Citizens, this is definitely not your best tourist destination.
Written 24 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Montravelguy
Montreal, Canada270 contributions
July 2011 • Business
I went on Zezinho's tour of Rocinha with two of my work colleagues.
After having spent a bit of time in the slums of Kingston Jamaica, and in Mombasa Kenya, and based on what a lot of people (who don't know anything about it) say about Rio I was expecting the worst out of Rocinha.
Zezinho and his Rocinha tour proved to me that even somebody who has got a bit of travel time under his belt can still be incredibly naive and ignorant about unknown parts of the world just based on stereotypes and here-say.
I felt safer in Rocinha then I did on the streets of Copacabana, and Zezinho's tour through the alleys and streets of this neighborhood forever changed the way I will look at the city of Rio. Definitely not to be missed.
Z tailors the length of his tours and the schedule of what he shows based on the size of his group, he picks you up at your hotel using the local mini-bus taxi service, and from that point on you are moving off of the tourist path and into the real city of Rio de Janeiro. I was in the city for two weeks on business, and the only time I felt I really interacted with it was during my four hours in Rocinha.
Also... anybody who loves music, DJs, musicians, anybody, look this tour up. Z is using some of the money made on these tours to set up a new non-profit DJ school in the community. Socially responsible tourism... and not a guided tour though the zoo, believe me.
After having spent a bit of time in the slums of Kingston Jamaica, and in Mombasa Kenya, and based on what a lot of people (who don't know anything about it) say about Rio I was expecting the worst out of Rocinha.
Zezinho and his Rocinha tour proved to me that even somebody who has got a bit of travel time under his belt can still be incredibly naive and ignorant about unknown parts of the world just based on stereotypes and here-say.
I felt safer in Rocinha then I did on the streets of Copacabana, and Zezinho's tour through the alleys and streets of this neighborhood forever changed the way I will look at the city of Rio. Definitely not to be missed.
Z tailors the length of his tours and the schedule of what he shows based on the size of his group, he picks you up at your hotel using the local mini-bus taxi service, and from that point on you are moving off of the tourist path and into the real city of Rio de Janeiro. I was in the city for two weeks on business, and the only time I felt I really interacted with it was during my four hours in Rocinha.
Also... anybody who loves music, DJs, musicians, anybody, look this tour up. Z is using some of the money made on these tours to set up a new non-profit DJ school in the community. Socially responsible tourism... and not a guided tour though the zoo, believe me.
Written 22 August 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sofi NS
Athens, Greece22,921 contributions
Aug 2019
Before I visit Favela Rosinha I had a different idea of what such a place might look like. It is like a normal neighborhood, with shops, cafes, super markets, coiffure, bus line, motorcycle taxis and other amenities. Sure, there are a loti of trash, the power cables and phone lines are like a spaghetti and you don't know who is connected to what, houses are not great but they have an amazing view towards (ironically) the more illustrious condominiums of Rio as the Favelas are build on the hill sides. Granted, this is not the most dangerous favela to visit and thinks look somewhat commercialized. You get a guide, pay the price and your safe passage is guaranteed. You take pictures when you are told to, and refrain from doing so when instructed by your guide. Peiple over there might earn 250 USD per month, doing also additional jobs. The go to the city, work and come back to the favela for cheap cost of living. The only difference with the rest of the city is that here the law is not the governing authority.
Written 2 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luis_arq_pr
San Juan, Puerto Rico1 contribution
I went to Rocinha with a group of friends and a guide that lives there. Being there felt uncomfortable, the people were pointing at us and doing strange movements. At one point the guide was far ahead and a group of locals rounded me, one had a gun out, and they took my camera. A very awful experience indeed.
Written 13 June 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rharri_11
Auckland, New Zealand24 contributions
Mar 2011
Yesterday I went to the Rocinha favela with Zezinho. This is my 3rd trip to Rio De Janeiro and my 2nd time on the favela tour with Zezinho. He speaks perfect English, he was born in Rocinha, travelled to the USA and then returned. His tour is knowledgeable (you learn all about the history of how the favela started and grew, and grew, and grew - to 300,000 in the Rocinha favela) and he really cares for the people. It is great that he really gets out there and you engage with the people. Other tour companies (i.e. any tour other than Zezinho) have the tourists travel in the back of jeeps and only spend 2 hours - it is home to people not a wildlife sanctuary and the people are friendly and want to talk not be stared at through camera lenses out of the back of a jeep.
If you are going to Rio De Janeiro for Carnaval or just stopping through make sure you get hold of Zezinho. To me his tour is just as enjoyable as Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain. It is a must do and if you miss it I believe you are missing a wonderful MUST DO opportunity to see what life is like for 1/3rd of the people living in Rio De Janeiro.
If you are going to Rio De Janeiro for Carnaval or just stopping through make sure you get hold of Zezinho. To me his tour is just as enjoyable as Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain. It is a must do and if you miss it I believe you are missing a wonderful MUST DO opportunity to see what life is like for 1/3rd of the people living in Rio De Janeiro.
Written 5 March 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MissPicky99
38 contributions
June 2018 • Couples
Seeing Rochina (pronounced Hosina) with Zezinho is a once-in-lifetime experience. I can't recommend it enough. Having walked through several informal areas around the world, this one is the most interesting because it is nothing like the media portrays it and walking around with Zezinho will explain why. The favela is a vibrant neighborhood with shops, schools, clinics, restaurants and everything else you'd expect in an urban neighborhood. I never felt unsafe; nobody asked me for money; I didn't see guns or drugs. Instead I saw Rio as it truly is. This is because Zezinho is excellent guide and urban resident. He is knowledgeable, approachable and very professional. He is an excellent communicator both in email and in person. And his mission is to make both residents and visitors as proud of Rocinha as he is. Forget Copacabana or the Corcovado, this is the chance to experience the real Rio.
Written 12 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kaylane Vitoria Dias Silva
Araraquara, SP
Olá,gostaria de saber como foi a experiência se alguém que foi na favela foi bem recebido,se conseguiram ver tudo se gostaram e etc.Meu maior sonho é conhecer a favela falr com os moradores e um desejo meio louco e maior de todos é conversar com os traficantes sabe cara a cara mesmo,conhecer tudo de pertinho ver como funciona a favela no dia a dia bom é meio estranho o que eu disse mas é meu maior sonho.Gostaria de saber se alguém ja fez tudo isso que eu citei acima?por favor c ja fizeram me digam quero muito saber como foi❤
Written 24 July 2019
Ola...a rocinha é uma cidade dentro de outra.Tem uma historia legal Tenho um canal onde fiz um documentario q sairá em 2 partes.saiu a primeira parte ja.visita lá e se inscreva.nao esquece de ativar o sininho pra poder ver a outra materia.
Canal: Suely e Jardel (vivendo por aí)
Written 18 November 2019
Mucio V
Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Bom dia. Vou em junho ao Rio e quero conhecer a Barra da tijuca. Mas todos estão me condenando por ficar lá e ter que atravessar a Rocinha pra ir até outros locais como jardim botânico ou rio Scenarium... alguém pode me aconselhar? Fiquei inseguro na decisão devido violência.
Written 11 May 2019
Da estação São Conrado até o Fashion Mall é tranquilo andar de dia?
Written 14 November 2018
Não tenho ouvido relatos de assaltos naquele trecho não
Written 14 November 2018
Dia de semana é tranquilo? Como está em relação a segurança?
Written 25 October 2018
A Tripadvisor member
Boa noite amigo!! Acho mais prudente vc ter um grupo de turismo e guia para te conduzir ao local. Ir por conta própria, acho perigoso,independente de dia da semana.
Written 26 October 2018
Hello, I hope all is well. Do you still have contact information for your tour guide? If so, would you please share with me? Did you feel safe?
Written 12 June 2018
I did not traveled with a guide because I am brasilian.
Written 13 July 2018
hola marcelo, que tour contrataste y si se puede hacer con antelacion.
Written 4 December 2017
Como faço para conhecer a Rocinha sem ser por agências de turismo?
Written 25 January 2017
Não te aconselho a visitar sem ser por uma agência de turismo, já que a comunidade da Rocinha e uma das mais perigosas do Rio.
Written 26 January 2017
Olá.
Como faço para comprar e pagar pessoalmente o ingresso para o passeio na favela da rocinha para o dia 09/01 -que é a data que estarei na cidade?
Grata
Att
Written 7 January 2017
Aqui Alberto guia da Rocinha. Conheço o Roni. Me contacte no Whatsapp 55 21 981348220
Written 7 January 2017
MANU B... Me pasarias el contacto?? Gracias
Written 9 January 2016
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