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Favela Santa Marta Tour: Immersive Cultural Experience and Social Impact
4.6
23 Ratings
Botafogo
Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of Favela Santa Marta on this unique tour. Connect with residents, understand their daily lives, and support local projects. Book now!
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- R. São Clemente, 320 - TOURIST INFORMATION STAND.
- Plano Inclinado da Comunidade Santa Marta - We walk to the Inclined Plane. We go to the top of the hill, view of the City, the top of the Capela Santa Marta Church. We started walking down the stairs.
- Favela Tour experience with Purpose em Favela Santa Marta - Visit to the House of Dona Maria Helena, collector of watches. Project + More than Tourism, Education, Culture, Arts, Environment and Technology.
- Michael Jackson Statue - At the place where the statue of Michael Jackson is located, we will visit some artisan souvenir shops. They can marvel at the view and take souvenir photos. We will then visit a Mundo Infantil crèche, a community crèche that serves around 80 children from the community who also receive support as a result of our guided tours. We continue the visit through a cultural corridor where it is possible to see the development of our community through photographs.
- Praça Corumbá - This is the end of our guided tour.
What's Included
- Entrance to the Favela cable car
- Visit to the House of Watches with over 350 unique timepieces
- Experience local life at the guide’s house
- Explore the +Que Turismo Social Project
What's Not Included
- Private transportation
Additional Information
The FAVELA TOUR EXPERIENCE, also known as the FAVELA TOUR WITH PURPOSE, entails much more than a basic guided trip through the Favela’s winding streets. It’s an immersive cultural exchange between our guests and the residents of the Favela. Our main objective is to offer an intimate glimpse into the everyday life, triumphs, and struggles of the Favela’s residents, detailing more than a century since the first Favela was established. Note that over a quarter of Rio’s population calls the Favelas home.
Beyond bringing an understanding of our daily existence, your participation immensely benefits the Favela’s growth and development. This is seen in educational, linguistic, sports, or cultural projects that receive 100% contribution from your visit. Indeed, half of what tourists pay is directly invested into these programs, entirely designed and carried out by the residents, with no reliance on public funding.
Consequently, what we’re offering is far from a mere guided trip through the Favela. It’s a life-changing FAVELA TOUR EXPERIENCE WITH PURPOSE.
WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US IN THIS TRUELY AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE.
- Not recommended for people with limited mobility
Location
R. São Clemente, 320
Rua São Clemente
Praça Corumbá in Botafogo at the tourist information stand, look for the guide Gilson Fumaça and present the reservation number
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(23 Ratings)
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Toni_p
Mar 28, 2024
From Rio with love❤️🇧🇷 - Gilson is an amazing guy, very emphatic and genuine.
Walking through the favela with him, you get the impression that he knows everyone and that everyone loves him.
The biggest proof of his love for the community is that he directs all of his energy into sharing and caring about his people.
The terrace of his house has the best views of the favela and the city. No fancy place on Copacabana can beat the views you get here and I have to say that I felt safer than in some central parts of Rio.
Thank you Gilson for showing us everyday life in your community and helping us to understand it better. I would love to come back one day.
Just like MJ sings in his song:
"Don't worry what people say, we know the truth"
Love❤️
Review provided by Viator
Efrain_e
Jan 4, 2024
Very personal and awesome tour - Got to see Gilson’s family’s awesome clock collection as well as meet some of his friends and family. Even got to celebrate his grandmother’s 88th birthday. The family really welcomed us and made us feel a part of their family, even though is was a brief encounter.
Review provided by Viator
Gavin_l
Sep 7, 2023
Great overview - I learned alot about the culture and history of the place. The challenges that the people face everyday. I'm thankful for my guide
Review provided by Viator
Adam_k
May 28, 2023
Extremely worthwhile - Very original experience, more than just a tour. Gilson took us around his own neighborhood introducing us to his family and even describing to us the short history of favela santa marta and other inner rio favelas.
Review provided by Viator
Allison_f
Apr 17, 2023
Worth doing - Loved our tour, really interesting and learned loads, the guides were excellent, amazing views and photo opportunities
Review provided by Viator
Ctgaly
Apr 10, 2023
Best guide for favela Santa Marta - Best guide you can expect to visit the Santa Marta Favela. Gilson is native from the Favela, knows everybody and will make you live the best experience. Despite the rain we had, we had an amazing experience inside the favela with the possibility to interact with locals. It was awesome ! 100% recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alona_s
Apr 9, 2023
See the beauty of favela, meet wonderful and kind people living there, get inspired - The tour turned into unique experience - we took a ride on a funicular, I had a chance to enter an apartment in favela (it was amazing). I had a wonderful time, Gilson is a very nice guy who represents his favela with love and enthusiasm - it was touching to hear about English language school for children he is building and see the work being done.
Locals get the best view of Christ the Redeemer, it’s fascinating.
It’s a perfect tour for having a look at life in favela without feeling scared which is very important.
Review provided by Viator
Robert_b
Mar 21, 2023
Great experience - Our guide Ronny was a very friendly man who lives in the Favella. He showed us around and gave us a lot informations throughout our walk where we saw e.g. a statue of Michael Jackson
Ronny brought us to Gilson Fumaça, a very nice elderly lady who owns approximately 350 watches - all are presents from various tourists - in her house in which she gladly invited us to see her „treasures“. People who live there were greeting us friendly as we passed by.
It was a great experience which we do not want to miss.
Thanks Rob & Karin
Review provided by Viator
Lewis_p
Mar 6, 2023
Favorite thing in RIO - Want to see the real authentic side of Rio? Do this tour. We felt safe and it was such an amazing experience. Our tour guide lived in the favala and we was a perfect guide. It was my favorite thing to see in RIO.
Review provided by Viator
Lindsay_c
Nov 29, 2023
Favela Santa Marta Tour - Gilson was a fantastic tour guide. He was honest about living in a favela highlighting the sense of community but also listing its challenges. He was proud to show us Favela Santa Marta and introduce us to his family. It was a bit confusing finding the correct tour guide when meeting in the park (as there were several). We would have felt more secure with a larger group (it was just the two of us women) and we witnessed weapons present by residents at times during the tour. The tour price could have been a bit less.
Review provided by Viator
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