Incredible experience in RJ - The Favela Tour Vidigal provides a genuine opportunity for interaction and immersion in the daily life of the Vidigal community, highlighting its culture, music and gastronomy. The experience provided by guide Mirela goes beyond the conventional tourist aspect, offering visitors an authentic and respectful perspective of Rio de Janeiro's favelas. The tour is educational and exciting.

Wow, what a day... mind changing - The tour was amazing. Mirela took us by foot around the favela that she lives in. We went to the real top to enjoy the fantastic view and made our way down. She knows a lot about her neighborhood ( the favela) from history to current things. We felt more then safe the entire time. Having seen this wonderful neighborhood with it's great people living there changed my opinion about favelas in total. Also one really feels like being right in the moment, right in the place. Not at all as it might have been from a Jeep, just watching at it, one is in it. I just really really recommend it to everyone. It's a personal experience, a good and happy atmosphere and we just had an amazing day. I can't stress that enough!!! Thank you Mirela!!!

Amazing tour of the Vidigal Favela! - We would highly encourage everyone to take part in this tour with Mirela. It was a wonderful experience seeing inside the favela. We felt perfectly safe the entire time. Many people in the community know Mirela and it was fun watching her interact with the kids and other people that live there. She was extremely knowledgeable about the favela and about Rio in general. This tour gives a good mixture of nice views from the top of the favela and also a firm understanding of what the inside of the favela looks like. My boyfriend and I ended being the only ones on the tour, which was nice. Mirela limits the tours to only 5 people so it always feels very personable. I would highly recommend this tour over any other tour of the favela- it’s much better to do a small tour with a local than a larger tour with tons of tourists. Mirela- Thank you so much for everything! It was lovely meeting you! Abrigada! - Anna and Kole

MUST TRY this Vidigal Hangout Tour - Thank you, Mirela! Your introduction to Vidigal was educational, interesting, fun & most importantly authentic. Riding on a motorcycle taxi through the hilly & narrow streets up to the top felt like a scene from the movies. It was a fascinating experience and the scenery up top was stunning. Mirela is friendly, knowledgeable and warm as she introduced her friends & neighbours to me in her close knit community. Learning about their daily lives and living conditions was truly an eye opener. This hangout included a few drinks at 2 bars (1 catered to tourists & the other one for locals). Both were very enjoyable as you felt safe there and welcomed by everyone. I highly recommend Mirela as she has many great stories to share and her passion for contributing to her favela truly stands out.

Must try this Vidigal Hangout Tour - Thank you, Mirela! I didn’t know what to expect on this private tour. Your introduction to Vidigal was educational, interesting, fun & most importantly authentic. Riding on a motorcycle taxi through the hilly & narrow streets up to the top felt like a scene from the movies. It was a fascinating experience and the scenery up top was stunning. Mirela is friendly, knowledgeable and warm as she introduced her friends & neighbours to me in her close knit community. Learning about their daily lives and living conditions was truly an eye opener. This hangout included a few drinks at 2 bars (1 catered to tourists & the other one for locals). Both places were equally enjoyable as you felt safe and welcomed by everyone. I highly recommend Mirela as she has many great stories to share and her passion in contributing to the Vidigal community truly stands out.

Excellent human experience - What a great experience ! At the begining, I was sceptical about visiting a favela in Rio because of what local people and tourists say about the danger in there. But Mirela showed us the social part of the favela : we discovered a world full of kind people, good food and nice views. You have to see it to believe it ! Mirela is such a lovely person ! She speaks perfect english, is very invested in the social life of the favela and wisely guides you in interesting spots. The second day, she even helped us to find a ride to Ilha Grande ! We definetly recommend this experience !

Authentic, Local & Fun Community Experience in the Rio Favelas - With a background in social work, history and mental health, I feel drawn to the more impoverished or "real" parts of a city even on touristy vacations. That being said, an authentic experience is for real reasons, not always possible. Bringing tourists or outsiders into impoverished and difficult areas requires local leaders who both know and love the community and can translate and commune with foreigners. Mirela makes this trip. She voluntarily lives in the favelas, has long-created relationships to the community members. She is warm, kind, loving and full of stories of her own travels. If you can make it to the favelas during your time in Rio, do it with Mirela. You can even end with a sunset view, beer and snack at a local dining spot and watch life happen around you.

Exceptional tour with a master tour guide! - My wife and I were initially hesitant to embark on a tour into a favela, especially given the reputation they have developed through pop culture. After researching and seeing Mirella’s reviews, we decided to take the plunge. We met in the Sheraton and then walked to the main entrance to Vidigal. She is a local and it is evident when walking around how warm the community is and how happy everyone is to see her. You are truly in good hands, as she knows the area and all it’s secrets. We walked in and she arranged a motorbike taxi to the top. The experience felt like we were in an action movie and the experience was unforgettable, we highly recommend you experience it. We took in the beautiful drinks and the stunning views atop the mountain at Bar da Loja. After relaxing, we then walked the streets to see numerous beautiful passageways and art deco graffiti. WARNING: do exactly as she says. Vidigal is safe, however there is still drug activity taking place and making the wrong move can lead to things going south fast. Always check with her whether it’s safe to take pictures and definitely make sure you wear sensible shoes for the adventure. After winding through the streets for several hours and stopping at another local bar, our tour then came to an end. We had a wonderful experience and can’t recommend Mirella enough- you can’t go wrong. She speaks perfect English, along with Spanish and Portuguese as well (of course!). Definitely reach out- there’s a whole new experience waiting for you!

A great favela tour of a local guide! - Mirela is a great person! She explains everything so good and with passion. She knows a lot of people there and in that way she can tell a lot of stories about the Favela. She also lives there and give yoga classes. You can have a glimps of what a favela is like. You had a drink together and a chat. She is so lovely! Her english is also very good so I would recommend this tour for sure. We were only with the 3 of us, which is so nice. A small group is superb! Thanks Mirela!

Not to be missed - The tour with Mirela has been a great chance to get in contact with the soul of Rio and its authentic reality away from the major touristic sites. Mirela knows everybody in the favela of Vidigal and she is personally involved in many of the activities within the community. This adds a personal touch to the walk which becomes a real learning experience. We always felt very safe and in good hands. The view from the top is one of the best I have ever seen.