Little Africa Tour: Discover Rio's Hidden Narratives

Explore the rich history and cultural impact of the African diaspora in Rio de Janeiro’s Saúde neighborhood. Discover Little Africa’s hidden gems and vibrant sites on this engaging walking tour.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Museu de Arte do Rio - MAR - Meeting Place for “No Hotel Pick-Up” - Museum de Arte do Rio (MAR). The museum is located at Praça Mauá, 5 - Centro, Rio de Janeiro.
  • Igreja de Sao Francisco da Prainha - At Largo da Prainha you’ll see the Mercedes Baptista Statue. She was the very first African-Brazilian ballet dancer to enroll in the Municipal…
What's Included
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Guide
  • 20 Pages PDF with the highlights of the Tour
What's Not Included
  • Gorgetas
Additional Information

Embark on a transformative journey through the hidden narratives of Little Africa in Rio de Janeiro’s bustling Port with Florencio’s immersive walking tour. Delve into the profound legacy of over four million Africans enslaved in Brazil over three centuries, where Rio emerged as the epicenter of the global African slave trade in the 19th century,…

Location
Rio Museum of Art
Praça Mauá
Option: "No Hotel Pick Up" - Meeting Place: Museu de Arte do Rio - Address: Praça Mauá, 5 - Centro, Rio de Janeiro. The Museum is to be reached via Uber. Option: "Hotel Pick-up & drop off" Florencios' guide will pick you up at your hotel (Rio South Zone). Option: "Barra Round-Trip" - Rio West zone.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(171 Ratings)
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Shakir_s
Sep 23, 2024
An absolute must do tour!! - The walking tour of Little Africa in Rio de Janeiro was an unforgettable, immersive experience. Led by a Black woman Damiana Silva- From Florencios with over 30 years of guiding expertise, the tour offered deep insights into the area's rich Afro-Brazilian history and culture. Key stops included Praça Mauá and Pedra do Sal, with captivating stories about the local community’s resilience and contributions. The guide’s passion and local connections made each stop feel personal and engaging, with opportunities to meet residents and try traditional foods. This tour is perfect for anyone looking to explore a unique and culturally rich side of Rio. My wife and I also went on an all day tour the day prior, which did not include any of this rich and crucial history of Brazil. 5 stars!
Review provided by Viator
Lonpenn
Sep 20, 2024
Highly informative and emotional, yet joyful! - My partner and I took the Little Africa Tour with Florencios as part of a small group. Our guide Ana Julia led us through the UNESCO World Heritage Site Cais do Valongo and its surroundings. Coming from the Netherlands and UK, it was eye opening to learn about Afro-Brazilian history. The tour was well curated and followed a logical path through history whilst making tangible connections between the past and present. The people we encountered along the way were very welcoming and seemed genuinely happy to see us. Ana Julia and her colleague were well-informed and were able to answer our many questions, including some finer points of nuance. They went above and beyond during the tour and recommended excellent places to enjoy Samba and great food and drink. After the tour, they helped us arrange reliable transport to return to our accommodation safely — we were rather jet-lagged! Overall, the experience was memorable and profoundly moving, yet it left us with a sense of hopefulness. Recognition of past crimes and inhumane acts against Afro-Brazilians has been slow and continues today. However, seeing how the Black community has pulled together to tell this important story was truly inspiring. We arrived as strangers but left as friends, and we look forward to visiting again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Helenl472
Sep 11, 2024
A MUST!!!! - This was by far the BEST part of my trip. Ana Julia is so well versed and knowledgeable. I left wanting more ❤️. She made us feel a part of the tour. We enjoyed meeting the locals, learning a major part of MY history, and taking in some delightful treats 😋 made by the locals. Even on our ride back, she continued with JOY sharing more about the rich history. A lot of emphasis is place on Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer, even my hotel had no information on this tour which was extremely disappointing. I’m glad I found this GEM of a tour on my own. Please don’t second guess it, take this amazing tour, you will not regret it!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lhampton52j
Sep 9, 2024
Amazing - Ana Julia is an amazing tour guide! She is knowledgeable and passionate about the history of Afro Brazilians, especially those Africans who were enslaved in Rio de Janeiro and sought liberation. As an American on this tour and learning about the Afro Brazilian experience, I came to realize that we are more alike than not. The only thing we don’t share is the language. I can’t wait to see Ana Julia rise as the nation’s top tour operator. Thank you so much for such a wonderful, and educational, experience in Rio!
Review provided by Viator
I6011pvdonnaa
Aug 3, 2024
Book this experience! - Florencios Tour was a great choice. Our guide Damiana was amazing: friendly, professional, and very knowledgeable. The Little Africa tour of Rio that we took with her was very eye-opening, we learned so much! This is a unique experience and perspective on Rio and Brazil that you won’t get with just any tour (they do other tours as well). I was also very happy that this tour was available in English, since unfortunately my Portuguese is very limited. I highly recommend this company. If we have the opportunity to come back to Rio I would absolutely use Florencios again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gt2_law
Jul 28, 2024
Awesome Afro-Brazilian Experience and Wonderful Company - Don't look any further; you must book this Little Africa tour with Florencios and use them for all of your travel needs in Rio. We traveled to Rio as a family of four with 2 older teens. My wife and I have traveled internationally for over 30 years. Florencios is the best tour company we have ever used. Damiana (owner) is truly the best. Ana Julia was our guide for the Little Africa tour. We also booked Florencios for a Rio city tour (including Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf) and all of our airport transfers (which included a "fun tour" upon our arrival to Rio where Damiana and Ana walked with us from our hotel to the Sunday "hippie market" in Ipanema with stops at nearby spots). All of these services were scheduled prior to our arrival. Damiana was highly responsive via What's App prior to and during our visit to Rio. Damiana and Ana are professional, engaging, wonderful, helpful, sweet people and they take care of you like family. Both are proud to share their city, culture and background with you and want you to feel at home. Given that we wanted to learn all we could about Afro-Brazilian culture and history, they were sure to bring these aspects to the forefront of our experience in Rio -- on the Little Africa tour as well as during all of our other interactions with them. This allowed us to better understand Rio as a whole rather than in parts. On the Little Africa tour, Ana brought her passion and knowledge to the forefront. She is vested in people learning the truth about the dynamic nature of Afro-Brazilian history (which extends well beyond slavery). Ana takes a comprehensive approach to history as it occurred and supports the elevation, celebration, and affirmation of the Black experience. We went to two awesome museums and memorials -- Museu de Historia e Cultura Afro-Brasileira (MUHCAB) and Instituto Pretos Novos (IPN) Museu Memorial. We also visited Pedra do Sal, Prainha Square, and Valongo Quayside. During our walk, we saw countless beautiful murals . Ana took pictures of our family at all places so that we could capture the memories. Doing this as a walking tour is the best way to take in the neighborhood and feel the sacred space/ground of African ancestors. This is a "MUST DO" tour in Rio in order to get the complete experience in Rio. It is highly informative and engaging. Also, you get what you pay for. We found the price of the private tour very reasonable plus Damiana and Ana are extremely knowledgeable about Afro-Brazilian history. They take this seriously and are so energetic and passionate that you feel the very essence of this valuable history and culture. After the walking tour, Damiana and Ana took us to a restaurant that had vegetarian options (given our dietary restrictions) which they had already "checked out" beforehand. They wanted to be sure we had everything we needed to enjoy the meal and the tour overall. Florencios is a great company. I highly recommend this company and this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patricia_k
Jul 24, 2024
Excellent tour! - Larissa was an excellent guide! She was knowledgeable and informative. The tour was fun and interesting, and provided some depth and understanding to my time in Rio.
Review provided by Viator
Lisa
Jul 21, 2024
A must tour! Don’t hesitate on this one - What a wonderfully personal tour. It placed Rio’s residents of African descent back into the landscape. The culture specific museums were very insightful - a must visit, Our guide Carol made the walking tour engaging and full of information. I would do it again and tried to book her for other tours (fully booked:) … this speaks volume! You will not go wrong with this tour. Until I visit again💕
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dolinda11
Jul 18, 2024
Little Africa tour with Damiana - Damiana is an amazing tour guide! She is very knowledgeable, fun and well connected. We learned so much about the African influence in Rio’s history, music, arts and religion! As a plus, Damiana takes great pictures. I loved this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charlene_p
Oct 6, 2024
Okay tour, but not for the price - This tour was satisfactory, but I do not believe it justifies the $99 price tag; anything exceeding $50 seems excessive. The guide exhibited a strong passion for the culture, to the extent that she hesitated to allow me to take a photo, expressing her discontent with the exhibit. It has been noted that the government has not allocated sufficient funds to maintain the city's appearance, which contributes to a sense of insecurity. Nevertheless, I am pleased to have experienced what I did, and I will conduct further research on my own. Given the cost, I cannot recommend this tour. It would be more beneficial to use an Uber to navigate the city independently and review the information provided on-site, ideally during daylight hours.
Review provided by Viator
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November 2024
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