Favela Learning Experience and Atlantic Forest Hiking
After meeting your trilingual guide in a centrally located meeting point in Ipanema, you will hop on a local bus to make your way to the base of Vidigal.
From there, you can choose from two different transportation options. You can either ride a motorcycle taxi that winds up through the community or you can travel by van. Stop at the site of an urban revitalization garden project to learn about how it has helped transform the community.
Continue by making your way to the trail head and hike through the Atlantic rainforest. Your hike will take about 50 minutes each way and is of medium to high intensity, but you will reach an extraordinary viewpoint of the city and the ocean. Along the way, your guide will discuss the history of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro.
After admiring the breathtaking views of Christ the Redeemer and the city far below, you will make your way back down to a local restaurant for a snack. Here, you can enjoy either a juice or açai tasting.
Then, weave through the small streets of the favela to see how the locals live and why they have become such a close-knit community. Upon reaching the bottom of the favela, you will board the bus which will return you to the original meeting point in Ipanema.
