I was traveling with my young adult son. We had only a few days in Rio de Janeiro and wanted to see it all! I also wanted to feel safe, and have someone else do the arranging for us. I have used Viator tours in the past and have always had a great experience. Our guide, Vicente, knew his Brazilian history! He was very personable, and knowledgeable on many topics and on all the sites we visited. He spoke English perfectly. The tour included all the places we wanted to see, and also visited others we hadn't even thought to visit. We had a great buffet lunch not included in tour, but very delicious and inexpensive and we even had time after lunch to pick up some great selections of souvenirs right next door to the restaurant! This tours moves fairly fast because there are so many things to see, but the van is new, air conditioned, and very comfortable. Traveling in small groups is the way to go! Our driver always stayed with the van, so you can leave your items safely inside. The Sambadrome stop was good but I wish there was more to it. It would have been fun to hear drums and see costumed samba dancers just to give tourist a hint of what Canival would be like. We loved ending the day with caipirinhas at the colorful and fun Escadaria Selaron.
We have wonderful memories of this trip and great photos! We felt very safe with our guide he was always looking out for us. Our group did not have any problems at all, but please be careful not to wear expensive jewelry/gold chains while touring. HInt: Be ready to meet your guide at least 10-15 minutes earlier that scheduled. Also, if you are not going on the tour, contact them and cancel the day before. This way the rest of the group does not have to wait for no-shows. This may affect the timing of the whole tour!