Shore tours in Rio

Hi there,

Does anyone have any information on shore tours in Rio? I'm not really one to do ship tours and like to find my own but looking like I may have to resort to an MSC as not having much joys as the shared ones I've found return too late for the sailing or leave from the city centre.

Is it possible to pick up tours at the cruise port like in a lot of other destinations? Travelling alone and not a lot of folk on the roll call and with Rio being the first stop after embarkation there's no real time onboard to find others looking to do the same.

Any help would be appreciated :)

Hi madcat.

You don't really need a tour at all. It is fairly easy to get around to the major sights by regular yellow taxi (cheap and safe--look for the name and phone number of the taxi cooperative on the back fender). The cruise port is right in the city, so nothing is very far. You can see for yourself on a Google map; look for the Praca Maua, just above the in-town Santos Dumont airport along the shoreline. Just plan to write down where you want to go, because few people speak English.

The main sights of interest to a tourist are usually the Cristo statue, Sugarloaf, perhaps the historic downtown, and the Zona Sul beaches. That would be a very full day. It would allow you to control your own schedule.

If you do decide you want a private guide, contact Rafa. He's a very knowledgable local and also lots of fun. (http://donrafaguestsinrio.blogspot.com)

If I can help with any further details, I'd be happy to do do. Just post again.

Thanks Vida, I appreciate your help :)

At a guess, could you give me an indication of how much taxis would be from the port to Corcovado and back please or if it is easier to take a taxi into town and from there take the train or shuttle?

As I'm on my own I'm trying to keep costs low and also ensure I'm back on board in time!! :D:eek:

Thanks again,

Fiona:)

At a guess, could you give me an indication of how much taxis would be from the port to Corcovado and back please or if it is easier to take a taxi into town and from there take the train or shuttle?

The port IS in town.There is no train or shuttle from the port to the base station for the little cog train up the mountain. The shuttle vans (which go part way up the mountain to the tiny parking lot from which official vans go the rest of the way) leave from Copacabana, which is out of the way if starting from the port. Try taking a look at a map to understand the city layout vis-a-vis this trip.

Taxis are pretty cheap and the exchange rate is currently very good (about U$1=R$4). I would estimate the fare from the port to the base station to be about R$25. Undoubtedly you can find other passengers with similar sightseeing plans who would share a taxi.

There are plenty of taxis waiting at the base station to take you back to the port when you are done.

You might spend an hour or two up at the statue, taking photos and looking out over the city. It's a very small viewing platform and that's it.

Sugarloaf has two cable car stages, Urca and Sugarloaf itself. On the top, you can get off the paved path to see some little miko monkeys in the trees and buzzards soaring. It's a little more extensive area to walk around, shop, take photos, or get a snack/drink, but still probably just a couple of hours worth. Or you can go back down and get something in the Urca neighborhood or the beach there, or go over to nearby Copacabana, or to the centro historico if that interests you. The centro has a lot of places that have a fixed price 'executivo' lunch if you're hungry by then, and Copacabana has lots of choices for food. The taxis right at the base of Sugarloaf tend to try to charge more at a fixed rate, so just walk out of the parking/waiting area a bit to get one if that's all they want to do. Just say"taxi metro" (taxi meter) and point, to be clear.

Post again as more questions come up.

If you do choose a tour guide, be prepared to prepay a substantial portion of the price. For some reason that is the norm we experienced.

If you do choose a tour guide, be prepared to prepay a substantial portion of the price. For some reason that is the norm we experienced.

Well, one reason could be that the (for example) modest little Toyota that the guide relies on to take you around to see sights you may never have found on your own, which sells for maybe U$28K new in the US, sells for the equivalent of U$56K or more in Brazil.

Four years ago, we had 2 half-day private tours through Rio Plus. They were very flexible and took us where we wanted to go plus some other interesting places. The two women who comprise Rio Plus are

VALERIA RADESCA - T: +55 21 99407 8839

LETICIA LEVY - T: +55 21 99616 3203

You can even contact them via Skype at "rioplus"

Their website is http://www.rioplustours.com.br also http://www.rioplus.net/