Looking for recommendations for a reputable tour operator in Rio

We are booked on a cruise that starts in Rio on 20-Jan-18. We have that afternoon and the full day on the 21st before the ship leaves . We are looking for a reputable tour operator in Rio to look at tour options outside those offered by the ship. We are a party of four (2 of which are seniors). This is our first visit to Rio, so besides the obvious tourist high-lights we would like to get a sense of the local culture.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions anyone may offer.

We are booked on a cruise that starts in Rio on 20-Jan-18. We have that afternoon and the full day on the 21st before the ship leaves . We are looking for a reputable tour operator in Rio to look at tour options outside those offered by the ship. We are a party of four (2 of which are seniors). This is our first visit to Rio, so besides the obvious tourist high-lights we would like to get a sense of the local culture.

 

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions anyone may offer.

We (a party of 4 in their sixties) were on cruise that ended in Rio last January. We had an excellent full day tour with Tour Guide Gus (http://tourguidegus.com/) and a private driver. His English is excellent (he was a foreign exchange student in high school and worked frequently in the US for a few years) and his knowledge of and love for Rio is wonderful. Check out his TripAdvisor reviews: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g303506-d4976222-Reviews-TourGuideGus-Rio_de_Janeiro_State_of_Rio_de_Janeiro.html. This is my sister's review:

"Gus gave us a terrific day in Rio. He knows how to organize the day so that we were efficient in seeing and experiencing the sights, but we were never rushed. His English is terrific and his knowledge of the city is exhaustive. He is very funny, companionable and energetic. Highly recommended!"

We did it with Gisela Vayda (liz2arg@yahoo.com is the leader that admintrate the tours in southamerica) including Rio.

We have used Tours By Locals in several places including Rio and have always been pleased. Whoever you use, make sure they include a licensed guide who can "jump the queue" and get you "immediate entry" tickets to popular attractions (otherwise you may have to stand in line for a long (1-3 hour) wait).

We will be on the Oceania sirena back to back..dec 20 til Feb 10..we are going to hire Gus tours in Rio either Jan. 19, 20, 21..not sure yet..rated top 10 ...

any other guests interested??? Contact me at gerihugs@gmail.com...

Geri and Vic Warren

We will be on the Oceania sirena back to back..dec 20 til Feb 10..we are going to hire Gus tours in Rio either Jan. 19, 20, 21..not sure yet..rated top 10 ...

 

any other guests interested??? Contact me at gerihugs@gmail.com...

 

Geri and Vic Warren

Hopefully you have done this already but the only place on Cruise Critic where posts about sharing tours should be posed is the Roll Call for your cruise.

Keith

High recommendation for Rafael Torres Lopes. He's excellent. You'll be very lucky if he's available on your dates.

http://donrafaguestsinrio.blogspot.com/

Check Tripadvisor reviews. Have a wonderful time in Rio.

Teresa