VaShaunna D 
 
2024-10-12
 
 
  
Larissa was amazing!
My husband and I had an unforgettable experience on the Little Africa tour in Rio! Our guide, Larissa, was absolutely amazing. She was incredibly detailed and knowledgeable, giving us an understanding of Afro-Brazilian history and culture. You could really feel her passion for sharing the rich heritage of Afro Brazil, and she brought the stories to life in such an engaging way. We left with a greater appreciation for the people and history of this vibrant community. Highly recommend this tour if you want to learn and be inspired!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 DexyP 
 
2024-09-20
 
 
  
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!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Helen L 
 
2024-09-11
 
 
  
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!!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Donna A 
 
2024-08-03
 
 
  
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!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 GT2_Law 
 
2024-07-28
 
 
  
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.
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Lisa M 
 
2024-07-21
 
 
  
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💕
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Dolinda11 
 
2024-07-18
 
 
  
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!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Terrell C 
 
2024-07-01
 
 
  
Amazing cultural experience
The Rio Little Africa tour was exactly what I was hoping to experience as an African American visiting Brazil. It was good to understand the parallel history of Brazil in comparison to that of the USA and better understand how to place the experience of Africans that were enslaved in both places. Moreover, our guide did a great job in also providing current cultural contexts of the lives of Afro Brazilians and the challenges faced currently and steps the country is taking to create a more inclusive society. I loved everything about this tour and would absolutely recommend again
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Teryn_LLGT 
 
2024-05-30
 
 
  
Must do tour in Rio! Especially for those looking to learn about the African diaspora across the world.
Our guide, Damiana, was very personable and knowledgeable about the history of the African diaspora in Brazil. We spent all day with her and it didn’t even feel like it! She told us about how Rio’s slave trade history was buried and uncovered when the Olympics came, the history of the first Favela, and explained the murals in Little Africa. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Rio.
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Erin D 
 
2024-05-26
 
 
  
10/10 Experience with Friends and Family
Damiana was a spectacular tour guide. I am SO happy we found her tour. She's extremely knowledgeable and flexible enough to tailor the tour to fit the vibe of the group. We didnt have any other plans for the day so she was able to add some additional stops on the tour. We event went to a nice market after the tour was over! You can tell Damiana loves what she does and the people we meet on the tour have love for her as well. Felt super safe and will absolutely be booking another tour with her next time we're in Brazil. I truly can't say enough great things about her. Thank you 10/10 experience.