RocinhaEven though Rio de Janeiro is one of the world's foremost
holiday destinations, boasting great beaches, vibrant night-life,
and significant tourist attractions, the hard fact is that it
remains a city of gross economic inequality - as typified by its
sprawling urban slums (
), the largest of which, Rocinha, is home to nearly
a quarter of a million people. For tourists looking to get to grips
with this social reality, a local named Zezinho runs
widely-celebrated tours of Rocinha, the favela in which he grew up.
Those worrying that it will be a typical, voyeuristic,
seen-from-the-back-of-a-Jeep experience can lay those fears to rest
- the great strength of Zezinho's tours is that they are conducted
out of love for Rocinha, and a desire to share its culture with
foreigners. As Zezinho says, 'It is easy to see poverty or poorly
built houses, but what I love about Rocinha is the spirit of the
people' - and all who partake in his tour of Rocinha agree that
it's a valuable, important, and
Address: Túnel Zuzu Angel, west of the Ipanema area, Rio de
Jan
Website: www.favelatour.org
Telephone: Advance booking |
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