Santa Teresa Discovery

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Ride the subway downtown, jump on Rio's last remaining tram up to Santa Teresa. Get a glimpse into the neighboorhood's cobblestone streets, shops and culture. Stroll down to the Selaron's staircase and meet his vibrant masterpiece. All of this, and more on this great Rio de Janeiro day tour.

Highlights:

Explore the lovely district of Santa Teresa and jump on the last tram line in Rio de Janeiro.
Journey from Rio downtown all the way up to this fascinating and unique neighborhood, nominated by many visitors as the Carioca Montmartre.

Tour style:Walking & Orientation, Local life & Culture, Heritage & History, Local Interaction
Inclusion:

English speaking local guide, roundtrip subway ticket, tram ride fare.

Exclusion:

Personal shopping, snacks, tips or gratuities for your local guide.

Group size:Maximum 12
Schedule details:

Duration: 4 hours
Meeting point:
In front of the H Stern Store at the Copacabana Palace Hotel.
Start time: 9.00 AM
Finish point:
In front of the H Stern Store at the Copacabana Palace Hotel.

Additional information :

Voucher exchange details:
Please present your voucher to the local guide at the beginning of the trip.
Confirmation of booking:
Please contact Rio De Janeiro Urban Adventures to confirm your trip 24 hours prior to departure.
Dress standard:
Latin Americans can be very conscious of appearance so try to be casual but conservative in your dress. Outside of beach areas halter tops and very short shorts should not be worn. When visiting churches or religious sites shoulders and knees should be covered.
Child policy:
Children must be between 6 and 11 years of age inclusively.
Language: English

Also runs from:1 Apr 2012 to 31 Mar 2013

Itinerary:

For this Rio de Janeiro city tour, meet at the magnificent and classic Copacabana Palace Hotel. Take the subway downtown and learn how to use this excellent means of transportation in Rio, a great way to orientate yourself with this large city. Hop off at Carioca Station and wander through the Financial District, home of huge companies such as Petrobras and BNDES. Visit Carioca Square, once the main source of drinking water in Rio, transported in by the Aqueducts of Lapa.

Climb on the a tram for the journey up to Santa Teresa, a 20 minutes ride over the aqueducts which are now used as the tram route. This is the last tram line in Brazil for transportation purpose. Next stop - Largo dos Guimaraes. Explore the cobblestone streets of Santa Teresa on foot and discover beautiful architecture, art galleries, restaurants and local costumes. One of Rio's oldest neighbourhoods, Santa Teresa, situated high on a hill overlooking Rio, enchants locals and visitors alike with it's cobbled streets and eclectic architectural styles. The views of the city centre and the bay are stunning. Previously a neighbourhood dominated by the elite, with their departure to more modern suburbs of Rio it has been transformed into an artistic centre with many artists choosing the area as their preferred place of residence.

Among the attractions in Santa Teresa, the highlights are the Chacara do Ceu Museum, the Ruins Park and its gorgeous view over Rio de Janeiro Downtown and Guanabara Bay. Many visitors compare the neighboorhood to the bohemian district of Montmartre in Paris. During the Carnival, many street bands perform on the streets and the most famous one is “Bloco das Carmelitas”, which was named after the local Convent.

On the way back towards Lapa District drop by the Carmelitas’ Convent and clamber down the picturesque "Selaron’s Staircase" to see his masterpiece and meet its mentor.

Your trip:

This trip is offered on a "join-in" basis. Maximum group size is 12.

Tipping:

If you are happy with the services provided by your local guides and drivers a tip - though not compulsory - is appropriate. While it may not be customary to you, it is of great significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels, inspires excellent service, and is an entrenched feature of the tourism industry across many Intrepid Urban Adventures destinations. Please consider this when budgeting for your extra expenses on this tour

Cancellations made more than 2 days prior to travel receive a full refund
Cancellations made 2 days or less prior to travel attract a 100% cancellation fee.

Rio de Janeiro Urban Adventures

Rio de Janeiro Urban Adventures team are “Cariocas”, or Rio locals, who are passionate about their city and the local lifestyle of natural happiness and outgoing social experiences. People from Rio are very active and the team has created adventurous options on their Rio de Janeiro day tours for travellers to get in touch into Rio’s way of life.

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Responsible Travel with Urban Adventures

Wherever we go in the world, we take a responsible attitude with us. That means travelling in a way which both respects and benefits local people, their culture, their economy, and their environment. Please read on for more information on our Responsible Travel policy and how you can be a responsible traveller for your entire journey.

Top 12 Responsible Travel Tips

The following tips are for your overall travel plans, not just for your time spent on an Urban Adventures tour.

Before leaving home, learn as much as possible about the countries you are visiting - the religion and culture, the local rules and values.
Learn some of the local language and don't be afraid to use it - simple pleasantries will help break the ice. Keep practicing.
Learn what's appropriate behaviour and body language. Like the concept of "saving face" in Asia or giving the thumbs up in western or central Europe.
Support locally owned businesses, hotels, restaurants, and other services. Eat local food and drink local brands and brews. Use public transport, hire a bike or walk where convenient - you'll meet local people and get to know the place. Use our local travel practices as a guideline.
Think first. It's best not to eat in restaurants, shop in stores or visit local shows, markets or zoos that promote cruelty or exploitation of endangered species.
Shop from traditional artisans and for locally made products, helping keep traditional crafts alive and favour local products over imported items. Bargain if that is a local practice, but bear in mind that a small amount to you could be extremely important to the seller.
Dress respectfully with an awareness of local standards. Dress modestly at religious sites and check what swim wear is suitable for pools and the beach.
Always ask first before photographing or videoing people. Send them back copies of photos to help make it a two-way exchange.
Be wary of giving gifts or money to beggars, children and people you have just met. Supporting the community through a local school, clinic, or development project may be more constructive.
Leave only footprints...take care of the environment as you would your own home. Take out all you take in, to areas away from the cities. Use alternatives to plastic and say 'no' to plastic bags. For cigarette butts, an empty film container makes a perfect portable container.
After returning home think how you can support programmes and organisations that are working to protect the welfare, culture and environment of where you've been lucky to visit.
Smile - The traveller who wishes to have a happy and successful trip should keep as calm, cheerful and friendly as humanly possible. And have fun!

Responsible Travel Code of Conduct

The following are Urban Adventures's key principles for operating responsible tours.

We aim to:

Use locally owned infrastructure on our tours where possible.
Spread the financial benefits amongst local people and operators.
Provide employment and leadership opportunities for local people.
Respect local customs and culture.
Provide safe tours for Urban Adventure partners, staff, and travellers.
Educate travellers and our partners about how and why we choose to travel this way.
Limit the negative impacts to daily lifestyles of local people not involved with Urban Adventures groups.
Limit the physical impact of trips in all destination communities-particularly sensitive natural and cultural environments.
Provide support to organisations and local communities visited by Urban Adventures groups.
Provide fun enjoyable trips to Urban Adventures travellers.
Provide opportunities for travellers to interact with local people.
Actively ban partners, staff and passenger participation in or endorsement of commercial sexual activities or illegal drug use on Urban Adventures tours.
Actively discourage the participation of Urban Adventures groups in activities which exploit animals - wild or domestic.
Use local partners that adhere to Urban Adventures' Responsible Travel and Local Travel principles and provide the best possible service to Urban Adventures travellers and staff.
Work to prevent the exploitation of children in tourism.
Support and encourage fair employment practices.
Give our travellers the best possible value.

For more information on how to be a responsible traveller, region-specific guidelines, and voluntourism, check out what our friends at Intrepid have to say.

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