the boomer live

Rio !!   The famous Carnival in February, Samba, Beaches, or the iconic views of Sugar Loaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer Statue.  Rio has something  to offer every visitor. We had a wonderful time in Rio, despite the weather on the second day. You can read what we did,  click here for  Day 1, or here for Day 2.

Security: Before we left for Rio we did have some concerns about safety, we had read about, and heard from friends about many instances of street theft.  Because of this and that we wanted  to see as much as possible during our 2 days  in Rio we decided to hire a private tour guide and car.  During the whole time we were in Rio we never felt uncomfortable or at any risk at any time, including walking through the busy downtown market & shopping area.  Our guide made sure we kept together, was always with us, and  our touring was only done in daylight hours.  More on our tour guide arrangements below.  Having said that it is recommended that you do not wear any jewelry (we even took off wedding rings etc.), and do not "flash" your camera when not in use (most digital cameras will fit in a pocket).

Port:  The Cruise Terminal is located in the business district of downtown.  The terminal is clean and has a  few shops, with the normal people offering free maps and tour services, taxi’s are available outside.  Some of the terminal areas are just starting a renovation, supposedly to include many more shops and restaurants.  The photo is of the entrance of the terminal, a good meeting spot.

What To See: The sights of Rio are well documented, but the following was on our must see list:  Christ the Redeemer Statue, take the cog railway up, its an interesting trip.  Tip: Try to go as early as possible to avoid  the crowds!  Copacabana & Ipenema Beaches, Santa Teresa District,  Sambadrome (and or the  Samba City)   & Sugar Loaf Mountain.  Other ideas, shopping in Ipenema, Maracana Soccer Stadium, Forto Copacabana,  Theatro Municipal,  Confeitaria Colombo, Hippie Marcket (Sunday only), for the adventurous a helicopter tour or hang gliding.  Also check online or in guide books for churches, museums, gardens and other places that meet your interests.  Click on the "view larger map"  below to see where some of the main sights are located, you can zoom the map in and out plus look at the satellite views.

View Larger Map

Tours & Guides: There are many organized tours by the ship or optionally from tour operators like ViaTour.  As mentioned we organized a private tour guide & car for 2 days (car can accommodate 2 couples).  I contacted Marcio Guedes  via email, he was very professional and timely in his responses.  He is a licensed guide and we arranged for him to meet us at the pier.  However as our day 1 report explains due to car problems Marcio could not make it but arranged for another guide Marcelo Neves to fill in for him.  Marcelo  was an excellent guide, very thoughtful and informative,  and he takes nice photos! We never seem to  get good photos of us together!   We got to see everything we had planned  even though the weather did not cooperate on day 2.  Marcelo’s English is not perfect, but more than adequate, (I have a raspy English accent which did not help in the conversation).  I did speak to Marcio on the phone and his English is perfect.  Based on the our experience we would recommend either Marcello or Marcio if you are thinking of hiring a private guide.   Important: Remember, if you are arranging your own tours or guides, you may want to do due diligence on things like licenses and insurance.  Also make sure to leave enough time to get back to the ship, if you are late, the Captain will not wait!  The traffic in the downtown area near the pier can get gridlocked in the rush hour and when it rains.  If you would like contact info for Marcello or Marcio email me at mick ( at) theboomerlive dot com.

A second option  to consider is to take a free tour offered by some of the Jewelry Stores (AH Stern, Ben Bros. & Saban).  Cruise Critic member Jim wrote an informative post on one that he took.  You can read his post here.