I fell in love with Rio de Janeiro | Here's 5 unique things to do
Two completely unplanned & soul-full weeks in the Cidade Maravilhosa
This article was originally published in June 2025 on my blog the passionate wanderer. Be sure to subcribe there for regular travel & living abroad insights & reflections from an unapologetic lover who believes in using our hearts as our compass.
Rio de Janeiro stole my heart. I will admit I tend to fall in love with most places I visit, however each time feels different. I’m a lover girl, what can I say.
I recently wrote about Rio de Janeiro and how this past December I was dramatically sequestered in the airport at two am during my layover before boarding a flight to Colombia (thanks to a new Colombian law requiring the yellow fever vaccine if coming from Brazil). This led to me being stuck in the city for two weeks (there’s a minimum requirement of 10 days before travel can take place post vaccine).
As far as lovers go, Rio and I had a rocky start. I was moody and preoccupied with an old flame (Colombia), my tongue missing Spanish and hips wanting salsa. While anyone would be excited to explore the Cidade Maravilhosa, there was about a 48 hour period where my body felt like someone threw a bucket of ice water on me. Walking down the sidewalk to my hostel my first evening, the sky a deep cerulean and the air balmy, I challenged the city to prove herself to me since she evidently wanted me to be there. I think she took it personally.
I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced a two week period like I did in Rio. It may have something to do with the city being a Pisces and my Neptune line running through the city, but it felt like I was completely submerged in the best way possible. It was as if nothing existed outside of the reality I was in and almost every day surprised me.
It’s incredibly important for me to go below the surface of a place when traveling and I think the list below will help you do just that. By the way, the R in Portuguese is pronounced more with an H sound so if you really want to sound like a local, pronounce Rio like “Hee -oh”. ☺
With all this being said, I’m excited to share with you five things that made me fall in love with Rio de Janeiro from Afro-Brazilian music to a $30 a night accommodation with an ocean view.
For bonus details, feel free to check out my Youtube video that goes along with this article.
1. (Samba) Dancing
I’ve been attempting to make dance a priority in my life. Dance has taken me on my own journey of becoming wildly free within my body that has helped me grow in confidence & self-love. I’ve also discovered that dance is a powerful way to get to know a culture and its people. I mean think about, dance is literally embodying a culture. It’s a way to experience a culture physically and internally.
I took five samba classes at Studio Samba Fit, a dance studio in the heart of Ipanema owned by Carla Campos. Carla made it easy to get addicted (I may have had a tiny crush on her but that’s neither here nor there). She’s been dancing Samba since she was 15 and teaching it for almost 30 years as well as helping to direct shows and train dancers for Carnaval. The passion she has for samba is contagious and she’s an amazing teacher. She will push you to be your best. If your hip isn’t doing enough, she will give it a firm push to make sure it is doing enough. One last tip, her classes are a real workout so dress and prepare accordingly.
2. Lose yourself in live music
I’ve been a bossa nova fan since I was a teen but while in Rio I got to discover pagode music which is a subset of samba music which is Afro-Brazilian in origin. If I had to explain the difference, I’d say for me, Samba music feels like when the sun is at its highest in the sky on a summer afternoon, while pagode feels like a summer day during twilight when the sky is rose gold.
My first pagode experience at Pagode da Garagem like my entire Rio trip was completely unplanned (friends from my hostel invited me). Garagem is located in downtown Rio in a building that looks to be filled with many stories. Essentially, pagode are gatherings where the band plays in the center of the room surrounded by the crowd. Visiting Pagode Garagem, an almost only local spot and mixing into the euphoric crowd and feeling the band’s vibrations was one of those things that made me know I’ll travel forever.
There’s also Renascença Clube (Renascença meaning renaissance meaning rebirth) which seems to be Afro-Brazilian focused in its mission. It’s a much larger place than Garagem and very much felt like being in an ocean. It was a regular, degular Tuesday yet the crowd sang with a vigor and purity of angels in heaven.
Both places offer a bar and Renascença Clube also has food. As far as Brazilian nightlife goes, be prepared, cigarette smoking is abundant so you can expect to see a cloud of smoke above any crowd. The smell of your hair will be a souvenir the next morning. It’s a part of the ambiance so mentally prepare for it now if you are sensitive to cigarette smoke.
3. Off the beaten path into a favela
If you’re unaware, favelas are the neighborhoods that are constructed in unincorporated areas of Brazilian cities. The original meaning for favela is similar to slum or ghetto and typically these areas represent the most impoverished inhabitants of the city. About 25% of cariocas (people from Rio) live in these cities within a cities, many with thriving community.
I can’t say I recommend or don’t recommend visiting a favela, because there are a lot of complexities on the matter which I wasn’t aware of until after visiting one. I can only say as an African-American, my time in a favela felt very familiar culturally. I went to Cantagalo for a rap concert and was able to connect with two sisters with my baby Portuguese. I told them I loved their beautiful afros and they took me and my friends under their wings for the rest of the night. They told me Afro-Brazilians see African Americans as parente which means something like kin or relative.
I don’t want to say anything to sensationalize favelas because I respect that favelas are the homes of millions of people and have their own communities nor do I want to say anything that ignores the real struggles and realities of living in favelas. You can watch my Youtube video for more details, but my favela experience happened organically and allowed me to see a side of Rio that made me feel at home in the most unexpected of ways. I didn’t get home until around 6:00 a.m. The Black diaspora is something special.
Although I didn’t get a chance to visit, I highly recommend visiting the Museu de Favela to learn more about these unique places through the eyes and stories of the people who call them home.
4. Praia da Joatinga, an almost hidden gem
One of the girls from my Samba class invited me for her birthday. Without a doubt, Praia da Joatinga is one of the most stunning beaches I’ve ever seen in my life. It felt like something from City of God, a must watch masterpiece in Brazilian cinema (that also depicts life in a favela).
For logistical insight, this beach is about 30 minutes outside of the city by car and is much more rustic than Ipanema and Copacabana beaches (as much I love them). There were only locals there and almost no vendors. In order to get down on the beach, you’ll have to climb up rocks and a few “bridges.” I’m not the best with heights so it was definitely a challenge but I’m glad I pushed myself (and had my hostel friends to hold onto). Make sure to check if it’s high or low tide, because when high it’s not possible to access the beach. Also, I’d say climbing back up the rocks was more challenging especially with the rising tide. The path to heaven isn’t easy.
5. Hostels for community
Togetherness and community are a huge part of Brazilian culture. Even if traveling solo like I did, being connected with others gifted me memories of a lifetime. If it wasn’t for my hostel connections, I can’t imagine what my time in Rio would have been like and that goes for other places I’ve traveled as well.
I stayed in Hostel New Ipanema for my first five days. They were there for me at 2 a.m. when I had nowhere to stay. While small and without many common areas, it’s cozy with a lovely vibe between everyone staying there. I met some of my favorite people here during my five months of traveling and I miss them dearly. Our lives really came together at the right time even if for an instant. This hostel is right in the heart of Ipanema about three minutes from everything you can think of - beach, metro, the grocery store… samba classes.
After Hostel New Ipanema, I stayed at Aquarela do Leme for eight days. Leme is a neighborhood that borders Copacabana and is less touristy overall. It was stunning and I’d highly recommend it if new to hostels. While New Ipanema is more traditional with bunk beds (no curtains), Aquarela has spacious pods which provide a sense of oasis and privacy. It has views of the ocean from the balconies in the rooms, a rooftop, and tons of common areas where you can interact with others but also be to yourself. Most importantly this hostel offers free breakfast. Tropical fruits, fresh baked bread, homemade almond butter, eggs, and cheese to name a few. Everyone beginning their day together every morning in the dining room gave an unexpected familial vibe even if no more than smiling hello. The location is maybe not as convenient as New Ipanema – it’s up on a hill and 15 minutes walking to the nearest metro – but it is five minutes to the beach!
Let me know what excites you most on the list! Did I convince you to give samba dancing a chance? xoxo- Shalenah