THE FEBRUARY SUPER TOUR - DAY TWO

The second day in Rio will be a golden ending of page in your Rio's adventure!!! It will be the conclusion that you need more days in Rio to realize that your home is here!!! A good companior you will have, me and my guides will take care of that...We will find time and use a lot of improvision according to our time, according to the weather. The chance to see Rio by the EYE OF A LOCAL is now!!! THIS IS OUR ITINERARY: Early in the morning, you would go to the famous Sugar Loaf and the surroundings where you can see samples of our Atlantic Forest .

THE SUGAR LOAF is a important symbol of our city, this landmark can be seen in a distance in so many different directions you take in the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain is gorgeous and the views from the top is breathtaking.

Before heading to Niteroi, the biggest surprise in every tour. It is my homeland. I was raised in the other side of the Bay. We will have a stop in a place very close to the Pier...We will see the very old Monastery of São Bento, an impressive barroc church that was built in 1590!!! A little bit of our history, a little bit of our tradition will be experienced with you!!!

Niteroi is a hidden jewel in your trip to Rio de Janeiro, and the itinerary continues:

Then you would visit the other side of our Guanabara Bay, you would see the city of Niteroi that gives you a spectacular perspective of Rio’s skyline with its lovely mountains, you would see very charming and unique fishing villages and impressive military forts and of course you will visit the famous Modern Art Museum and my paragliding school on the top of Parque da Cidade Hill.

IMPORTANT - When I say visiting the Museum - it does not mean that we are going to see the Modern Art, it means that we are going to see such an unique landscape that this location offer!!! Remember that Mac - the Museum - is a project of our very famous architect Oscar Niemeyer, the same person that constructed our capital Brasilia.

In Niteroi , which is the second most important city in the State of Rio de Janeiro offers very interesting places. Just by crossing the Bridge, you will have lots of fun. Then you will see just the outside of our MODERN ART MUSEUM which is a project of our famous architect OSCAR NIEMEYER and the building has breathtaking views of the Bay Side, then we will see a very charming fishing village of Jurujuba, you will also visit the Military Fort of the Holy Cross and see other hidden beaches such as Adan and Eve; and as a grand finale we will reach a view point where just locals know where it is, the Parque da Cidade, everything will make your TRIP the most fantastic one!

I also have recorded some special videos on youtube where you can have an idea about a unique place we are going…PARQUE DA CIDADE, a very local viewpoint where you can see all over Rio and the city of Niteroi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUocRiZynhE – In this video I explain one of my new tours that passes through Niteroi. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qicrjp0Y_5o – One of my guests talks about my tours in this viewpoint that I will take you, his name is Mark.

Join us as soon as possible, the vacancies are very limited...This is the chance to have a unique experience in Rio completely different to so many other plastic tours that you know. The tour is genuine and the guides will be your friends forever!

Rafael Torres Lopes

Tour Guide and Travel Planner

TWO DAYS IN RIO - AFTER THAT YOU CAN SAY "I HAVE REALLY BEEN TO RIO!!!"

Book this tour

Sometimes one day is not enough to see the so many secrets and surprises that Rio can offer, two days in the city you will see that the Rio will ask for more! Specially when I know exactly what you want to see.

I am not interested to take my guests to obvious touristy places and I am always telling them to avoid many tourist traps. I am a local who loves the city who happened to be a registered tour guide, and what I do is very simple. I take people to places where locals love going to enjoy life and have fun. It is a very informal way to see all over the city!!!!

One day in Rio???? Sure I can help you!!! Two days in Rio??? You see, I did convince you to have a better perspective of Rio, and two days in Rio will be the start for you to feel at home!!!!

SO THE PLAN IS:

FIRST DAY - Our first day I will do something that you will have a great idea about Rio, you will drive directly to see the Christ, after that you will explore all over the Tijuca Forest, you will see incredible views and many water springs and water falls, lots of nature. Then you will see our wetlands at Marapendi Channels, you will see more very local ocean beaches like Barra da Tijuca and Joa, you will also see the unknown beaches of our west side like Recreio, Prainha and Grumari. When you get back to the hotel I will take you to see the rocks of Arpoador and the Fort of Copacabana.

THE SECOND DAY - Early in the morning, you would go to the famous Sugar Loaf and the surroundings where you can see samples of our Atlantic Forest . Then you would visit the other side of our Guanabara Bay, you would see the city of Niteroi that gives you a spectacular perspective of Rio’s skyline with its lovely mountains, you would see very charming and unique fishing villages and impressive military forts and of course you will visit the famous Modern Art Museum and my paragliding school on the top of Parque da Cidade Hill.

In Niteroi , which is the second most important city in the State of Rio de Janeiro offers very interesting places. Just by crossing the Bridge, you will have lots of fun. Then you will see just the outside of our MODERN ART MUSEUM which is a project of our famous architect OSCAR NIEMEYER and the building has breathtaking views of the Bay Side, then we will see a very charming fishing village of Jurujuba, you will also visit the Military Fort of the Holy Cross and see other hidden beaches such as Adan and Eve; and as a grand finale we will reach a view point where just locals know where it is, the Parque da Cidade, everything will make your TRIP the most fantastic one!

PLEASE NOTE: GOING TO THE MUSEUM IT IS NOT GETTING IN THE MUSEUM, WE WILL JUST SEE THE PLACE OUTSIDE, THE ARQUITECTURE OF THE BUILDING AND THE LOCATION IS THE ATTRACTION ITSELF, YOU GET ME????
Also, we will always find some time for us to see a little bit of the Centro in Rio, it is our oldest and very interesting profile of the city, it will be your chance to follow the real’s people daily life and be part of it!!!!
SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! BOOK THE TOUR!

ANOTHER DANISH FAMILY VISITING - BUT THEY ARE SPECIAL!!!!

It seems that swallowing the Sugar Loaf is a sort of fashion among my guests, eh????

But they really swallowed the HEART AND THE MAGIC OF RIO, and now the city is in their heart!!! : )))))) More danish guests, but these ones are REALLY SPECIAL...I mean, absolutely special people...if you read about my brother Jakob in my blog, then you have the main clue....THEY ARE THE PARENTS OF MY BIG BROTHER AND GREAT FRIEND JAKOB!!!!

Yes...I had the honor to show Rio to my friends Anita and Bent, and I did my best to show every little corner of this city, and they went to so many unique places that no tourists go!!!

We saw the forest, the natural springs of Paineiras, we went to the tiny little beach of Joá and we saw the oldest monastery of our State, São Bento with its incredible barroc architecture, and of course we ended our day in the so hidden city of Niteroi!!!! We also went to the Christ!!!!

To see more about them, you can go to you tube and watch this following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXo8qWhzZlo

There you can see a very kind message from parents to their son in Rio, in danish of course!!!! :)

I am sure they will come back, right now they are experience the countryside of Brazil, maybe somewhere in Iguazu Falls!!!!

But they know that they are my danish family, people I will always admire and I am very grateful and honored that they had the chance to experience my tour that I full dedicate myself to show to my people what Rio de Janeiro really looks like!!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

Tour Guide and Travel Planner

donrafainrio@yahoo.es

BIRDS IN MY TOUR

In my tours I focus alot on Nature, I always take my people to places where Nature tells you that you are really in a country full of wilderness, even though you are visiting a city of almost 9 million people!!! Rio is privileged because of our forests, mountains and absolutely beautiful ocean.

Everywhere I go, and I visit lots of places with my guests, either in Rio or outside of the city...we come across with different birds and we can see some unique species of our environment. We are lucky because our people preserve our natural resources. We are very proud to have so many city parks, state parks and national parks all around!!!

Rio is not a city for birdwatching, it is not a common practice among brazilians.

But I do love it and I also found out a birdwatching place in the mountains of our state, it is a location called CACHOEIRO DE MACACU.

My birds I find mostly in the mountains of Bocaina and in the wetlands of Marapendi where I have found not only birds, alligators are often there!

So if you want to experience a different side of Rio de Janeiro, oh yes...YOU CAN REALLY COUNT ON ME!!!

Happy travels!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

MARAPENDI WETLANDS - WILDNESS IN RIO - ONE MORE TOUR WITH MARCONE

Marcone and I working together in our wild spot Marapendi

Always showing what Rio has best...adventure

This is a guide and a friend with a lot of charisma: Marcone

We have not find their mother yet....

This is the scenery you see...A different side of Rio de Janeiro

I think this is indeed one of the highlights of my tours and I have a special fond for this place...I am not sure because I have never been there but I always says that this is a very small version of the Florida's everglades, but the coolest things is that we are in Rio de Janeiro.

Marapendi is a complex of various lagoons in the west side of Rio, it has about 7 islands, some islands people live, other islands are protected reserve areas and one island is a big country club where people can have a lot of pleasant activities such as practicing sports and simply to have a good time with friends and family.

For the moment and I hope it takes a long time, Marapendi is not even writen in any travel book, so it is a very local and down to earth place. The pace of life is slow and calm and you will be thinking that it is hard to believe that in a city which has the World's famous Copacabana you can find this little peace of paradise that Marapendi shows you all the time you go there!

That day marks some very often co-work between Marcone and I which makes me very honored. I was the one who met Marcone way up north where I do my tours in the Amazon, in a very fantastic State called Maranhão, and since that time I always told him...You'd e a perfect tour guide and after so much time learning about my work and seeing the places I cover, Marcone decided to go to Rio and start his professional life down here in the South East of the country, and nothing better than starting in Rio which I am sure this is the door entrance of a fascinating country called Brazil!!!

Now Marcone is no doubt the person I always can count with when my guests write to me requesting a TOUR GUIDE to make their trips something more than special, of course, when I am busy with other guests...It is hard to be one person, but I can see myself in the way that Marcone shows Rio with a solid enthusiasm, with all his heart and using the same endless person just like I always do in my tours! To show the best of Rio I think you need to use your blood, to use your heart...And Marcone makes these personal quality a very important tool in his work!!!

And he is a working guy...such a busy and well known english teacher and brilliant student of Nursery-Medicine in one of the best federal universities in Brazil. UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO DE JANEIRO.

And this special day, that happened in August 9th, 2009...Marcone was taking care of such a very nice couple from Chicago, Marija and Bruce, and I was taking care of ANOTHER Chicago's couple, Maggie and Bill, my fantastic friends and special guests with a lot of GREEK BLOOD...these special people who gave such a HOT FLAVOR in Illinois' culture, right????

Laughs, breathless landscapes, wildlife, fun and a new discovery in one of the sides of Rio that not even the locals have access...

This is what makes my work different...and with a little help of Marcone, makes it even more special!!!!

You can write directly to him, Marcone is another busy man like myself but we will always find time to clarify all your doubts about Rio and we are able to make your dreams come true in Carioca's land, his email is marconelima@yahoo.co.uk

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: We take people to the wetlands, but we cannot include the boatmen payment, so bear in mind that we all have to give 15 reais (each person), which is about 7 american dollars, for the trip that takes about 40 minutes to one hour.

A good suggestion is stopping in a local bar called Cicero for some delicious local snacks (specially schrimps) in one of the islands.