Rio de Janeiro Little Africa Cultural and Historical Journey with Museu de Arte do Rio, Pedra do Sal, Cais do Valongo
by Florencios Tour and Travel
Choose from 5 available options
How do you want to book?
✓Confirmation before Wed, 9 Sept - card's only charged if it's a yes. If it's a no, still time to book on Viator.
Book on Viator Confirmed right away, but you pay full price.$172Overview
This three-and-a-half-hour walking journey through Rio de Janeiro’s Little Africa begins at the Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR), located at Praça Mauá, 5 in Centro, where participants meet the guide. The group first visits Igreja de Sao Francisco da Prainha, spending about 20 minutes viewing the statue of Mercedes Baptista, the first African-Brazilian ballet dancer at Rio’s Municipal Theater. The guide explains the area's connections to samba and black music traditions. Next, the journey continues to Pedra do Sal, a historic site linked to the origins of urban carioca samba and the labor of enslaved Africans who unloaded salt from Portugal. This stop lasts around 20 minutes and includes stories about samba circles and musicians such as Pixinguinha. The tour then proceeds to Cais do Valongo, a UNESCO World Heritage site and former slave landing wharf built in 1811. Visitors learn about the arrival of up to 900,000 Africans in South America and see archaeological evidence of the slave trade. Nearby, at Boulevard Olimpico, the group views the Ethnicities mural, a large 3,000-square-meter painting created for the 2016 Olympics that features portraits representing five tribes from different continents, painted with thousands of liters of paint and spray cans. The tour continues to the Museo da Historia e Cultura Afro-Brasileira (MUHCAB), located near Valongo Wharf, where visitors spend about 70 minutes exploring exhibits on the history of enslaved Africans, key moments in black cultural affirmation in Brazil, and contemporary issues faced by Afro-Brazilians. Finally, the journey ends at the Instituto de Pesquisa e Memoria Pretos Novos (IPN), a museum and archaeological site on the former "New Blacks Cemetery." The visit here lasts about 60 minutes and highlights the memory of Africans brought to Rio as slaves, with cultural programs offered since 2005. The entire journey is led by a guide and includes air-conditioned transport between locations when necessary. Tips are not included.
Highlights
What's included
What's not included
Itinerary
Museu de Arte do Rio - MAR
The meeting point for the tour without hotel pickup is at Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR), located at Praça Mauá, 5 in Rio de Janeiro’s Centro district.
Igreja de Sao Francisco da Prainha
At Largo da Prainha, visitors see the Mercedes Baptista Statue honoring the first African-Brazilian ballet dancer at Rio's Municipal Theater in the late 1940s. The area is known for samba music, black cultural influence, and local atmosphere. The stop lasts about 20 minutes.
20 min
Pedra do Sal
Next is Pedra do Sal, a historic site tied to the work of enslaved Africans who unloaded salt from Portugal and carved the steps there. It became a center for samba, carnival ranchos, afoxés processions, and sacred spaces from the late 1800s. Samba circles formed in nearby homes, with musicians like Pixinguinha attending. This stop lasts about 20 minutes.
20 min
Cais do Valongo
Cais do Valongo is a World Heritage site and stone wharf built in 1811 where around 900,000 enslaved Africans arrived in South America. It holds archaeological layers that provide the most important physical evidence of the African slave trade in the Americas. The visit here lasts about 20 minutes.
20 min
Boulevard Olimpico
The Ethnicities mural at Boulevard Olimpico covers 3,000 square meters and was created for the 2016 Olympics. It depicts five representatives from different tribes—the Huli, Mursi, Kayin, Supi, and Tapajós—each from a different continent, representing global diversity. The mural took two months of work with 12-hour shifts to finish, using over 3,000 spray cans, 700 liters of colored paint, and 1,800 liters of white paint for the background. The stop lasts around 20 minutes.
20 min
Instituto de Pesquisa e Memoria Pretos Novos - IPN
The IPN museum and archaeological site honors Africans brought to Rio as slaves, located on the site of the "New Blacks Cemetery." Since 2005, it offers cultural activities and workshops on African-descended people’s history and culture. Recognized as a Cultural Space since 2009, the visit takes about one hour.
60 min
Museu da Historia e Cultura Afro-Brasileira - MUHCAB
MUHCAB is a museum in Little Africa near Valongo Wharf, a World Heritage Site. It presents the arrival of enslaved Africans, milestones in black affirmation in Brazil, Afro-Brazilian cultural development, and current issues faced by black Brazilians. Visitors spend approximately 70 minutes here.
70 min
Meeting point
Meeting Point Address: VLT Station Parada dos Navios – Armazém 4 Port of Rio de Janeiro Cruise Terminal Gamboa, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brasil. Your Florencios guide will be waiting right in front of "Armazém 4" port exit gate, holding a Florencios Tours & Travel sign to welcome you.
End point
After the tour ends at Mauá Square, you can visit the great Museums: Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR) and Museu do Amanhã. Additionally, explore the Olympic Boulevard.
Languages
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 24 hours before start for a full refund.
Additional info
Rio de Janeiro Little Africa Cultural and Historical Journey with Museu de Arte do Rio, Pedra do Sal, Cais do Valongo
by Florencios Tour and Travel
Choose from 5 available options
How do you want to book?
✓Confirmation before Wed, 9 Sept - card's only charged if it's a yes. If it's a no, still time to book on Viator.
Book on Viator Confirmed right away, but you pay full price.$172Overview
This three-and-a-half-hour walking journey through Rio de Janeiro’s Little Africa begins at the Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR), located at Praça Mauá, 5 in Centro, where participants meet the guide. The group first visits Igreja de Sao Francisco da Prainha, spending about 20 minutes viewing the statue of Mercedes Baptista, the first African-Brazilian ballet dancer at Rio’s Municipal Theater. The guide explains the area's connections to samba and black music traditions. Next, the journey continues to Pedra do Sal, a historic site linked to the origins of urban carioca samba and the labor of enslaved Africans who unloaded salt from Portugal. This stop lasts around 20 minutes and includes stories about samba circles and musicians such as Pixinguinha. The tour then proceeds to Cais do Valongo, a UNESCO World Heritage site and former slave landing wharf built in 1811. Visitors learn about the arrival of up to 900,000 Africans in South America and see archaeological evidence of the slave trade. Nearby, at Boulevard Olimpico, the group views the Ethnicities mural, a large 3,000-square-meter painting created for the 2016 Olympics that features portraits representing five tribes from different continents, painted with thousands of liters of paint and spray cans. The tour continues to the Museo da Historia e Cultura Afro-Brasileira (MUHCAB), located near Valongo Wharf, where visitors spend about 70 minutes exploring exhibits on the history of enslaved Africans, key moments in black cultural affirmation in Brazil, and contemporary issues faced by Afro-Brazilians. Finally, the journey ends at the Instituto de Pesquisa e Memoria Pretos Novos (IPN), a museum and archaeological site on the former "New Blacks Cemetery." The visit here lasts about 60 minutes and highlights the memory of Africans brought to Rio as slaves, with cultural programs offered since 2005. The entire journey is led by a guide and includes air-conditioned transport between locations when necessary. Tips are not included.
Highlights
What's included
What's not included
Itinerary
Museu de Arte do Rio - MAR
The meeting point for the tour without hotel pickup is at Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR), located at Praça Mauá, 5 in Rio de Janeiro’s Centro district.
Igreja de Sao Francisco da Prainha
At Largo da Prainha, visitors see the Mercedes Baptista Statue honoring the first African-Brazilian ballet dancer at Rio's Municipal Theater in the late 1940s. The area is known for samba music, black cultural influence, and local atmosphere. The stop lasts about 20 minutes.
20 min
Pedra do Sal
Next is Pedra do Sal, a historic site tied to the work of enslaved Africans who unloaded salt from Portugal and carved the steps there. It became a center for samba, carnival ranchos, afoxés processions, and sacred spaces from the late 1800s. Samba circles formed in nearby homes, with musicians like Pixinguinha attending. This stop lasts about 20 minutes.
20 min
Cais do Valongo
Cais do Valongo is a World Heritage site and stone wharf built in 1811 where around 900,000 enslaved Africans arrived in South America. It holds archaeological layers that provide the most important physical evidence of the African slave trade in the Americas. The visit here lasts about 20 minutes.
20 min
Boulevard Olimpico
The Ethnicities mural at Boulevard Olimpico covers 3,000 square meters and was created for the 2016 Olympics. It depicts five representatives from different tribes—the Huli, Mursi, Kayin, Supi, and Tapajós—each from a different continent, representing global diversity. The mural took two months of work with 12-hour shifts to finish, using over 3,000 spray cans, 700 liters of colored paint, and 1,800 liters of white paint for the background. The stop lasts around 20 minutes.
20 min
Instituto de Pesquisa e Memoria Pretos Novos - IPN
The IPN museum and archaeological site honors Africans brought to Rio as slaves, located on the site of the "New Blacks Cemetery." Since 2005, it offers cultural activities and workshops on African-descended people’s history and culture. Recognized as a Cultural Space since 2009, the visit takes about one hour.
60 min
Museu da Historia e Cultura Afro-Brasileira - MUHCAB
MUHCAB is a museum in Little Africa near Valongo Wharf, a World Heritage Site. It presents the arrival of enslaved Africans, milestones in black affirmation in Brazil, Afro-Brazilian cultural development, and current issues faced by black Brazilians. Visitors spend approximately 70 minutes here.
70 min
Meeting point
Meeting Point Address: VLT Station Parada dos Navios – Armazém 4 Port of Rio de Janeiro Cruise Terminal Gamboa, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brasil. Your Florencios guide will be waiting right in front of "Armazém 4" port exit gate, holding a Florencios Tours & Travel sign to welcome you.
End point
After the tour ends at Mauá Square, you can visit the great Museums: Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR) and Museu do Amanhã. Additionally, explore the Olympic Boulevard.
Languages
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 24 hours before start for a full refund.