My Accidental Private Solo Tour To Brazil

Keeping with my yearly tradition, I wanted to spend the New Year abroad. By mid-2019, I already knew I wanted to go to South America. I hopped on Tour Radar to get some ideas and settled on Brazil. I chose “Best of Brazil 8 days” — it looked like a great trip. I was excited to go on a fully guided group tour, only to wind up on a private solo tour instead.

So, this post will be a bit of a rant and a lesson I want to share with all of you who like to travel via tours.

To be upfront I never heard of the tour operator before, and it only had a handful of reviews. That’s a HUGE red flag for a tour operator yet I went ahead with it…stupid mistake. So how did my fully guided group tour become a private solo tour? I contacted the tour company (not Tour Radar) to get my itinerary only to find out 50 days before the start of my vacation it was canceled!

When I contacted Tour Radar, they informed me that the operator had been dropped due to complaints from previous customers. I just couldn’t believe it!

What in the actual F**K! I received no heads-up, no email letting me know of the cancellation.

Make no mistake, this was s**t customer service and I was heated. I immediately picked up the phone called Tour Radar and lit them on fire. I already purchased my flight tickets and I was set on going somewhere. After raking them over the coals and they were able to come up with a custom solo tour. Basically, Tour Radar got in contact with a local Brazilian tour company to create a private solo tour at the last minute.

Private Solo Tour: What Changed?

The main differences from the fully guided tour I originally booked were:

• I had to settle for a partially guided tour. Of the 8 days, I only had a guide for three days.
• Since it was last minute, I couldn’t visit Ilha Grande, a Brazilian island I had been eager to see

Private Solo Tour to Brazil Overview

Accommodation: Instead of staying in Rio de Janeiro, I was placed in Barra da Tijuca, a suburb of Rio. The hotel there was fantastic — no complaints on that front. In Paraty, I stayed at Imperatriz Paraty Hotel, which was extremely charming with great food!

Group Size: Originally, the tour was supposed to be about 10 people, but after the cancellation, it was just me.

Guide: I can’t speak highly enough about Fred Franco, the tour company MC Turismo did a great job in hiring him to show me around. He really did save my trip from being a total disaster.

Food: The accommodations had a complimentary breakfast (which I took full advantage of) but lunches and dinner were on me.

Transportation: My guide drove me around in his private car.

Optional Add-Ons: Only on the first day was set up for sightseeing in Rio with Fred acting as my guide. For the rest of the trip, I had to rely on Get Your Guide which saved the trip (mostly).

Cost: Since my original tour was canceled, Tour Radar rolled over my payment into this custom private solo tour. The extras included three excursions, one extra hotel night, and some additional spending money for food and souvenirs.

Private Solo Tour to Brazil Itinerary & Review:

Day: 1 Fred picked me up at the airport and took mt to my hotel in Barra da Tijuca (a suburb in Rio) from there I did the normal check-in which was at about 3 p.m. Since it was late in the afternoon already, I decided to hit the beach for a light meal, sip some fresh coconut water and people-watch. Frankly, the long flight left me a little tired so sightseeing in Rio would be the following day.

Day 2: I spent the whole day in Rio De Janeiro exploring as much as I could with Fred leading the way. Honestly, it felt like Fred was an old friend showing me around town. We checked out all the major tourist attractions.

Besides the flag, the symbol of Brazil is probably Christ the Redeemer, this should be #1 on your list of things to see when visiting Rio. The statue sits on the peak of Corcovado Mountain.

I need to warn you about when to visit. You may think it’s best to get there early in the morning to beat the crowds. However, don’t be surprised if it’s cloudy. That happened to me the day I visited but luckily the sun came out…so check the weather reports.

You have 2 options to view Christ the Redeemer:

• Take a van – the official site is located on Copacabana Beach or you can book online here.
• Take a tram – the official site is located on Copacabana Beach you can buy online but I found that GetYourGuide is the cheaper option for the same trip.

I remember Fred had purchased the tickets and we took a van. I remember we stopped at the Paineiras Visitor Center which is the information center + gift shop. From there we boarded another van to Corcovado Mountain to stand right next to one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. The views from Christ the Redeemer are stunning; you can see Sugarloaf Mountain, and the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon.

If you’re staying on Copacabana Beach or close by then click here Get Your Guide to easily get tickets to this marvelous site.  

Next stop for me was taking in the views from Sugarloaf Mountain.I remember Fred already took care of the tickets online for access to the mountain and cable car. All we had to do go straight to the ticket office and show them to staff allowing us to skip the line. Sugarloaf Mountain is really breathtaking and riding the cable car was my first time using this mode of transport….a definite highlight.

Getting tickets is very easy for any solo traveler. You can head to the box office of the cable cars and wait in line. I don’t recommend this option as this is very popular with travelers so you can be waiting a long time. The best way to get your tickets is online through Get Your Guide.

Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião is another wonder in Rio de Janeiro that is a must-see attraction. The church’s architecture was inspired by the pyramids in Mexico. Luckily this is free to visit open 7 am to 5 pm

Definitely worth the visit in particular for the floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows.

Homemade sorbet! After the visit to the cathedral Fred took me to a secret spot in this unassuming Rio neighborhood for some sorbet. The problem was there was no ice cream shop or even a pushcart.

He went up to the side of an apartment building and rang a bell from a clothesline. No lie someone from a 2^nd story window lowered a basket with a menu of all the different flavors I picked mango Fred went with coconut and in the basket, the money went. In 5 minutes, she lowered the basket with our sorbet!

I laughed so hard because the sorbet was GREAT! Honestly, I felt I was let in on a secret because only locals come here.

Maracanã Stadium: I didn’t buy any tickets to watch a soccer match and frankly I don’t think that particular day any were played…nonetheless an impressive stadium. If you want to watch a soccer match and have a blast with the locals, feel free to explore your options.

Theatro Municipal (Opera House): You can walk into the lobby but not the actual opera house itself. Outside and literally across the street there was a promenade with small shops, bookshops, some clothing, and souvenirs from what I can remember.

I ended the day finally walking the famed Escadaria Selarón (Selarón Steps) in the Lapa neighborhood. This is 100% free to visit and walk around as much as you want. The world-famous steps were the creation of Chilean artist Jorge Selarón who started the project in 1990 and finally finished his masterwork in 2013

I’ll argue that Escadaria Selarónis one of Brazil’s best-loved attractions…definitely worth your time.

The best time to visit is early in the morning so you can at least get a decent photo because by the afternoon it’s totally overrun with tourists.

Last thing, not too far is The Carioca Aqueduct or the Lapa Arches built in the 18^th century. Today it no longer functions to deliver water but a tourist tram line.

I must repeat that Fred made the day so much better, he knew exactly where we had to get tickets for the sites and took me to a local spot for lunch where I indulged in feijoada (black bean stew) and pão de queijo (cheese bread) that hit the spot. The day couldn’t have gone any better, there was no stress on my part and I got to experience the best of Rio!

Day 3: This day I knew I wouldn’t have Fred to guide my anywhere so I used GetYourGuide and booked a 5 hour fully guided tour to Tijuca National Park and the Jardim Botânico (Botanical Garden). The meet-up was a hotel on Ipanema Beach and a small bus came picked me up along with 10 others.

This walking tour was incredible, after some time walking through the national forest you honestly forget you’re still in an urban sprawl.

The Tijuca National Park is the largest urban forest in the world. I highly recommend this day tour to any nature lover, I mean it was awesome!

Day 4 – 6: I met Fred once again and he picked me up for the three-hour drive to Paraty. We arrived in Paraty and I immediately checked in at the Imperatriz Paraty Hotel. Fred was only able to stick around for a couple of hours so he gave me a quick tour of the Old Town Center.  This beautiful colonial town is marked with its cobbled stone streets, impressive architecture and colorful doors in just about every home or storefront. This for me was the highlight of the tour, I loved Rio de Janeiro but Paraty was just beautiful. I walked around for hours it seemed getting lost in the side streets and walking up and down the main drag. Everything about it was just great.

The atmosphere in Paraty is far more laid back…this is where you relax, chill and unwind.

I spent most of the day taking photos of this colonial town a little bit of souvenir shopping and of course eating the local cuisine.

The next day I decided to book a Schooner boat tour around Paraty Bay. I wasn’t really sure what to expect but I didn’t care, it was a 5-hour excursion that gave me a few hours to kill and explore one of the beaches…I don’t remember the exact beach but it was really beautiful. 

This is the point of the trip I wished I was part of a group…it was New Year’s Eve! At least with a group you can party or meet up with at least two other people and go out. Even though I was alone that didn’t deter me. I said the hell with it, I’m in Brazil on New Year’s Eve and everyone is heading out to party. I simply followed the masses and they were all headed to the Old Town Centre to party.

The evening found me walking around soaking in the vibes and music. I kid you not there were thousands of people out just hanging out it one giant block party.

I finished the night around Praia do Pontal in front of a huge stage in an open free concert. A spectacular night for sure!

Day 7: I had to say goodbye to Paraty and head back to Barra da Tijuca, I was lucky enough for Fred to pick me up. I decided to take the day off walk around the area and walked into the Barra Shopping Mall. I have to say a Brazilian mall is no joke, inside I saw you can buy just about anything, from clothing, electronics, groceries, appliances, furniture and even a moped or dirt bike.

Day 8: Spent my last day in Rio De Janeiro exploring Escadaria Selarón once again in the Lapa neighborhood. Since my flight was later in the afternoon, I got there in the morning to take better pictures. The neighborhood is well worth walking around to admire the street art, many graffiti and painted murals, street vendors and soak in the Brazilian vibe.

Final Thoughts on My Solo Tour

I have to be frank: I wouldn’t do a private solo tour again. While I managed fine on my own, I truly wanted to be part of a group.

Don’t get me wrong – I had a BLAST in Brazil! I fell in love with the culture, food, music, and people. However, I must emphasize that my guide Fred Franco made this trip so much smoother and stress-free. I’ll always be thankful to Fred for showing me around Rio from a local’s perspective.

My main gripe? I wanted to share this experience with others. Especially celebrating New Year’s 2020, it would have been amazing to party with fellow travelers instead of going solo. Would I go back to Brazil? In a heartbeat, in fact, I may be heading to São Paulo in the very near future!

If you want to discover Brazil and all its beauty then consider booking an 8 Day tour of Brazil with with Intrepid Travel. Keep in mind that Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain and the Tijuca Forest excursions aren’t included. However, I provided you with links above from Get Your Guide so you can book these on your own.