Rio Carnival holiday, Brazil
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We actively encourage recycling at the hotels we use and use the metro as much as is logistically possible on our included and optional activities. Not only is this better for carbon emissions but also provides great local interaction for our travellers.
Some housekeeping things to remember:
- Take a re-useable bag with you if you go shopping this reduces the need for plastic bags which may well be convenient but cause a problem for the environment.
- Turn lights and air-con off if you are not in the room
- Conserve water and don’t leave taps running.
- Make sure you put toilet paper in the bin – not down the toilet please as it blocks the system.
Community
We use locally owned hotels which are not part of chains and utilise local guides on included activities.
We offer an optional favela tour as part of our carnival package, however rather than it being focussed on poverty tourism as many other operators do, we visit a community project called Morrinho.
Morrinho is a 300m2 model favela created by children living in the local Pereira da Silva community, from recycled materials such as bricks, scrap metal and wood. The model was started in 1998 by Nelcirlan Souza de Oliveira and, when his friends became involved, the ‘play set’ gained considerable size. The reproduction of favela life in their model is so accurate that it has gained a world wide reputation appearing on Brazilian TV and has been the subject of a documentary which is now on sale. Morrinho has even been recognised by many art critics as an expression of contemporary art.
The model is now being used to generate money by NGO Morrinho, a charity that provides professional qualifications to the residents of the Pereirão Community through workshops, including audiovisual production; art-education; Brazilian culture; and youth and citizenship. The charity is also involved in utilising the project as a film set, which has raised awareness of how harsh life is for shanty town dwellers.
We have taken the decision to offer this activity instead of a favela tour. This is because of the intrusive nature of favela tours, especially during Carnival, when there are large numbers of tourists. We’re also always trying to find a way to give back to the places we visit, which is why we are very happy to have found this project that means direct benefit to a whole community – and not just a few individuals.
Our travellers who visit the project all make a donation to the project which is included in the cost of the optional activity.
The trip is 7 days long and has a lot of free time built in but we stay in Flamengo which is a quiet area and less touristy giving passengers a real experience of life in Rio where there are lots of independent locally owned businesses, restaurants and bars which means your money goes back into the local economy.
When we visit the sambadrome, the big event at carnival, we head to sector 13 which is the liveliest sector where all the locals go to watch the parade which is a great local experience rather than using the more touristy and expensive other sectors.
Equally we recommend lots of areas where the big street parties take place which are great for local interaction and arrange nights out with our leaders to local bars and clubs to experience Rio at it's finest.
It is a great opportunity for us to be able to visit Rio de Janeiro, a wonderful city.Here are a few guidelines to help us limit the impact of our visit on the environment and make it a positive one for you and the places and people we see.
About your time in Rio:
- Use the metro to get around where it is safe to do so, its a good network and lessens the impact of our time in Rio.
- When buying bottled water, buy the big 5-10 litre containers and transfer it into a smaller bottle (cans and plastic are recycled from your rubbish).
- Pay a fair price for you and the seller – bartering should be a good experience for both parties.
- Tips are often included but where not, encourage good service by tipping.
- Photography – do not be intrusive and ask before you take a photo.
- Local markets are great places to shop and money often goes straight to the producer which we strongly encourage.
- There are recycling bins so keep an eye out for these and use them where possible.
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