One Week in Rio de Janeiro: Sunday Funday

You knew this would eventually happen. The final day of your one week in Rio de janeiro has finally arrived. Most Cariocas are at the beach, hanging out with 100 relatives at a casual family lunch, or BBQing with friends. While any of these options would be awesome for your last day, there are still a couple of unique things to see this Sunday! Since it is most likely a gorgeous day, and everyone is out and about, there are neighborhoods and street fairs that demand your attendance. [caption id="attachment_7181" align="alignnone" width="640"] Rocinha favela in Rio de Janeiro / source[/caption]

Favela Tour: Get to Know Another Side of Rio de Janeiro

While you have seen a lot during your one week in Rio de Janeiro, you have yet to visit a favela. Favelas are a huge part of life in Rio. They are home to a large part of Rio’s community and can be found above just about every neighborhood. Since being pacified, Rio’s Favela’s have become a popular tourist destination. The educational Rocinha Favela Tour is a great way to get to know Rio’s largest favela. This tour will take you to the Rocinha and Vila Canoa favelas by van where you will continue your tour on foot, zigzagging through the small streets and alleyways. Your guide will do far more than just show you around. He will give you a whole new perspective of Rio de Janeiro and a taste of its complex class systems. You will learn about the daily life in these little cities on the hill, as well as their history and layout. The highlight of the trip will be a visit to Para ti, a Vila Canoas nonprofit funded by the tour. Sundays are the perfect day for this tour for two reasons. First of all, you can visit the Sunday street fair at the base of the favela. Secondly, the tour has a later start on Sundays allowing you to sleep in after all the Samba-ing you did last night. [caption id="attachment_2259" align="aligncenter" width="610"] Hippie Fair Crafts Market in Ipanema / source[/caption]

A Classic Rio de Janeiro Street Fair

It is also Street Fair day in Ipanema’s Plaza General Osorio. The Hippie Fair started in 1968 and was essentially just a group of painters selling paintings in the plaza. Now it is a thriving market filled with all kinds of quality artisan goods. The Feira Hippie is the place to shop for souvenirs, affordable paintings, jewelry, shoes, bikinis, and other handcrafted Brazilian goods. Do not leave the Hippie Fair without ordering an acarajé from one of the Bahia food tents! Acarajé is a deep fried, spicy, shrimp snack that will simultaneously please and slightly confuse your taste buds. You will either love it or hate it, but first you have to try it. For those who like to fit everything in, wear a bikini under your clothes to the favela tour and then pop in at the beach before hitting the Hippie Fair. General Osório is one block from the beach so it’s an easy thing to do! Try hitting the beach before the fair so you don’t have to worry about watching your pile of souvenirs. Since the Hippie Fair ends around 6pm, you have time. [caption id="attachment_7184" align="alignnone" width="667"] Mirante do Leblon; a perfect place to wrap up your one week in Rio / source[/caption]

Wrap Up Your One Week in Rio de Janeiro with a Sunset at the Beach

The final hours of your trip have finally arrived. You only have time for one more thing, but what?! The answer is watching the sunset at Mirante do Leblon at the beginning of Avenida Niemeyer. You can’t get more Carioca than enjoying a coconut water with a view of the beach during sunset. Actually you could if you swapped that coconut water for a very cold beer. Regardless, Mirante do Leblon is the perfect place to wrap up one trip and start planning the next. Everything must come to an end and your one week in Rio de Janeiro is no different. While you may have to physically go home you can now visit Rio de Janeiro whenever you like through the amazing memories you have made. You have visited rain forests, climbed a mountain, tanned on Ipanema beach, saw one of the 7 wonders of the world, watched a Brazilian soccer match, danced Samba, visited a favela, eaten more food than you can remember, and seen at least two unforgettable sunsets. To say that this has been a successful trip would be a slight understatement.