As a nation the Brazilians are incredibly welcoming and friendly and will embarrass visitors with their hospitality and it’s fair to say that Rio is no more dangerous than any other large highly urbanised city. We would stress that as with travelling in any major city, it’s sensible to take precautions. It’s not recommended to go wandering off the beaten and undertake too much exploring but if you stay near all the main tourist centres you should be relatively safe, although a low level of petty crime is always a factor. You may hear stories about somebody being particularly unfortunate having being mugged in the middle of the day in Rio, but this can happen anywhere. If you feel the need to get a more authentic experience there are numerous companies providing good 'tours' focusing on showing the positive sides of the favelas – Jingando Holidays are a tour operator offering trips where you can combine dancing lessons where you can learn the samba or forró with the locals combined with a community project where you paint houses and help them improve their social standings. It’s a safe way to meet locals in their environment while seeing a bit of the real Rio de Janeiro.

Supplied By: AITO
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