Discover Gay Rio De Janeiro

Marcelo did a great tour and I highly recommend it. Firstly he is a cool guy who tunes into what you need to know. Secondly, he puts you at your ease. I felt comfortable asking him all sorts of questions. Marcelo has the knowledge which is key. It was a great tour and Marcelo was fun and I feel more oriented to the city now. Thanks Marcelo.

We were so lucky to find Rio Gay Tours. Marcelo is the most energetic and charming guide we've ever met...anywhere in the world. And to have his expertise while navigating one of the most beautiful and enigmatic cities...well it was nothing but a pleasure. I sent Rio Gay Tours a list of what I hoped to do (it kind of merged three of his tours) and then we set out an accomplished all of it and more detours along the way. Neighborhood Juice corners, taxis to places the taxis did not know existed (Marcelo charmed them into going the best way.) We got to experience some of the "grit" we wanted but in a safe, very "executive" way. We were so empowered by Marcello, the following day we took what we learned from Marcello and headed out on own and managed a few taxis, two ferries, and a bus. We learned that by taking a photo of the Ferry Station when we left it, we could show it to the cab driver when we were ready to head back to it. Simply knowing we now had a friend in town we could call if we were in trouble or lost gave us all the confidence we needed. He charmed a stranger who was super knowledgeable about an art exhibit we stumbled upon to join us for 10 minutes of amazing discussion. Have I used the word "charming" enough? Visited March 2013

I was travelling to Rio alone and thought it would be a good idea to book Marcelo to show me the local bars. It was great to have someone to take me to the best known places and the places that only the locals know. Marcelo is such a nice guy that within minutes it felt like you were embarking on a night out with a friend. I enjoyed Marcelo's company so much that I booked him to take me on a number of daytime tours including a visit to a favela and sugarloaf. Marcelo knows Rio really well and we managed to fit lots in and see more than I'd expected on each tour. He can give you a great insight into Brazilian history and culture and was always totally reliable and fun. I'll definitely be giving him a call if I'm lucky enough to go back to Rio.

I hired Marcelo for my first visit to Rio because—despite having lots of local friends—there are just some interests that I would prefer to keep discreet. Marcelo was on time, professional, informative and always with a smile (seriously—have you SEEN his smile?!). I hired him twice: Once to get me acclimated to the local scene (his Nightlife Tour) and again to take me around to see the tourist sites (Sugarloaf and Corcovado) because my friends gave me so much advice about how to get there/what to do, that it became overwhelming. I had a great time—both times—with Marcelo. He is a charming guy (I joke and call him my local BFF). He had another tour appointment after our meeting and not once did I see him look at his phone to see what time it was. I guess what I mean is that I didn't feel rushed. He speaks perfect English and his rates are very reasonable! Tip: Book early. He takes out small groups, so he can be booked up rather quickly during the high season.