Carnaval Experience
Carnaval Experience
5
City ToursCultural ToursSightseeing Tours
7:45 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
7:45 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
7:45 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
7:45 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
7:45 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
7:45 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
7:45 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Carnival Experience is a social business that offers an unforgettable experience in the behind the Scenes of Rio's carnival. We perform a variety of tours, workshops, shows and more services from the carnival world. * Our profit is donated to the benefit of our kids samba school, Pimpolhos da Grande Rio to the prosperity of futures carnivals.
Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Tours and Tickets by Carnaval Experience

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles254 reviews
Excellent
229
Very good
20
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
3

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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John B
Sudbury, Canada75 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
We did the backstage tour here, and it was great! I never realized how big an event Carnaval was. Our guide explained everything involved, and showed us a video of the event. It was mind blowing how many people were involved and participate in this spectacular event. I would love to go back to Rio to see this spectacle in person.
Written February 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ellie C
Rhinebeck, New York, United States195 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
It was a very soggy day in Rio today so we took the opportunity to do the Carnaval Experience. It was a lot of fun and you’ll be glad you went. Don’t overthink it too much. It’s only $20 per person. The tour lasted about 80 minutes. The guide spoke English and translated to Portuguese. She was very easy to understand and had a microphone system. A very nice 10- minute video is included, as is a Samba demonstration and a complementary drink at the end. You even get to try on a costume!

The only negative was that this time of year you don’t get to see a ton of the parade floats since they’re busy working on them. The ones we saw were AMAZING though. FYI you can’t take pics of floats or costumes that haven’t been paraded yet - they take this seriously.

Again, don’t overthink this activity. It is really fun , especially on a rainy day.
Written January 23, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Daniel S
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
Great program to get to know Carnival. Take foreign friends to get an idea of what the party is like. Enter a samba school shed and see the cars being built. Samba class with dancers and caipirinha! If the weather is not good for the beach, it's even better, you can enjoy the day and still visit the Grande Rio shack.
Google
Written January 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

debstern
Philadelphia, PA13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019 • Couples
This is a wonderful, fun tour where you see behind-the-scenes of Carnival in Rio. It takes place at the site of all the huge warehouses where the 14 Samba Schools spend a full year preparing their float and costumes for the annual parade. In a small group with an outgoing guide you hear about Carnival, see a movie, enjoy refreshments, and most fun of all, get to dress up in actual Carnival costumes and join in dances led by a real Samba School participant. And the proceeds benefit a non-profit that helps low-income children participate in the Samba Schools. What a great package! Highly recommended though it’s off the beaten track.
Written November 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Heather E
England, UK240 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
I did this tour two weeks prior to the carnival so it was very busy, with people preparing costumes, making the final touches to floats and rehearsing. So I think it was the idea time to do this tour. You weren't allowed to take any photos of this years props but you did see costumes from previous years, learn the history and origins of the carnival, try on a costume and watch a girl dance samba. All the money goes to the kids samba school so it is truly altruistic and the guide was really passionate about carnival and her samba school. The tour felt a bit rushed but I hung around to watch the Portela samba school rehearsal which was fantastic.
Written February 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nottofar
Buckingham, UK13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Enjoyable tour, with lively guide.
Get a look at the top secret massive floats destined for the carnival (NO Photos) and learn a little bit about the business of samba. 4000 dancer volunteers per club competing for 1million reals (£178k) prize at carnival . Only the designer/ master of drums, the craftsmen and a few top dancers get paid. Defo worth doing
Written February 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

gillian h
Bristol, UK144 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
Provided an excellent and interesting insight into the business of what goes on behind the scenes of the carnival, my only criticism was the group I was in was too large
Written February 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BobWE
Manhattan Beach, CA753 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
Located in the Rio Gamboa district of Rio de Janerio is a series of warehouses that provide a "rare glimpse into the behind the scenes of Rio's Carnival." Our guide who participates in the annual event took into the workings of construction of the floats and costumes that are Carnival. The tour includes a tour of the warehouse where photography is limited because of the secrecy surrounding the construction of the floats and costumes, an opportunity to try on the costumes and dance samba with two professional samba dancers, a beverage break including caiphirinas, and an opportunity to play the drums used in the February procession that takes 80 minutes for each samba schools. This is serious work for the schools because of the prestige of winning. This is definitely a worthwhile tour for the family.
Written January 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MaryAnnSomerset_NJ
Somerset, NJ61 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
I really didn't know much about the background or preparation that goes into the Carnival floats; not something that had been on my radar. Then we met our Carnival guide, teacher, DANDARA; she was a delight! She explained it all with warmth and animation. Then came our costumes, a little samba and caipiriinhas: a Brazilian blast - don't miss it!
Written December 10, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Karen K
Lexington, KY142 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
I was lukewarm about this planned activity on a recent tour until I experienced it for myself. What a great overview of the carnaval phenomenon! You learn the history; see the floats being constructed; try on costumes;;even salsa a little. Who could ask for more?! And if you have a guide like our firecracker, CYNTHIA, your experience is even better. This charming young woman should have her own movie or tv show = a bundle of energy who grew up with the carnaval.
Written December 10, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Carnaval Experience - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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