African Heritage Circuit – The Little Africa of Rio’s Port Area

Get ready for a unique experience through the African Heritage Circuit, a walking tour through Rio de Janeiro’s Port Zone that unveils the deep cultural and historical Afro-Brazilian roots.

Known as Little Africa - a name coined by samba composer Heitor dos Prazeres - this vibrant area includes the neighborhoods of Gamboa, Saúde, and the Quilombo of Pedra do Sal. Here, history blends with living culture in a setting of resistance, struggle, and celebration of the Black people’s legacy.

The highlight of the tour is Valongo Wharf, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2017. Over one million enslaved Africans disembarked at this historical port, leaving an indelible mark on the Americas. Despite the horrors of slavery, Africans and their descendants transformed pain into strength, recreating their traditions and shaping one of the world’s richest cultures.

Led by guides specialized in this heritage route, the tour offers an authentic and decolonial perspective, connecting the past to the present. With engaging storytelling and an Afrocentric lens, you’ll explore a powerful territory full of stories that move and transform.

🌍Come and live this experience in Rio de Janeiro through the lens of Afro-Brazilian heritage.

Download our brochure to learn more about our policies and cancellation rules.

Little Africa Tour – African Heritage and Black Resistance

The Little Africa tour honors the history, culture, and contributions of Black people in shaping Brazil’s national identity, ways of living, and knowledge systems. Africans and their descendants played a vital role in building the country’s economy, culture, and society through the African Diaspora. It is within the diaspora that Black communities recreate and reinvent themselves, preserving and transforming their ancestral knowledge.

This walking tour is a true open-air history and culture class—similar to a field lesson—where we highlight often-overlooked historical figures such as André Rebouças, Tia Ciata, Donga, Machado de Assis, João Alabá, Prata Preta, among others. The experience also incorporates recent findings from historical and archaeological research.

Led by officially licensed guides, specialized in the topic and trained in re-educational, decolonial, and antiracist approaches, this experience is a deep dive into the legacy of Black resistance, culture, and memory in Brazil—stories long marginalized in official narratives.

This is a chance to uncover a silenced history through a tour that breaks away from conventional itineraries, offering a moving and powerful encounter with living culture in the heart of Rio de Janeiro. It is an invitation to remember and honor those who came before us, who reshaped the world with wisdom, courage, and ancestral strength.

Sites included in the tour:

• Church of Santa Rita

• New Blacks Institute (Instituto dos Pretos Novos)

• MUHCAB – Museum of Afro-Brazilian History and Culture

• Pedro II Docks

• Valongo Wharf (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

• João Inácio Alley & Hilário Jovino Mosaic

• Prainha Square

• Mercedes Baptista Statue

• Pedra do Sal
   

IMPORTANT:

Our meeting point is at Rita Church, located in the Central area of Rio de Janeiro, near Uruguaiana Subway Station.

Santa Rita Church Address:

Largo de Santa Rita, s/n - Centro, Rio de Janeiro - RJ (Santa Rita Square, Downtown, Rio de Janeiro, RJ).

Localization: Largo de Santa Rita - Centro https://share.google/kSSQlM0cjlHwVc4CS

Please wait for us in front of the church ⛳ Our guide will be wearing a blue t-shirt.

What We Recommend:

- Wear light and comfortable clothing.

- Bring sneakers, sunglasses, and apply sunscreen.

- Carry water (you’ll be walking under the sun).

- Pack some light snacks.

- If you take medication, make sure to bring it along, as there aren’t any nearby pharmacies in the area.

⚠️ Important Notice:

Avoid using your phone in open spaces like the streets. If you need to make a call or send a message, go into a bar, church, or another safe spot. Do not walk with your phone in your hand.

Approximate duration: 3.5 to 4 hours

Languages available: Portuguese and English
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Prices

• 1 participant: the price shown is an individual price per person.

• 2, 3, 4 or 6 participants: the price shown is a flat rate for the entire group, not per person.

Please select only the package(s) that you need, according to the total number of participants in your group.

Optional Afro-Brazilian lunch available nearby.
Contact us after booking to include this in your group’s itinerary.

Important:

Before completing your reservation, make sure to select the currency of your country of residence at checkout (example, if you're an American, select USD).

Looking for a custom rate for larger groups?
Contact us via WhatsApp: +55 (21) 97949-5085.

Free cancellation up to 72 hours prior to the scheduled tour start time.

Cancellations made 48 to 71 hours prior to the tour are eligible for a partial refund.

Cancellations made within 24 hours of the tour start time, as well as no-shows, are non-refundable.

Bookings may be transferred to another participant at no additional cost, provided the request is made before the tour begins and confirmed by Etnias – Tourism & Culture.

Tours operate subject to weather and operational conditions. Schedule or meeting point adjustments may occur in order to deliver the experience as proposed.

If you request to reschedule your tour within 24 hours of the tour start time, it will be considered a no-show, and a new booking and payment will be required for the new date or time.

Rescheduling is subject to availability of our guides, updated rates, and current pricing at the time of the new booking.

🎯By completing the booking, the participant agrees to these terms.

We'll start our journey at Largo de Santa Rita, in downtown Rio de Janeiro, that is a powerful site of memory connected to the history of slavery. It was once home to the Cemetery of the New Blacks, where enslaved Africans who did not survive the Middle Passage or the first days after arrival were buried.

Rediscovered during the construction of the VLT light rail system, the site is now an archaeological landmark of remembrance, marked by a black rose in the pavement - honoring the “new blacks” and the painful legacy of the transatlantic slave trade.

We will visit MUHCAB (Museum of Afro-Brazilian History and Culture), that is located in Rio de Janeiro’s Little Africa and celebrates Afro-Brazilian history, resistance, and cultural heritage. With the Valongo Wharf — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — as its symbolic starting point, the museum is a hybrid space: territorial, open-air, and socially engaged, telling the powerful story of Black presence and resilience in Brazil.

We will visit the Pretos Novos Research and Memory Institute (IPN), founded after the discovery of the archaeological site of the Cemetery of the New Blacks (1774–1831), where newly arrived enslaved Africans were buried. The institute preserves this site, promotes research on slavery and Afro-Brazilian culture, and offers heritage education, exhibitions, workshops, and a specialized library serving as an important space for memory, reflection, and dialogue on the African diaspora and racial issues in Brazil.

We'll visit the Valongo Wharf, that is an archaeological site and the largest port of arrival of enslaved Africans in the Americas. Around two million people passed through this site, which today stands as a powerful symbol of the violence of slavery and Afro-Brazilian resistance. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We will visit the birthplace of samba in Rio de Janeiro, located in the Saúde neighborhood. This area was once where enslaved Africans unloaded salt and gathered, giving rise to samba and other important Afro-Brazilian cultural expressions. Today, it is a vibrant cultural space for rodas de samba and the celebration of Black heritage, officially recognized as an urban quilombo territory.

We’ll visit a historic and bohemian area in the Saúde neighborhood, in Rio de Janeiro, known for its strong Afro-Brazilian culture, lively bars and restaurants, rodas de samba, and its close connection to Pedra do Sal. This revitalized part of Little Africa stands out for its vibrant cultural scene, rich gastronomy, and preserved colonial architecture.