Have you ever dreamt of visiting the magical city of Rio de Janeiro?

Due to Mishel’s fluency in Brazilian Portuguese, exclusive contacts with the Carnival industry (after 16 years travelling to Brazil) and in-depth cultural knowledge, you will experience Rio like a native “Carioca”, but with the priority always being on your personal safety. Rather than battling local transport (which can be gridlocked and overcrowded at Carnival time), private vans will be organised to take you to and from your activities, with a professional transport company and local tour guides.

You do not need to be able to speak Portuguese, however it is STRONGLY recommended that you undertake some form of Brazilian Portuguese language learning prior to the trip, especially as you will need to learn a song in Portuguese for Carnival. It is also a great way to connect with the locals and have a much more enriching and independent travel experience. Once you have confrmed your participation, you will have access to a Brazilian Portuguese audio series.

Nowadays Rio is much safer than in the past however, Mishel still prefers to take the utmost caution with accommodation suggestions, transport suppliers and selected clubs/Samba schools we visit to ensure your personal safety is not compromised whilst participating in Sambaliscious activities. The safest area to stay in Rio is the Zona Sul (South Zone), in particular the neighbourhoods of Ipanema and Leblon.

Please check if your country requires a visa for entry.

It is mandatory for Australians to have your Yellow Fever vaccination before the tour.

Travel insurance is mandatory.

You are more than welcome to arrive earlier or stay later, however Mishel will only be available during the specifed tour dates.

Whilst this is mainly a ‘femalecentric tour’, partners are welcome as long as they are respectful of the group and make an efort to connect with tour participants.

Contact Mishel directly for her preferred travel agent’s details.

You do not need to be able to dance Samba professionally to join us on this tour, however it will greatly enhance your Carnival experience if you improve your dance skills (and fitness level) before your trip.Once you have confirmed your participation, you will have access to Mishel’s Online Samba and Brazilian Fitness series. Mishel is also available for private classes in Brisbane and Gold Coast, Australia or Online via Zoom for International participants (incurs additional cost).

Budget for AU$50-100 per day (outside of your tour package). There are so many fabulous and relatively inexpensive options for eating out around Rio, including kilo restaurants, juice bars, all-you-can-eat restaurants and supermarkets (with fresh meals/ produce available). There are also many vegetarian options. Please note: Flights, Accommodation, Visas, Insurance, Airport transfers, Metro transport, Ubers, Meals, Drinks are not included in the tour package.

As we will have people from all over Australia (and some from overseas) joining us, everyone will be responsible for organising their own fights and accommodation. Once you have confrmed your participation, you will be added to a Facebook group where you can connect with other members of the tour and try to organise to stay together if you are interested.

You will be wearing costumes designed by the Samba school’s Carnival designer. These can range from bulky/heavy full body coverage costumes with fat shoes (General Aisle) to a bikini/dress/ headpiece/backpiece/high heels (Float/ International Samba Dancers Aisle). Costume design cannot be guaranteed, as it depends on the schools’ theme and where the school wishes to place us in the parade. The Samba school has the right to change costumes and float placements at any time in the lead up to Carnival. Therefore Sambaliscious cannot guarantee all tour participants will be on the same float or wearing the same costume. We cannot provide a photo/design of the costume before it is delivered due to the reasons above. Costumes usually arrive in the final days leading up to Carnival. The quality of these costumes is not the same as professional Samba performance costumes. Carnival costumes are made to last the parades duration, not for longevity. More than likely costumes will not ft perfectly, so please come prepared with a sewing kit to make minor fitting adjustments if required. The costumes are yours to keep and take home if you want to.

We contract a team of professional Carnival photographers to capture photos of you during the parade, however you cannot use your phone while on the avenue (this will deduct points for your school.) 

There are thousands of people waiting for their schools’ turn to parade, sometimes in the pouring rain (with limited toilet facilities – bring tissues!). Be prepared to wait for many hours in the back streets of Rio to enter the avenue. We highly recommend that you rest on the day of parading, so that you are ready for the marathon at night! Whilst we will try our best to ensure you are comfortable, we cannot control the running of the parade and hence need you to ‘go with the fow’ and be patient and understanding. Note: You are not be allowed to take your phones/cameras/wallets/personal belongings onto the avenue, so will need to travel light and leave everything behind in the van.