9 Copacabana and Ipanema Tours in Rio de Janeiro to Build a Day Around

1.Rio de Janeiro: Beginner Samba Lesson in Ipanema

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,071 reviews · 1 hour · from $25Our pick

Learn samba basics with an experienced carnival performer in Ipanema, then try on costumes and receive photos from your one-hour class.

“Gaby was such an incredible teacher who was patient, entertaining and lovely to meet. It was such a fun experience right before Carnival with amazing music and fun dance routines. I highly recommend to book this experience and have Gaby showcase a snippet of Brazilian culture.”

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2.Rio de Janeiro: Samba Class in Copacabana

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 262 reviews · 1 hour · from $25

Learn samba in a friendly one-hour Copacabana class with bilingual instructors, music, carnival flair, and useful Rio nightlife tips.

“The class was so much fun! I highly recommended getting out of your comfort zone and getting a taste of samba. The instructor was very kind, and great energy!”

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3.Samba Class in Copacabana

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 52 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $35

Learn authentic samba in a friendly Copacabana studio, with simple steps, cultural context, costume photos, and no partner required.

“I was the only student! Bem Vind was the instructor. He explained very clear about each step. Very professional with counts and accent of each step. He went right to the dance and I just followed him, he stopped and explained when he saw I did not get it, then we kept repeating until I felt comfortable. We did across the floor and turns, forward & backwards. This is a crash course, being a dance director of ballet and modern dance, Samba is quite challenging for me. I wish I stay for a week to take the class daily. He taught the class that we used the whole space.”

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4.Rio de Janeiro: Stand-Up Paddle – Copacabana Beach Sunrise

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 39 reviews · 1h 30m · from $70

Paddle off Copacabana at sunrise, learn SUP basics, and enjoy ocean views, lockers, life jackets, and photo coverage for $70.

“Pior experiência da minha vida! Conselho que dou é NÃO FAÇAM. Primeiro que fui no ponto de encontro e não tinha ninguém lá, cheguei 4h15 e o horário marcado era às 4h30. Daí fiquei em plena madrugada do Rio esperando responderem as minhas mensagem ou atenderem as minhas ligações e nada. Daí tive que ir na orla da praia saindo de quiosque em quiosque procurando o responsável pela atividade. Só conseguir fazer pois tinha um lá que tinha parceria com a “ empresa” ao qual contratei, caso contrário não iria conseguir fazer a atividade. O rapaz que me atendeu me passou a informação que eles não tinham mais o ponto…”

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5.Surf lessons: in Arpoador in Ipanema.

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 35 reviews · from $33

Learn to surf in Rio with a small-group lesson at Arpoador Beach, including equipment, multilingual instruction, and sunset views.

“We had Rafael as a surfing instructor with this company. I could not recommend enough! They were flexible with the timings as it is weather dependant. Rafael was fabulous, full of energy, spoke English very well and was a wonderful teacher. Worth every penny!”

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6.Surf lessons with local instructors in Copacabana/ipanema!

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 31 reviews · 1 day · from $10Best value

Learn to surf in Copacabana or Ipanema with local instructors, equipment included, one hour in the water, and practical safety coaching.

“En fait je n’ai pas trouvé le guide!parce qu’il n’y en avait pas!sur votre site ce sont des photos de toutes les écoles de surf d’ipanema!et personne ne représente ce site!il n’y avait pas de numéro de téléphone pour avec des explications!j’ai dû repayer pour avoir un cours! Je ne comprends pas car j’ai réservé plusieurs activités avec vous! mais pour le surf c’est à revoir! Pourriez-vous procéder à mon remboursement?”

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7.Yoga + Sound Healing – Ipanema Park

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 12 reviews · 5 days · from $28

Practice yoga beside Ipanema Park with Yuri Bringel, ocean views, sound healing, private instruction, and flexible booking for $28.

“Leider meldete sich Yuri auf mehrmalige Anrufe meinerseits und von Seiten von GetYourTour nicht und ich bekam keine Rückmeldung, wann ich abgeholt werde….so fiel leider der Kurs ins Wasser, worüber ich sehr traurig war, da ich mir schon lange im Voraus einen Platz gesichert hatte. Schade! Ich hoffe, dass ich das Geld zurückbekomme…”

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8.Bossa Nova and the Carioca life – Copacabana and Ipanema

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 8 reviews · 2h 30m · from $50

Explore Ipanema and Copacabana through Bossa Nova, beach culture, local food, music, sports, and Rio tips on a small-group walking tour.

“Lola absolut fantastic, it was a great experience! She is very knowledgeable and it made an interesting tour not your usual touristy thing!”

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9.Rio de Janeiro: Copacabana Sunrise Stand Up Paddleboard Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 6 reviews · 1h 30m · from $58

Watch Rio wake from a paddleboard at Copacabana Beach, with sunrise views, an instructor, photos, safety gear, and lockers included.

“Vue magnifique. Mais on a pas le droit de s'arrêter 2 secondes pour prendre une photo. Les moniteurs ne font que crier qu'il faut avancer. Plus stressant qu'autre chose. 1 seconde à l'arrêt et on se fait crier dessus. Pas relaxant pour admirer la vue”

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