Visit a Rio carnival samba school
Visit a samba school headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and peruse the fabulous costumes and floats.
As you can imagine, Rio Carnival, with all the parades, bands, dancing and elaborate costumes, doesn’t just happen spontaneously overnight. All over the country, and especially in the towns which have the most flamboyant celebrations, preparations and rehearsals take place over up to three months before Mardi Gras, and the creating of the costumes and floats is in process throughout the year.
The samba schools – which identify strongly with the neighbourhood in which they have their base – are organised into leagues, just like football teams. Competition on the days of Carnival is intense, but always good humoured. Most of the samba schools’ warehouses are located in the outskirts of Rio and you can take a guided tour of one of them in a part of the city you otherwise would not discover. Many costumes are on display, and you can even try one on for the ultimate selfie. Your guide will explain all about the history of samba and the structure and competition involved in the carnival parades where each school chooses an annual theme.
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Why choose Journey Latin America for your holiday
We’ve been planning trips to Central and South America for over 45 years, longer than any other UK specialist. Every holiday is built around you by a Travel Expert who has been to the places they recommend, with support from your first enquiry to the day you fly home.
Rosie embarked on a year-long backpacking trip across Latin America. She is excited to share her knowledge and experiences with others.
Finn discovered his passion for travel on an extensive 18-month trip to Latin America, experiencing the vibrant Carnaval in Rio, the end-of-the-world city of Ushuaia, trekking the Andes and volunteering on the Galápagos Islands.
Maggie visited Latin America on her first backpacking trip when she was 19. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to travel, and has managed to explore a lot of the region in subsequent trips.
Gary discovered what he had been missing with his first foray into the wilds of Latin America. In his role as Product Manager, he combines this personal obsession with years of industry experience to help ensure that travellers will fall for the region every bit as much as he has.
