Pedra do Sal with a local guide
A guided group of up to 10 joins the open-air samba circle at Pedra do Sal, with a live English-speaking guide and one welcome drink. Food and transportation are not included.
See dates ↗The evening
Why spend an evening at Pedra do Sal
A rock with a working past
Since colonial times, salt reaching Rio's port was unloaded on this rock by enslaved people and taken to the salt warehouses around it. Steps are cut into the granite, and the neighbourhood, Saúde, is part of the port-zone area called Little Africa. Samba is played here in the open air, and the history is part of why people come.
A circle, not a stage
The samba is a roda: musicians play and sing together and the crowd around them sings back. It is open to anyone, with no seating plan and no curtain. The guided ticket does not sell the music. It sells a guide, a small group and a welcome drink beside it.
What the guide adds
A live English-speaking guide explains the history of the place and of samba, passes on tips about street food and drinks, and keeps a group of up to 10 together in the crowd. If you prefer to go alone, the guides below explain what to expect.
What a roda is made of
The sounds of a roda, one layer at a time
A roda is built up from a few instruments and one big idea: everyone sings. These are the layers of samba's traditional line-up and the part each plays, from the hand drum that keeps time to the verse that someone makes up on the spot.
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01Hand drum
Pandeiro
The pulse
A hand frame drum with a tunable head and metal jingles in the rim. Players alternate thumb, fingertips, heel and palm, and the sound is drier than a tambourine.
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02Four strings
Cavaquinho
The shimmer
A small four-string instrument from Portugal, played with a plectrum in quick, percussive strumming. Wikipedia calls it a very important instrument in Brazilian samba and choro.
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03Small drum
Tamborim
The sparkle
A small round frame drum, most commonly associated with samba. In most styles it is played with a small wooden stick.
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04Bass drum
Surdo
The floor
A bass drum worn from a strap. In a Rio carnival band three surdos with different tunings form the rhythmic foundation and propel the samba.
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05Everyone
The refrain
The answer
In partido-alto, a chorus sings a refrain that usually includes everyone present, so the listeners are part of the music.
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06One voice
The improvised verse
The surprise
Singers take turns inventing verses, sometimes humorous and often competing. IPHAN registered partido-alto as Brazilian heritage in 2007.
Which instruments sit at a roda on a given night is for the musicians to decide. This is samba's traditional line-up, not a list of what you will hear.
The place
The ground the samba stands on
Pedra do Sal is a place before it is a party. Four facts about the rock and the quarter around it, as sources describe them.
- The rock
- A granite outcrop at the foot of Morro da Conceição, in the Saúde district, with steps cut into it. Salt arriving at the port was unloaded on the rock, which gave it the name Salt Stone.
- The heritage status
- INEPAC, the Rio state heritage institute, listed Pedra do Sal as a historic and religious monument in 1984.
- The community
- The community around the rock was formally recognised as a quilombo in December 2005, and an association of the remaining quilombo community still lives there.
- Little Africa
- Pedra do Sal is described as the symbolic core of Pequena África, the port-zone area around Gamboa, Saúde and Santo Cristo. The nearby Valongo Wharf was inscribed by UNESCO in July 2017.
In pictures
Pedra do Sal and the samba around it
The carved steps, the square at the foot of the rock, the murals, a crowd on the stone, the Valongo Wharf and a roda in another part of Rio.
Samba evenings to compare
Three samba evenings in Rio to compare
| Evening | What it offers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Pedra do Sal with a local guide | A guided group of up to 10 joins the open-air samba circle at Pedra do Sal, with a live English-speaking guide and one welcome drink. Food and transportation are not included. | Visitors who want the history and the music together, with a guide close by. |
| Lapa bar night with live samba | A four-hour Lapa evening with at least four cachaça tastings, one caipirinha, the Arcos da Lapa and the Selarón steps, a bar with live samba and a nightclub finish. Not for under-18s. | Guests who want a longer, louder night out in Lapa. |
| Beginner samba lesson in Ipanema | A one-hour lesson in an Ipanema studio, in a group limited to 10, with photos in carnival costumes afterwards. Taught in English and Portuguese. | Guests who want to learn the basic steps before going out to dance. |
Samba evenings in Rio
Book a samba evening in Rio
The first card opens the Pedra do Sal evening this guide describes. The other two are separate listings from other operators, each with its own rating, fare and format.
Lapa bar night with live samba
A four-hour Lapa evening with at least four cachaça tastings, one caipirinha, the Arcos da Lapa and the Selarón steps, a bar with live samba and a nightclub finish. Not for under-18s.
See dates ↗Beginner samba lesson in Ipanema
A one-hour lesson in an Ipanema studio, in a group limited to 10, with photos in carnival costumes afterwards. Taught in English and Portuguese.
See dates ↗More to book in Rio de Janeiro
Before you go
Before you go
- Choose your date
- The booking calendar shows the dates and the starting time for each one. Read the confirmation straight after you book, because it names the exact meeting spot on Rua Sacadura Cabral in Saúde.
- Allow the whole evening
- Leave the whole evening free from the meeting time; your booking page shows the length.
- What to bring
- A charged smartphone, closed-toe shoes, and your passport or an ID card. A copy of the ID is accepted.
- What the ticket leaves out
- One welcome drink is included. Food and transportation are not, so eat beforehand or buy something nearby, and plan your way home in advance.
- Who should skip it
- The ticket lists pregnant women and people with claustrophobia as unsuitable. It is a standing evening in the open air, not a seated show.
- Keep it simple on the street
- The UK government advises against carrying large sums of money, wearing expensive jewellery and watches, and hailing taxis in the street. Carry only what you need and book rides through an app.
Guides to the rock, the roda and the history
Guides to the rock, the roda and the history
Which way to go Pedra do Sal samba: tour or solo
Guided small group or on your own? What the Pedra do Sal samba tour in Rio adds to the open-air roda, what it leaves out, and who each way suits.
Read the guide → Practical guide Pedra do Sal: practical guide
Getting to Pedra do Sal in Rio, what to wear and carry, money, phones and ID, the crowd, and how to stay careful on a samba evening in the port zone.
Read the guide →FAQ
Questions before you book
Is this a show with tickets and seats?
No. Samba at Pedra do Sal is an open-air roda that anyone can join. The GetYourGuide ticket adds a live English-speaking guide, a group limited to 10 and one welcome drink.
How long does the evening last?
Your booking page shows the length; allow the whole evening. The calendar shows the starting time for your date.
What is included in the ticket?
A live guide, a small group and one welcome drink. Food and transportation are not included.
What should I bring?
A charged smartphone, closed-toe shoes, and a passport or ID card. A copy of the ID is accepted.
Is Pedra do Sal safe?
It is a crowded street evening in a port-zone district, and pickpocketing is common in Brazilian cities according to the UK government. A small group and a guide help, but nobody can promise a risk-free night.
Which nights does the roda happen?
Every Monday from 18:00 there is a roda de samba at Pedra do Sal, according to Portuguese Wikipedia. The tour runs on the dates in the booking calendar.
Who should not book?
The ticket lists pregnant women and people with claustrophobia as unsuitable.
What language is the guide?
English. The booking page can be read in your own language, and the guide leads the group in English.
A guided small-group evening at Pedra do Sal, the rock in Rio's Little Africa where samba circles gather.
Book the Pedra do Sal evening ↗Fares are in US dollars per adult and switch to your currency at booking.