Caminhos Language Centre offers more than just Portuguese classes: we are famous for our range of activities and for supporting good causes through our social programme, Mais Caminhos. Caminhos Language Centre offers three types of activities:
As well as offering Portuguese classes Caminhos Language Centre offers the complete Rio de Janeiro experience. Every day we offer 100% free and fun activities in Rio de Janeiro for students to socialise and practise their developing Portuguese skills. We like to think of ourselves as ‘one big family’ and the wide-ranging activities and excursions we offer enable our students to get to know each other better.
Most of our activities in Rio de Janeiro are completely free. If there are transport or food costs involved details are always provided. We don’t try to squeeze extra money out of our students for extracurricular activities – we regard these activities as part of the Caminhos experience. Click on the activity icons in the weekly schedule above for more information on each individual activity.
Every Monday afternoon we organise an orientation session for new students, during which we provide useful information about Rio de Janeiro, the school and Ipanema.
Monday evening
Every Monday evening we organise a free game of volleyball on Ipanema beach! All skill levels are welcome. This is an opportunity for you to meet other Portuguese students and make friends while staying in Brazil.
Every Tuesday afternoon we organise a ‘bate-papo’ session for students who like to practise their developing Portuguese conversation skills in a fun way. A Portuguese teacher will use topics, music and games to help stimulate the conversation, better enabling students to talk and think in Portuguese. .
Tuesday evening
Every Tuesday evening we show a Brazilian movie with Portuguese subtitles at the school (we have a projector and a sound system). Great for deepening your understanding of Brazilian culture and improving your Portuguese. Popcorn is provided!
Every Wednesday afternoon we organise a support hour hosted by one of our Portuguese teachers for students who have questions related to the classes they are attending. .
Wednesday evening
On Wednesday evenings we offer Brazil’s famous Samba classes with Bruno. Bruno is our fantastic professional samba teacher from Lapa! We guarantee that Bruno will get your hips moving and shaking.
On Friday afternoons we run our popular city tour in Rio de Janeiro, led by our tour guide, Davi. We run 16 different tours, ranging from beautiful hikes in the mountains with incredible views of Rio, to trips around historical parts of the city, bicycle tours and visits to special markets. .
Friday evening
Every six weeks in front of the school we hold our ‘Caipi-Sexta’ event: a friendly welcome party where our new students are welcomed with a free caipirinha and have the chance to mingle with fellow students and the Caminhos team.
On Wednesdays, the tour is exclusively organized for Caminhos Language Centre, guided by Davi or another guide personally trained through Mais Caminhos, offering an authentic and enriching experience.
Starting in Ipanema, the heart of Rio’s beach culture, you’ll cycle to Arpoador for breathtaking views of the beaches and mountains. Pedal along the bustling Copacabana promenade, before heading to the serene Praia Vermelha, nestled at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain.
Join us and explore the soul of Rio de Janeiro!
What’s Included:
Professional Guide
Quality Bicycle
Safety Helmet
Educational Favela Tour in Rio de Janeiro
This is the best favela tour in Rio: we wanted to make sure all of our students have the opportunity to learn a bit about how a favela operates and provide them with some idea of what it’s like to live in a favela. We place a huge emphasis on this tour being ‘educational’, rather than ‘exploitative’. Edson is our tour guide and he will take you into the community of Dona Marta (the favela which Michael Jackson made famous when he filmed the music clip ‘They Don’t Really Care About Us.’). He will guide you through the community and explain many important things like how the residents receive their mail, how to buy and sell houses in the favela, how to make local announcements, how and why the favelas came about in the first place, and more. He will also take you to a few social projects we work closely with and you will get to meet the people and children Caminhos support.
Forró Experience
This is your chance to enjoy the nightlife of Rio de Janeiro in an unexpected way! First, learn some dance moves – it’s a 60 minutes class where you’re going to learn the basic moves Forró – and then let’s go all together to a Forró night at Lapa!
Right after the class, we are going to Lapa to enjoy a Forró event with live bands. So don’t miss the chance to experience one of the most popular Brazilian while in Rio.
The class will be taught in Portuguese or/and English;
“Forró Experience” event has no direct relation to any specific night club nor any of the musicians playing at the event;
The event’s entrance in Lapa cost is between R$15 and R$25 and is not included with the “Forró Experience” price;
Don’t forget to bring a document with photo (or a valid copy) for the night club to check.
Quinta Quentinha
Experience a very Brazilian thing – the quentinha. Quentinha is a container, usually made of aluminum foil or styrofoam, used by restaurants or independent cooks to sell food. Many Brazilians buy quentinha so they can have lunch at work or even at home. It is a rather cheap way to eat a homemade take out.
Choose the kind of food you want from the options we have and have a nice lunch outside the school together with other Caminhos students.
Samba Class
Learn how to dance samba, the most famous dance in Brazil at Caminhos Language Centre. Bruno, our fantastic professional samba teacher from Lapa, offers you free samba classes every week at the language school. We guarantee that Bruno will get your hips moving and shaking!
Satventure – Cristo Redentor
Join us as we go on a hike to Cristo Redentor, the Christ the Redeemer statue.
Capoeira Class
Capoeira classes with our capoeira teacher! Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music. All skill levels are welcome at our capoeira classes – nobody expects you to be an acrobat (though the acrobats among you are welcome too!).
Pedra do Telégrafo Tour
Edson, a typical Carioca and part of the Caminhos Family, will take a small group of people to this famous rock where you can get the most amazing photos looking like you are falling off it.
Edson will pick you up from the front of the school at 6am sharp (you will leave at 6:15am – don’t be late or we will go). He will drive us to Pedra Telégrafo, you will do the hike for 50 mins, he will take you to the famous rock where you can take some amazing pictures, you will stop for lunch after (extra cost, own expense) and then he will take you to see some of the famous surf beaches (Grumari, Prainha and Macumba).
Volunteer Day Activities in Rio de Janeiro
Caminhos In Action (C.I.A.)
Caminhos In Action is a day held once a month in which students can participate in different social projects, helping nearby communities and people in need. Each month we organise a C.I.A. day such as painting houses, street cleaning or helping to build houses and gardens in a local community. Around Christmas and Easter time we also provide special events for children who live in the communities we help.
Caminhos Community Time (Saturday)
Caminhos Community Time is a day when we take students into the nearby community of Caranguejo and spend some time with the children who live there. We help to clean up the area, read stories, play games and draw with the children, and provide them with food and drink. It is a day for showing these children in the community that we care. The community times are organised in cooperation with our partner organisation, Solar Meninos de Luz.
Caminhos Playtime (Wednesday)
Caminhos Playtime is a great opportunity for our language school students to connect with our Mais Caminhos children. Students can spend time with the children at the school every second Wednesday and participate in several fun games with them.
There is no need to apply in advance for these short-term volunteer opportunities. The only condition for participating is to study at the Caminhos Language Centre or be a former student. Once you are at the school you can ask for more information or sign up to the next volunteer opportunity at our front desk.
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Every Wednesday afternoon we organise a 
On Wednesday evenings we offer Brazil’s famous 
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On Friday afternoons we run our popular 
Every six weeks in front of the school we hold our 
Caminhos In Action is a day held once a month in which students can participate in different social projects, helping nearby communities and people in need. Each month we organise a C.I.A. day such as painting houses, street cleaning or helping to build houses and gardens in a local community. Around Christmas and Easter time we also provide special events for children who live in the communities we help.