gamboa, historically popular for its port, is recently receiving investments for a megaproject of reorganization, garnering the nickname 'new lapa' because of its abundance of renovated and newly built bars, clubs and a shopping center, helping expand the lapa/centro nightlife.

perhaps most famously known for being home to the cidade do samba (samba city), an enormous complex of buildings that make up a somewhat surreal mix of samba school rehearsal space, theme park, costume creation center, and cultural center.

its close proximity to lapa and centro makes it an optimum place to educate and expand one's samba knowledge, or to stray off the path and find a nice hole-in-the-wall bar to mingle with the local.