the important thing for everyone interested in one of these trips is to do thorough research beforehand, and select the tour operator wisely - these tours are entrances into the private lives of individuals in the favela and it is absolutely critical to maintain an air of respect for those in the community - many favelas are not public spaces, in fact some are rigidly private, and new visitors generally need a reason to enter.

anyone needing assitance with attire on a favela tour should keep simplicity in mind - many palpable barriers naturally exist between tour members, and the residents of the community, so clothing should be a factor that does not make the distance any larger - flashy items such as expensive watches, gold jewlery and technology gadgets are best left at home.

some tours are run in open-air jeeps, and schedule times to get out and interact, in a more natural way, with residents - it helps to avoid flowery hawaiian shirts and safari style clothing since they draw attention - cameras are generally permitted but individuals should avoid zoom lenses or taking pictures of residents faces directly - excessive photo taking is inappropraite.