hiring a private guide or personal assistant in rio de janeiro is a great idea, especially if it is one's first stay in the city.

aside from preventing visitors from accidentally entering the wrong neighborhoods, local guides can also save time, effort and money when negotiating transportation fares - furthermore, guides and personal assistants can help a visitor to learn and navigate the public transportation system and organize personalized tours.

while visiting the corcovado or the sugar loaf is very straight forward and can be easily done without any assistance, there are neighborhoods of rio outside the main touristy areas that should only be explored with a local guide.