Free PDF. Free audiobook. $15 deep dive.
Start with the free Rio Starter or stream the audiobook narrated by Bryant. Ready for everything? The 36 page Por Dentro is $15. Pick your depth.
- The basics for a first Rio trip
- Money, neighborhoods, beaches
- Two clubs to ask for any night
- How to book BBE in 6 steps
- Bryant's voice, full guide read aloud
- Listen on the plane or on a run
- No email, no signup, no upsell
- 19 chapters, Rio first, plus Salvador and São Paulo
- Everything in the free guide, expanded
- Nightlife week by week
- 25 restaurants with our notes
- Adult, favela, spiritual, Salvador, SP
The Three Doors
Same Brazil. Three Ways In.
Each card below is the full version of the tier above. Pick one, or take all three, they're built to stack.
Honest answers to real questions.
Long form pieces written from 6 years on the ground in Rio. No email gate, no pitch, just the honest read.
How BBE Lowers Your Risk
Experience Concierge support, trusted drivers, neighborhood briefings and route changes. Lower risk, never zero.
Rio vs Salvador for Black culture
Two cities, two homecomings. Which to visit first, or how to do both in one trip.
First time Rio: 7 days, done right
7 days in Rio for couples, private, with your own local crew. A real BBE itinerary, not a fixed script.
Is Rio worth it?
The honest pros, cons, and who should go.
Where to stay in Rio
The best neighborhoods for first timers: Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana, Botafogo, Barra. Safety, vibe, and budget.
Getting around Rio
GIG airport to Copacabana, Uber vs 99 vs taxi, the metro, and night transport.
Money in Rio
Daily budget, currency, tipping, ATM safety, and PIX.
What to eat in Rio
Feijoada, acai, churrasco, street food, and where to find it.
Portuguese for Rio
Essential phrases, pronunciation tips, and how BBE helps with language.
"These itineraries are what I'd build for a friend who handed me their dates and said just figure it out." Founder · BBE
What's included in the itinerary price?
Your Experience Concierge throughout the trip, transportation with a dedicated driver, and the experiences you choose from the menu. Priced per person, scaling down as your group grows, and confirmed on your free call.
Flights and your stay are booked by us and billed at the price we pay. Not included: food, unless an experience covers it. More on itineraries →
How far in advance should I book?
2 to 3 months minimum. Carnival, NYE, and Flamengo home games need 4+ months. Booking details →
Is Rio safe?
As safe as any big city when someone local is with you. That lowers the risk; it never removes it. Most trouble our travelers meet is people trouble, not crime, and we steer around it. How we operate →
What about LGBTQ+ travelers?
Rio is one of the most openly gay cities in the world. The Gay Rio Week itinerary is built specifically for that scene. Our founder came out at 29 in this city. More for specific travelers →
Or Skip Straight to the Trip.
Free 30 minute concierge call with the founder. No purchase required. The guides are great, but the call gets your trip moving.
Field Notes
Field Notes from Brazil.
Six years on the ground in Rio, Salvador, and São Paulo. Carnival prep, NYE survival, North Zone access, and the stories behind the menu.
Read the field notes
Carnival, planned right: a six month checklist. When to book Sambadrome tickets, which blocos are actually worth it, how to survive seven days.
Why the Madureira weekend is the best two nights in Rio. Casa Black on Friday, Parque Madureira into the Baile Charme on Saturday, and how it flows.
Pequena África: the history you won't find on Wikipedia. Why every Black traveler should walk Saúde first, Pedra do Sal, Valongo Wharf, the Pretos Novos cemetery.
NYE on Copacabana: the playbook for a crowd of more than two million. Where to stand, what to wear, how to get home, what locals do that tourists miss.
Inside the Maracanã: a first timer's guide to a Flamengo game. The chants, the rivalries, which section, how to walk in like you've done it before.
The Sunday move: a day at Rasta Beach. Posto 1 Leme, the music, the regulars, why we shifted our whole Sunday here.
Salvador after Rio: why you should add three days. Capoeira, Candomblé, Pelourinho, the food, where the cultural roots actually live.
Want the story behind one of these? Ask Bryant on your free call, or grab the free starter guide above.