Our Story
Born from the mangrove, raised by the tide.
Raiz do Mangue means “root of the mangrove” — the tangled roots along Barra da Tijuca where our founders learned to read tides before they learned to drive.
Since 2018
A crew of locals, not tour-desk strangers
We started with one boat and a simple idea: most visitors leave Rio de Janeiro having only seen it from the sand. The city's real character — the whales that pass its coast, the mangroves behind Barra da Tijuca, the reef coves nobody photographs — sits just offshore.
Today Raiz do Mangue runs daily departures for whale watching, sunset sailing, snorkeling and paddle tours, still captained by people who grew up on this stretch of coast.
“We don't chase the whales — we know where they'll be.”
How we operate
What doesn't change, season to season
Meet the crew
Skill you can feel on the water
Old-world navigation
Skippers still cross-check GPS against tide charts and coastal landmarks passed down for generations.
Whale-spotting instinct
Our guides can read a distant blow or fin from a mile out — most sightings happen before the app notification does.
Marina da Barra · Daily departures
Your seat on the water is waiting.
Whale season runs July through November. Boats are small and seats go fast — reserve yours before you land in Rio.
Reserve Your Spot