Rogean Rodríguez builds castles in the sand. For eleven years he has squatted on a small piece of coastline in front of the luxurious hotels on Rio’s famous Copacabana beach. On this parcel of real estate create fantasies by hand with sand and water. Its exquisite palaces catch the light and the gaze of tourists walking along the boulevard. Sometimes they bring a few coins and photograph their masterpieces. At night, a vigilante guards the kingdom while Rodríguez returns to the hillside “favela” where he lives. On the mountain above Copacabana beach is Pavao. The shanty town Rodriguez calls home is within walking distance, but a world away from his fairytale castles. The “favelas” are the slums. Created by squatters, they are home to many of Rio’s six million residents. It is the River that locals stay away from and tourists are warned to avoid. But these cities within a city are unique and hidden cultures worth exploring. With the advent of special guided tours, visitors can safely travel to the “favelas” for an eye-opening look at the other Rio de Janeiro.

Andrés LeJerraga picks me up at the Copacabana Palace, one of the most splendid hotels on the beach of the same name. I join a van full of curious tourists for the trip to Rocinha, the most infamous favela in Rio. As I laid out the itinerary of my visit to Brazil, I decided that I wanted to personally witness the poverty that I had heard so much about. The point of the visit was not to gape or explode, but to gain an authentic insight into how people live. I learned that there is actually a name for this type of tourism. It’s called “poverty” and it’s a fast-growing market taking off in cities like Rio, Mumbai, Nairobi, and Johannesburg. Part of my interest, I must confess, stemmed from a bit of defiance. I got tired of people telling me how dangerous Rio was. Do not go off the main streets, do not leave valuables in the hotel, beware of drug dealers, be careful who you talk to, be careful, be careful, be careful.

The huge and sprawling Rocinha can be seen on a hillside on the urban outskirts of Rio long before we arrive. Andrés tells us that up to 200,000 people live in the slums. A Formula One track passed through here before Rocinha began development in the 1940s. Today, the main street that runs through Rocinha is Cowboy Lane, a busy shopping center with 1,300 stores and three bus lines. The stone and brick houses with tin roofs are precariously packed and stacked on top of each other on the hillside. They were built by construction workers on solid rock. Many have breathtaking views. From a rooftop you can see the line of demarcation between the poor and the rich who live in high-rise buildings across the road in an area called Sao Conrado. Because these settlements were created by squatters, refugees, and displaced people, the infrastructure was an afterthought. Many collect water in large blue tanks on their rooftops. There is a chaotic tangle of cables and wires crisscrossing the roads for electricity. Samba music plays in the streets. From eye level, it looks similar to urban business districts in densely populated cities covered in graffiti, but much more is happening in the “favelas” than meets the eye.

Spontaneous settlements originated when soldiers in the late 19th century were forced to camp on the slopes of large cities. The favelas completely exploded in the 1900s when the country’s people flocked to industrialized areas in search of opportunities. These were the people who built the tourist meccas of Ipanema and Leblon. If you live in a large house in Rio, the woman who takes care of your children probably lives in a “favela.” If you are staying at a hotel on Copacabana beach, the workers who clean your room and take care of maintenance probably live in “favelas.” In the past, the authorities tried to close the favelas, but in the 1990s the government realized that they were here to stay and provided some basic services such as garbage collection, sewerage, electricity and water. Now there are about 750 “favelas” in Rio. It is estimated that up to a third of the city’s population lives in them. Brazil is one of the most economically unequal countries in the world, with 34% of people living in poverty. Because of this, the population of “favelas” is growing much faster than that of the surrounding areas.

Many “favelas” are well known as havens of drug trafficking and gang warfare. In fact, drug lords are alive and well in the back alleys of the settlements. Police patrol the outskirts where marijuana and cocaine are bought and sold to the middle class. Experience has taught them not to enter. When they do, the confrontations are often extremely violent. The criminal element is protected and isolated by the “favelas”. The police are targeting drug lords and they have no chance outside the borders. Inside the “favelas” the traffickers are safe and strong. The drug lords maintain order in the favelas and in a strange code of morals prohibit all robbery and prostitution. If outsiders feel unsafe in the favelas, they will not come to buy drugs. At one point, Andrés tells us to put our cameras away. You don’t want us to accidentally photograph a drug business that is closing. It also tells us to watch out for flying kites. Kites can be precursors to drug activity. When a green kite flies, marijuana arrives. A white kite speaks of cocaine, a red kite means that the police are approaching.

But to characterize the “favelas” as simple dens of iniquity is to lose the sense. In reality, less than 1% of the inhabitants of the favelas are involved in drug trafficking. Most of the people who live in Rocinha and other “favelas” are manual laborers who make ends meet on less than $ 300 a month. The first Samba school was born in Rocinha and many of the Samba schools that entertain during Carnival come from the “favelas”. The artisans along Cowboy Lane with their colorful paintings of famous Rio sights, handbags made with beer labels and beautiful embroidery hint at the talent that resides here. For tourists who venture into the “favelas” this is the first impression.

Some criticize the tours of the “favelas” favelatour.com and say they are voyeuristic and insensitive. I would say that the opportunity to interact with the residents of the “favelas”, witness their entrepreneurial spirit and be enlightened with the political, cultural and social context changes you. By ignoring poverty it does not go away. In our small group we were able to ask Andrés who lives in a favela called Tarejada questions, watch the young favelados play, and go out on foot and explore. In Vila Caonoas, a small favela of about 2,000 people that translates to “canoe trail”, we have an intimate view of how people live. Walking through the alleys we can smell the tortillas being cooked, hear the samba that springs from the crowded houses and see the mothers and children through the windows and doors. There is no privacy here, but there are generations of family and tradition. We are warmly received and we can also witness the good work that organizations like the Rotary Club do to ensure that children are educated and provided health care. Before we leave, we have the opportunity to give back to the community by buying handicrafts.

I have witnessed poverty in other countries and, by not turning away, I believe it increases our compassion and humanity. Seeing how people live motivates us to act. Visiting the “favelas” allowed me to look beyond the beach and its beautiful people. Seeing the “favelas” with my own eyes gave me a much more complete picture of Rio de Janeiro and dispelled my fears. The trip made me appreciate the struggle people face in a city where there is a line in the sand between the haves and the have-nots. Above all, it made me want to stop and talk to Rogean Rodríguez about the “favela” of Pavao on the hill above Copacabana beach and his dreams one day of a future for him and his family that is as magnificent as his castles in the city. sand.