I spent 5 nights in two hostels in a superb Rio location just above Copacabana beach.

The better of the two is Lisetonga Hostel. Not great for Brazil, but very good for Rio where accommodation is expensive. By comparison my dorm bed cost around $10. Including breakfast.

Some nights I lay in a hammock atop the open air building listening to the sounds of the vibrant community.

Saturday and Sunday nights are crazy LOUD. Everyone is on the streets.

Though the views are great, it’s a steep uphill or downhill to get anywhere in this favela.

Motorcycle taxis can be found at the base of every favela access road. If you can’t walk, you ride.

The Morro da Babilônia is a favela in the Leme neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro built on a steep ridge separating Copacabana beach from Botafogo. …

Babilônia has been controlled for years by drug traffickers linked to the Terceiro Comando (Third Command) organization, which imposed its rules by force on the community. In addition to controlling the illegal drug trade, the gunmen monopolized other services like the supply of cooking-gas cylinders and imposed rules on the population such as the times when they could come and go … In June 2009, police occupied the area without firing a shot. The intention is to make Babilonia into a model community by installing Police Pacification Units …

… in 2009 the neighbourhood started to become more and more popular among tourists. There are at least 10 hostels …

Police are everywhere in Babylon.

Women, children and tourists walk the streets any time of day or night. It looks as safe as any city street to me.

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