According to O Globo newspaper (Parque: decreto preserva praias mais cobiçadas de Búzios), the governor of Rio de Janeiro has just passed a decree preventing developers from exploring whatever’s left (and it’s not much) of Búzios original vegetation. A new natural park, the Parque Estadual da Costa do Sol (Pecs), will be created encompassing bits and pieces of 27 different cities.

The beaches that should fall under the protection of the law include:

• Azeda, Azedinha, Brava, Olho de Boi, Forno, Tartaruga, Caravelas and José Gonçalves in Búzios.
• Peró (left corner), Conchas, Brava and Ilha do Japonês in Cabo Frio.
• Grande, Massambaba e Prainhas (pontal do Atalaia) in Arraial do Cabo.

This is certainly good news although only time will tell how effective the park will be in preventing the destruction of the environment at the hands of developers.

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RELATED POSTS:
destination: Arraial do Cabo
destination: Búzios

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Regular readers of the blog know how fond we are of the praia do Forno in Arraial do Cabo, one of the most beautiful beaches in Brazil (we wrote a blog post on it: The most beautiful beach in Brazil?).

You are also aware of the problem of favelização in Arraial do Cabo, chaotic urban development and environmental crime. We now have evidence that things are moving at a much speedier pace that we could have possibly imagined. The favela on top of the Praia do Forno has begun its descent onto the beach.

The photo above was taken by our friend Felipe Terra and symbolizes the end of yet another Brazilian paradise. I’m thinking of changing the cover of my Brazil beaches book.

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The Rio de Janeiro’s governmental body Fundação Estadual de Engenharia do Meio Ambiente mantains a webpage where Internet users can check out the water conditions for a number of beaches on the state of Rio: Balneabilidade de Praias. there is data for Rio city, Magé, São Gonçalo, Niterói, Saquarema, Araruama, Iguaba Grande, Arraial do Cabo, Cabo Frio, Búzios, Casemiro de Abreu, Rio das Ostras, Macaé, Campos and São João da Barra.

Once you enter the Balneabilidade de Praias section, you need to select your beach of interest to view the data available for it.

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RELATED POSTS:
Beaches of Santa Catarina: quality index

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NAME: pousada Tanto Mar

WHERE: Arraial do Cabo, Río de Janeiro

WEBSITE: www.tantomar.com.br

IN ENGLISH: no

PRICES ON THE WEBSITE: yes

LOCATION: at the top of the Pontal do Atalaia, with a spectacular view of the city and the praia dos Anjos. [Google Maps].

THE BUILDING: two houses built on the top of a hill. The main building has a large dining room, kitchen ,reception, a common room and three rooms. The other building hosts the rest of the rooms. There is a swimming pool and a games room with billiards, table football [foosball] and a ping-pong table, as well as a large garden.

THE ROOMS: comfortable, with no outstanding features.

PRICES IN NOVEMBER 2007: We paid R$110 per room per night – prices for the low season.

BREAKFAST: included on the price. Quite good, with the added bonus of taking it from the dining room that overlooks the bay.

FOOD: during the low season the pousada serves no meals; just some frozen pizzas and basic sandwhiches.

RECEPTION: friendly.

OUR OPINION: excellent value for money in Arraial do Cabo. With just two snags. First the pousada is only recommended for those driving a car, you can’t get there walking. You will need the car for absolutely everything, whether you want to have lunch or go to the beach. Second, it is a pousada only recommended for those seeking absolute peace and quiet. No buildings or shops nearby.

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This is a summary of the entries posted along the last couple of months on the Região dos Lagos, an area that includes the tourist destinations of Arraial do Cabo, Búzios and Cabo Frío, in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

I published two destination cards, Destination: Arraial do Cabo and Destination: Búzios. Along with the destination cards, two entries with photo albums: Brazil in pictures: Arraial do Cabo and Brazil in pictures: Búzios, as well as a third entry decidated to the praia do Forno, in Arraial do Cabo: The most beautiful beach in Brazil?.

We paid a quick visit to Cabo Frio and its Rua dos biquinis.

To understand the region better I prepared three Maps of the beaches of Arraial do Cabo, Búzios and Cabo Frio.

Some help on how to travel from one town to another in Transportation between Arraial do Cabo, Cabo Frio and Búzios.

Finally, an entry on Prices in Búzios.

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[see our top 10 Brazilian beaches – 2009 edition]

On the entry I published recently with photographs of Arraial do Cabo (Brazil in pictures: Arraial do Cabo) I mentioned I was keeping the photographs of the Forno beach for a future opportunity. Well, here it is. We visited the beach on a cloudy Sunday morning – we liked it but didn’t fell in love with it. When we were back in Arraial, mother nature decided to send the clouds away. As we suspected the beach we had just seen might be something of a true marvel under the sun, we decided to go back once again. We made the right choice. Stunning colours! Crystal-clear waters! A moving view!

The beach is crescent-shaped and surrounded by vegetation everywhere. It can be reached on foot or by boat. The right-hand side of the beach (facing the sea) is where the most transparent waters are found; there is a good snorkelling point around the rocks there.

There are boats coming and going non-stop. Every now and then, a boat anchors at the beach.

There are several bars at the beach where you can sit and relax and enjoy life far away from civilization.

Abstent from my photographs are some of the reasons that allow Sancho beach, in Fernando de Noronha, to rest untroubled in the knowledge that she is the absolute number one. While Forno could rise to the challenge when it comes to comparing blue and crystal-clear waters, when the environment around the beach is taken into account it suffers a heavy defeat at the hands of Sancho. From the bar where we sat enjoying a finger-licking dish of fried squid rings we could see: a Brazilian navy submarine anchored in the middle of the bay, the top of an oil rig anchored at Arraial harbour for maintenance work; and the houses of the shanty town at the top of the hill, about to beging its unstoppable descent onto the beach.

We hope we manage to preserve Noronha, as many of the other Brazilian paradises have entered the path of degradation from which there is no return.

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The three towns mentioned on the title of this entry are quite close to each other, and everyone should make sure that on their trip to the Região dos Lagos they get to visit them all.

Ampliar mapa

On a private car, and outside the high season, it’s simple and quick to get from one town to the other. Ten minutes from Arraial do Cabo to Cabo Frio, and 20 minutes from Cabo Frio to the entrance of the Búzios peninsula.

There is reasonable public transportation as well. The buses linking the three towns belong to the company Salineira .

From Arraial do Cabo to Cabo Frio (and viceversa) there is a bus every 10 minutes during the day.

From Arraial do Cabo to Búzios (and viceversa) there are 6 direct buses per day (a las 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21). If the schedule doesn’t suit you, you can always take the bus to Cabo Frio and from there another bus to Búzios.

From Cabo Frio to Búzios (and viceversa) there is a bus every 20 minutes during the day.

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I’ve just finished three new maps on the GoogleMaps platform. They contain the location of the beaches of Arraial do Cabo, Búzios and Cabo Frio. Click on the symbols to see the names of the beaches.

BEACHES ARRAIAL DO CABO:

Ampliar mapa

BEACHES OF BÚZIOS:

Ampliar mapa

BEACHES OF CABO FRÍO:

Ampliar mapa

Flickr hosts now my Arraial do Cabo photo album, where you will find a portrait of sunny Arraial do Cabo and its incredible beaches.

Prainha beach is a good example of what Arraial has to offer in terms of beaches – it’s the first beach you will come across on your arrival to Arraial.

Or praia Grande, with its whiter than white sands.

You can spend endless hours watching surfers ride the waves. Waves that sometimes come in twos!

You will also get the chance to see the city growing taking over areas of native forest.

There is some fun to be had at the praia dos Anjos.

And from praia do Forno I will only show here the ubiquitous seller. I will dedicate a special entry on the blog to the photographs of this outstanding beach (if you go to the album you will find the pictures there).

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Arraial do Cabo is, along with Búzios and Cabo Frio, the beach trilogy of the região dos Lagos. Three different beach settings in a smallish region of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Arraial do Cabo provokes mixed feelings. On the one hand, it has some of the most beautiful beaches of the entire Brazil, with water so transparent it makes you think you have been transported to Fernando de Noronha; on the other hand, the unstoppable degradation of the city and its environment are stark reminders of the fact that Arraial is, by no means, another Fernando de Noronha.

WE LIKE THE MOST: the incredibly greenish blue colour of the sea.

WE LIKE THE LEAST: the out-of-control expansion of the city has ended up with all the charm the place had; the industrial aspect of the harbour; litter everywhere, even at the beaches; chaotic traffic.

HOW TO GET THERE: from Rio, by car or by bus (with the company 1001). There are several buses per day and the trip lasts a bit over three hours. Nearby Cabo Frio international airport will soon receive flights from Argentina and Chile.

CAREFUL WITH: the icy temperature of the sea, especially on the beaches that face the Atlantic. When I say icy, I’m not exaggerating. Sheltered beaches like Forno make for a more comfortable bathing experience.

FAVOURITE PLACES: the pontal do Atalaia, and the Grande and Forno beaches.

PIECE OF ADVICE:

• as the rest of the region, Arraial do Cabo is best avoided during the high season.
• prices, both for accommodation and food, are cheaper than in Búzios.
• if you intend to find lodging at the Pontal do Atalaia you will need a car; if you get to Arraial do Cabo by bus your best choice is to stay near the harbour.
• the boat trip leaving from the harbour takes you to wonderful and unspoiled beaches. But be careful, if the sea is rough you are strongly advised to leave the trip for another day. Trips leave in the morning, and during the high season in the afternoon too.
• the path to the beautiful Forno beach begins right by the entrance to the harbour; it’s a 20 minute walk before you reach the beach; if you prefer, you can go there by boat (you will pay R$5 per persona).
• from Arraial do Cabo you can visit nearby Cabo Frio; Búzios is a bit further away but it would be the perfect continuation for your trip.
• the Grande beach, on the side of Arraial facing the Atlantic Ocean, it’s not good for swimming, as the waves there are quite strong. But the whiter than white sands are mesmerizing, and you can have a really good time sitting at a bar, drinking a caipirinha and watching the surfers riding the waves.

ACCOMMODATION: full listing of hotels and pousadas in Arraial do Cabo.

LINKS: Arraial do Cabo-rj.com, Arraial do Cabo-rj.com.br.

WEATHER FORECAST: The weather in Arraial do Cabo for the next 10 days

GOOGLE MAPS: Arraial do Cabo

PHOTO ALBUM: Arraial do Cabo

[Don’t forget to check out the list of other destinations already covered in this blog, here]

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