Nudism in Brazil is restricted to a handful of official nudist beaches – and extended in an unofficial way to a series of other remote beaches. If you want to go nude or topless make sure you check it is allowed wherever you are. The general rule is: minute (nearly invisible) bikini? Yes, you can. No bikini top? No, you can’t. If you read Portuguese you will the see the reality is slight more complex: A polêmica do topless nas praias do Rio de Janeiro. But as a rule of thumb, that should do.

There is no law in Brazil regulating naturism. For that reason, official nudist beaches receive that recognition from the local authorities. The Brazilian portal UOL put together a map of the official nudist beaches in Brazil.

They are:

• Abricó (in Rio de Janeiro)
• Barra Seca (in Linhares, Espírito Santo)
• Galheta (in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina)
• Massarandupió (in Entre Rios, Bahia)
• Olho-de-boi (in Búzios, Rio de Janeiro)
• Pino (in Balneario Camboriú, Santa Catarina)
• Pedras (in Palhoça, Santa Catarina)
• Tambaba (in Conde, Paraíba)

Here at the Brazil Travel Blog we published our own list of top 10 Brazilian beaches, in case you want to have a look at it. Of the clothed version, mind you!

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Having just revisited our favourite destinations in Brazil (10 must-see places in Brazil) it is time now to turn to the beaches. This is the 2009 version of our now two years old top 10: beaches. As drawing up an ordered list of 10 beaches is no mean task, I’ve decided to give three medals in order of preference and then present the remaining 7 beaches in pure alphabetical order.

If you click on location on the map you will be taken to a Google Maps page showing the exact location of the beach.

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1. THE MEDAL WINNERS

GOLD MEDAL: SANCHO beach (Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco – location on the map)

Arriving in Fernando de Noronha is neither easy nor cheap. Once in the island, getting to Sancho beach is not that simple either. You can either descend through a metal stair placed on crack on the cliff, get there by boat, or walk from Porcos beach (access through this path has been closed for quite a while now). But the reward is worth the effort. Sancho is a crescent-shaped beach, with a massive cliff as a background and crystal-clear waters where you will want to dive as soon as you reach the beach. Half of what Sancho has to offer is found under the sea level. Sancho on its own would make a trip to Noronha worthwhile. More information at: destination: Fernando de Noronha.

SILVER MEDAL: ILHA DO CAMPECHE beach (Florianópolis, Santa Catarina – location on the map)

Access to the second beach on our ranking is not easy either. To reach the island of Campeche you need to board a boat and face the waves for an hour or jump into a rubber dinghy for a swift five-minute sail to the island. To ensure the survival for future generations of the idyllic island the time visitors are allowed to stay in the island is limited – and strictly enforced. The beach at Campeche island is dazzling. Both literally, as its whiter than white sands will blind your vision, and figuratively, as the combination of the white sands and turquoise waters is breathtaking. No other Brazilian beach gets as close to the Caribbean as Campeche Island. More information at Ilha do Campeche.

BRONZE MEDAL: CONCEIÇÃO beach (Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco – location on the map)

One never tires of contemplating the imposing presence of the Morro do Pico, the serene keeper of Conceição beach. Another Noronha jewel, with one of the most beautiful beach landscapes of the entire Brazil. More information at: destination: Fernando de Noronha.

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2. FROM FIFTH TO TENTH (in strict alphabetical order)

Bainema (Boipeba, Bahía – location on the map)

Barra do Sahy (Barra do Sahy, São Paulo – location on the map)

Cachadaço (Trindade, Río de Janeiro – location on the map)

Domingas Dias (Ubatuba, São Paulo – location on the map)

Forno (Arraial do Cabo, Río de Janeiro – location on the map)

Mangues (Ilha Grande – location on the map)

Porcos (Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco – location on the map)

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3. HONOURABLE MENTIONS

There is only room for ten beaches on our ranking, but there are plenty more beaches we really like. In alphabetical order:

Amor (Pipa, Rio Grande do Norte)
Bahia dos Golfinhos (Pipa, Rio Grande do Norte)
Caçimba do Padre (Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco)
Coqueiros (Trancoso, Bahía)
Félix (Ubatuba, São Paulo)
Ipanema (Rio de Janeiro)
Lopes Mendes (Ilha Grande, Río de Janeiro)
Moreré (destinos: Boipeba, Bahía)
Paraty-Mirim (Paraty, Río de Janeiro)
Pitinga (Arraial d’Ajuda, Bahía)
Quarta Praia (Morro de São Paulo, Bahía)

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I just received, hot from the press, my Beaches Brazil, a project where I’ve put together a selection of more than one hundred photos taken during seven years travelling along the Brazilian coast. In the link I’ve just given you can preview the first 14 pages of the book. Here’s the full thumbnail index::

Most of the 120 pages of the book have full-page photographs. I have grouped the photos by themes: landscapes, crystal-clear water, waves, relax, food, beach shopping, boats, sunset, urban beaches, sports, flowers, villages and Noronha.

You can purchase the book from Blurb, where you’ll find all the details. Books are sent from the States and Europe to destinations all throughout the world.

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RELATED POSTS:
Maranhão, images of a Brazilian paradise

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Maresias is a popular beach located in the north coast of the state of São Paulo. In a way, it is São Paulo modest answer to Ipanema.

WE LIKE THE MOST: the beach, the mountains, the colour of the sea.

WE LIKE THE LEAST: as elsewhere along de Atlantic Rainforest coast, environmental crime running unchecked.

HOW TO GET THERE: Maresias is 173 km from São Paulo. You can drive there (depending on traffic conditions, it can take anything between 2 and 4 hours). The bus company Litorânea has several daily services to Maresias from the terminal TietE bus station in São Paulo. The bus trip takes four hours.

CAREFUL WITH: traffic conditions during the high season and weekends. The windy road is a constant witness to serious accidents – no doubt helped by the fact that many youngsters attending parties and nightclubs in Maresias do drink and drive on a regular basis.

FAVOURITE PLACES: the main beach.

PIECE OF ADVICE:

• Maresias is absolute piece and quiet during the low season, to the point of making you wonder what the whole Maresias hype is about.
• During the weekends, January, and any extended bank holidays, Maresias thrives. Accommodation is hard to come by and driving around becomes a nightmare.
• if you are in Maresias, you must visit the nearby beaches of Camburi and Barra do Sahy. If you have a car it’s a short drive away. Otherwise, local buses will take you there.

ACCOMMODATION: complete listing of Hotels and Pousadas in Maresias.

WEATHER FORECAST: The weather in Maresias for the next 10 days (data from São Sebastião)

GOOGLE MAPS: Maresias

PHOTOS: Maresias

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You might remember this blog’s entry on our top 10: beaches, published quite a while ago. This new entry is a reworking of the original list, to which we have added satellite images of the beaches. Sweet dreams of crystal water beaches!

1. Praia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco.

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2. Praia dos Porcos, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco.

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3. Ilha do Campeche, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina.

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4. Praia do Forno, Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro.

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5. Praia do Cachadaço, Trindade, Rio de Janeiro.

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6. Praia da Conceição, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco.

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7. Praia de Domingas Dias, Ubatuba, São Paulo.

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8. Baía dos Golfinhos, Pipa, Rio Grande do Norte.

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9. Praia de Paraty-Mirim, Paraty, Rio de Janeiro.

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10. Praia de Barra do Sahy, Barra do Sahy, São Paulo.

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The state of Santa Catarina’s Fundação do Meio Ambiente mantains a useful webpage where net users can check out the quality indexes for the beaches of the state. At Relatório de Balneabilidade you are presented with two choices:

a) you can check out the beaches of Florianópolis (playas de Florianópolis)

b) or you can check out the beaches of the entire state, including Florianópolis (playas del estado de Santa Catarina).

There are two different tags applied to each beach. Impróprio (unsuitable, in red) and Próprio (suitable, in black). Unsuitable beaches are those where a high concentration of toxic bacteria has been found. Do not forget that in a big part of Brazil sewage is not treated at all.

See also on this blog: Beaches of Rio de Janeiro: quality index

For most visitors, Florianópolis encapsulates the perfect beach destination, and satisfaction comes in the simplest of ways: a beach recliner [sun-lounger] a sunshade and a beach. But even the most sedentary of tourists will at one stage or another want to leave the comfort of the beach where they are staying to visit other parts of the island. This entry is part of a trilogy (that includes forthcoming entries on Centre-Lagoa and the South) with tips and basic guidance on the most interesting points on the island.

On the north of Florianópolis we find the two beaches best loved by the Argentinians that crowd them: Canasvieiras and Ingleses. It is here that we find the biggest concentration of tourists on the entire island. Distances between beaches are not that big, although roads can become irritantingly slow during the high season, when bottlenecks are a permanent feature on an island with precarious road infrastructure.

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From west to east, the following are the main beaches on the north of the island:

On the west coast of the island, half way between the centre of Florianópolis and the northern beaches, you will find the Portuguese villages of Sambaqui and Santo Antônio de Lisboa. Two interesting places for a walk with the family, although the beaches are not good for bathing. Both villages have a handful of seafood restaurants as well as crafts shops.

Leave your general queries on Florianópolis at the entry Destination: Florianópolis.

Veteran readers of the blog might recall the fight for the title of most beautiful beach in Brazil between two oceanic giants: the praia do Forno, in Arraial do Cabo, and the praia do Sancho, in Fernando de Noronha. Well, a new contender is on the line: the Campeche island (in Portuguese, Ilha do Campeche), in Florianópolis.

The Ilha do Campeche is on the southern half of Florianópolis, on its east coast, just across the Campeche beach. As you can see on the satellite image, the beach is on the western side of the island, sheltered from the ocean winds. The east side of the island is rocky and has no beaches.

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There are three different ways of getting to the island:

• by boat from Armação do Sul. It takes about 40 minutes and the price during the low season was R$25 in 2008. There are several sailings during the morning. During the high season, there are afternoon boats to the island as well.
• by boat from Barra da Lagoa. A few boats reach the island from the north, the trip takes one hour and fifteen minutes aproximately.
• on rubber dinghy from the Campeche beach. The trip takes little over 5 minutes, and during the low season the return trip cost R$30. There is no fixed timetable, the service depends on the demand. The same dinghy that takes you to the island will take you back from it.

From the three options, the last one is our favourite one. As well as being much faster, there is little time left for those prone to sea-sickness..

The island is a unique place, as it is part of the natural and cultural heritage of Brazil. There are 10 archeological sites on the island, and for that reason there is a limit to the number of visitors allowed every day. It should also be noted that the island is not opened to visitation during winter. IPHAN, the Brazilian government’s body responsible for the national heritage, has a number of monitors on the island, who are always eager to help tourists with their explanations.

As soon as you land on the island it is hard not to marvel at two of the main features of the beach: whiter than white sand and turquoise waters. On the approximately four hours you are allowed to stay on the island (this time limit is enforced and your boat will leave back to the main island after those four hours) you have basically three options:

- stay at the beach. The right-hand side of the beach is wider. The places where you can swim are clearly marked by buoys separating the beach-goers from the constant traffic of boats coming and going. On the left-hand side of the beach there is a tiny beach you can reach walking across the giant rocks at that end. Bring good footwear. This is the best part of the island for snorkelling.

- do some of the treks on the island. As you will be visiting archeological sites, you can’t go on your own, you have to follow a monitor. There are two monitored treks, one lasts for an hour and costs R$5, and the other one lasts three hours and it costs R$10.

- do a snorkelling trip. You can pay R$35 to go on a shortish (one hour) snorkelling trip to a part of the island where visitors can’t get on foot. The price includes a wet suit.

With crystal-clear waters as the ones enjoyed at the island, snorkel is the most attractive option. If you have a mask and a tube (flippers are not essential), take them with you. The best part of the beach to snorkel on is on the left-hand side, right next to the big rocks.

To be honest, the transparency of the water is more impressive than the variety of fish seen there. For those new to snorkelling it will be an exciting experience; veterans might be slightly dissappointed. You can’t snorkel beyond the rocks.

There are two bars at the beach where you can order a beer or even a meal. Prices at the end of February 2008 were: mineral water, R$2; beer, R$5; caipirinha, R$5; fish with rice, fries and a salad, R$15; fried squid, R$25.

Before I forget. Once again, Sancho reigns supreme as the number one of all the Brazilian beaches. The massive presence of tourists at the island of Campeche at certain times of the day, and the presence of bars and quite a lot of litter (in spite of the efforts by the monitors to keep it clean) detracts quite a lot of points from the “unspoiled” factor. But Campeche came close. It’s time for some changes at the Brazil Travel Blog‘s Top 10: beaches ranking.

For those wanting to see more photos: PHOTO ALBUM OF CAMPECHE AND THE ISLAND OF CAMPECHE

General information on Florianópolis on the following blog entry: Destination: Florianópolis.

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RELATED POSTS:
Destination: Florianópolis
Hotels and pousadas in Campeche

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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:

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BEACHES OF BÚZIOS:

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BEACHES OF CABO FRÍO:

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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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