Brazil is famous for its beaches, so you’ll likely be visiting a couple. Read this guide to pick the best beaches in Brazil’s northeast for you. The guide will follow a route from north to south, from Maranhão to Pernambuco. Described places are color-coded as a must-visit, highly recommended and if time permits.
Maranhão
São Luis
São Luis is the capital city of the state of Maranhão. It has beaches but it being city beaches, there are much better ones out there. You might fly to Sao Luis to make your way down the coast, but I wouldn’t bother staying here. The historical center is pretty run down and all together the city doesn’t have much to offer tourists. Just take a transfer straight to Barreirinhas/Atins if you can, or spend a night here and make your way down the next day.
Atins
Now Atins should be on everyone’s itinerary! The beach might not be the best, but Atins has something much better to offer: the national park Lençoís Maranhenses. Lençóis Maranhenses is a not to be missed desert filled with lakes, forming the ‘lençóis (sheets) of Maranhão. The lakes are formed by the heavy rain during the rainy season and dry up afterward. So make sure you visit in the right season: from June to September. Note that as June is the start of the dry season, there is still a chance of rain and in September the lakes are already fairly dry.
Atins is also a kite hotspot. In general, Atins is quite expensive as it’s very touristy and fairly remote, making classes quite expensive as well.
As for accommodation, Posada Velho Bateau has a really nice setup and friendly staff. It’s a little far away from the center, but free transfers are organized at set hours. Casa da Praia is a popular alternative. It’s cheaper and more centrally located.
Ceará
Jericoacoara
The best way to describe Jericoacoara is as a more developed Atins. Or you could describe Atins as Jericoacoara 10 years ago. Due to the inland loop we made, to visit the Amazon and some waterfalls, Jeri wasn’t quite on our route so we decided to skip it. We had already spent some time in Atins after all. Jeri has some lakes, dunes and a beach, but for the natural sights, Atins seems much better. For infrastructure and parties on the beach, Jeri is your place.
Cumbuco
Cumbuco = kite. If you’re a kitesurfer, you will probably want to spend some time here. If not, it doesn’t seem to have much more to offer. There are other destinations on this list that you’ll likely enjoy more.
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is a big, capital city and is known to be quite dangerous. We skipped it as it was a bit off route, due to the inland detour we made and we’re generally not a fan of big cities. If you do like big cities however, you might want to spend a little time here.
Rio Grande do Norte
Natal
Natal is one of the few cities we spend some time in and enjoyed. Ponta Negra is the most touristy part and the beach isn’t bad for a city. The promenade along the beach is a popular destination with many carts selling bites to eat or drinks and many restaurants and bars as well.
Pipa
Pipa is only a little south of Natal and known for its parties and dolphins. If short on time, I’d recommend staying in Pipa and skip Natal. Pipa is a typical (Brazilian) touristy beach town, so the center is full of shops all selling the same, bars and restaurants. A lot of Argentinians have made Pipa their home, so if you’ve been to Argentina and miss their empanadas, you’ll find some here!
Baía dos Golfinhos (Dolphin Bay) is where you’ll find the dolphins. You’ll have to go at low tide, otherwise the beach isn’t accessible, and make sure to return at least 3h before high tide! You’ll already be climbing over the highest bit of the rocks at that point. The dolphins hunt in the bay, chasing the fish towards the beach. Sometimes they’ll come right up to you! If they aren’t here, they could be at the next bay, Praia Madeiros. You can also pay for a boat to take you if you prefer.
Paraíba
João Pessoa
I heard good things about João Pessoa, but I was pretty disappointed with the city itself in the end. It’s a smaller city, which felt like any other city without much to offer. The beach isn’t that great either. You can take a tour to the south coast (litoral sul) where you will find some of the best beaches of Brazil’s northeast (Praia Tambaba, famous for its nudist part and Cocorinho, lined with palm trees). These are outside of the city of João Pessoa however, so you might be better off staying at the nearby city of Conde or one of the coastal towns in the same municipality and make your way from there. If you want to visit from João Pessoa you’ll need your own transport or you can take a tour.
Pernambuco
Ilha de Itamaraca
Itamaraca is an island (separated by a river) a little north of Recife. It’s not touristy at all, mainly just visited by people from Recife for the weekend. This gives it a bit of an off-the-beaten-track feel, while still being on your path. The thing is that the island is dirty. Very very dirty. The day-trippers/weekenders from Recife tend to stock up in Recife and many have their weekend house on the island. They go to the beach, consume everything, and through all their rubbish just next to them. On top of that, the municipality of Recife does not seem to care about collecting rubbish, so the people who do want to through their rubbish in a bin, will find overly full ones. This, together with plenty of hungry and curious animals, equals a disaster.
A little rubbish doesn’t scare you away? The southern part of the island has a fort and there is a short hike you can do to the old town of Vila Velha. On the way there is a tiny little white sandy beach you can take a swim at. Enjoy a lunch in the town and visit the second oldest church of Brazil (according to locals). If you’re into tapioca, there is a famous tapiocaria in town, just past the viewpoint.
Itamaraca is a popular kite destination as well. As it’s not very touristy, kite lessons here are cheaper than in Atins for example. If you’re spending some time here while learning to kite and traveling in a group, Manga Verde offers gorgeous apartments with 2-3 bedrooms.
Olinda
Olinda is a small city just south of Itamaraca and north of Recife. The historical center, though small, is very pretty. Unfortunately I was unable to find a free walking tour when we visited. There are, but they seemed to have shut down due to the pandemic. There are paid city tours that take you to Olinda and Recife however.
I have to say that I normally don’t like paid city tours that much. I usually feel that I pay more for less compared to free walking tours. Wandering around Olinda on our own, I did felt like I missed some context however. Olinda has a beach, but it’s a city beach and the main draw of the city is the colonial center. Head further south to Porto de Galinhas for the beach.
Recife
We didn’t really spend any time here, other than to take/change transport. There is a historic center, but it’s the same as in other capital cities and Olinda’s is a lot nicer. There are beaches, but they are city beaches and known for shark attacks… Since the construction of the port in the southern part of Recife there has been a big increase in shark attacks from migrating bull and tiger sharks that are passing by. It’s better to just head south for a dip.
Porto de Galinhas
Porto do Galinhas is another one of those typical touristy beach towns. Whereas Pipa is party central for the youngsters, Porto de Galinhas sees more families and couples. This is off course just a general observation and both cater to all types of tourism. Porto de Galinhas got it’s name due to the slave trade. It was illegal to import slaves, so when a boat arrived, they would say the ‘chickens’ (galinhas in Portuguese) arrived.
The cool thing about Porto de Galinhas is that there are reefs just of the coast. Ok, the reefs are pretty much dead, but there are still quite a few fish around. Just grab a mask and snorkel and head into the water at low tide. There are boats that take you as well, but I wouldn’t bother. They take you a few meters of shore and group all people together. You can buy a mask for the same price and just go yourself, a little away from the mass. During low tide, you will find some natural pools just off the beach as well, with calm water to relax.
Spend a day at Maracaipe as well, Pontal de Maracaipe is about an hour walking from Porto, or you can take a bus from the main road for 3,5 rls to the center of Maracaipe. From the pontal, you can head to the mangroves. There are boat tours that take you to see the seahorses, but we were lucky enough to come across one when we ventured out on our own! Make sure you go and return at low tide. It’s easy to get lost here when the tide rises and some parts might not be walkable anymore. You can take a tour by quat from Porto to Maracaipe as well, but I recommend going on your own.
Muro Alto is another beach just a short bus ride + walk away, and known for the giant natural pool formed during low tide.
Do note that Porto gets super, super busy during high season, so avoid New Year, the first weeks after, and carnival.
Ilha de Santo Aleixo
What I loved about this island is that there is a little less circus here compared to the other main tourist spots around. Try to get here as early as possible and head straight to the next beach. The boats will drop you at the same beach and point you to a restaurant to stay and consume. Don’t. Well, not yet at least. Grab your mask and snorkel instead and head to the next beach over. When getting off the boat, head to your right. You’ll see a little path on your left for a shortcut or take the adventurous route over the rocks along the coast and pass by another tiny beach. There are no corals here in the bay, but stay close to the rocks and you’ll see many (big) fish.
Most people will first make themselves comfortable at the restaurant and have a drink. So make sure to head over to this beach straight away to avoid the crowds. We only saw about 6 other people there when we arrived and by the time we were ready for lunch, there were people everywhere. I don’t think we would have enjoyed the island as much if we arrived with this crowd.
Carneiros Beach
I really enjoyed Carneiros! It was the last day trip we did from Porto de Galinhas and we did this one a little different. We didn’t take a tour, we just went on our own. We left after all the tours leave from Porto and on a Monday. So the place was very nice and quiet. There were people obviously, but really not a lot.
We got dropped off at Bora Bora where you have to pay 20 rls to enter for day use. As the beach is lined with resorts and fenced off for the biggest part, the easiest way to get around this would probably be walking from the nearest town. When entering the beach from Bora Bora, the famous church and the catamarans are to your left. So I recommend going to the right to enjoy the beach. Just a short stroll away you’ll find hardly anyone on the beach, palm trees providing shade and peace and quiet to enjoy the beautiful landscape. Praia dos Carneiros was definately one of the best beaches in Brazil’s northeast that we visited.
So, how to get here on your own, without a tour: We went by Uber as it’s only about an hour away and rates are very cheap. Or so it seemed… When we got there the Uber turned out to be more than double the price… We were quoted 53 when we ordered the Uber, but when we arrived the total was 113. We heard from more people they had this problem using Ubers in the area, so not recommended.
If you want comfort, there are private transfers going from the entrance of the pedestrian area, across from the petrol station. They quoted us 170 rls there and back or 120 one way.
If you want cheap, take a van towards Ipojuca (3.5 rls) from just past the petrol station and get off at the intersection, where Ipojuca would be towards the north. You want to go south. From there take a long distance bus or a car south and get off at Rio Formoso (7 rls for the bus). From Rio Formoso you can take a van to the beach, to Bora Bora for example (5 rls). This is how we got back and yes it took almost an hour longer, but it cost us 30 rls (15 pp) instead of 113. Worth it!
Lagoas
Maragogi
I had high expectations of Maragogi, but was a little disappointed in the end. The beach is absolutely gorgeous, one of the best beaches in Brazil’s northeast. White sand beach, palm trees and a clear blue sea. Incredible. The thing is, that there are are a LOT of people… And a LOT of things to consume… The beach is lined with bars, restaurants and resorts. The shore is lined with hart-shapes to take a picture and hammocks to take your picture. And like there isn’t enough to consume on the beach, there are floating bars and a barbecue in the water and the people selling ice cream are not afraid to push their carts into the water either. It’s kind of ridiculous.
I felt like all this circus was taking a lot away from the nature. I do have to note that we visited during high season, even though there were less people than normally around this time due to corona, it was still very busy and a weekend. Avoid weekends in the high season.
Also note that the famous ‘path of Moses’ at Barra Grande beach only occurs about once a month when the tide is 0.0-0.1 so do plan your visit well if you want to see this!
Sao Miguel de Milagres
Unfortunately we weren’t able to visit as our time in Brazil was up, but we’ve heard mixed things about this beach. Some love it, some weren’t impressed. I think it’s more of the same, so if passing by, it fits your schedule and you’re not tired of beaches and reefs yet, make a stop here as well.