Snorkeling in natural swimming pools of Porto de Galinhas, Pernambuco

Beach

Porto de Galinhas is conveniently located just about 80 km from Recife, the state capital of Pernambuco. Recife, on the other hand is one of the principal airports of northeastern Brazil and enjoys an easy access both nationally and internationally. Getting transferred from Recife to Porto de Galinhas is simple and a rental car can be a perfect choice for those who are not afraid of driving and enjoy discovering the attractions of their own.

Porto de  Galinhas itself is one of the most popular holiday villages of northeastern Brazil and has a well developed infrastructure even for the most demanding tastes. The accommodation range  varies from a simple pousada to the most luxurious bungalows with private pool. Porto de Galinhas serves both families and singles, has a large variety of restaurants and bars for all the tastes, and pampers even those who enjoy spending time is high quality boutiques buying souveniers and items of latest beach fashion. That’s what Porto de Galinhas is all about.

Muro Alto

Beside of the infrastructure Porto de Galinhas enchants with its’ natural beauty. It’s a destination of crystal clear waters, swaying palm trees and pictoresque landscapes. Some of the principal attractions of Porto de Galinhas are the natural swimming pools located in front of the village. They are ideal places for snorkeling allowing you to discover the wonders of submarine life. These swimming pools appear during the low tide and due to the proximity they can be accessed on foot. Qualifield divers will also find a number of interesting diving spots from the region of Porto de Galinhas. Another interesting place with reefs and  a natural pool is the beach of Muro Alto, just few kilometers of distance from the village of Porto de Galinhas.

Cabo de São Agostinho

When it comes to the nearby destinations one of the most interesting places to be discovered is Cabo de São Agostinho with its’ beautiful beaches of Calhetas, Paraiso and Gaibu. In the region you will also have a chance to treat your skin with a bath of argil. These destinations can be visited either on your own (if you ended up renting a car) or as part of a group excursion. South of Porto de Galinhas you will find more incredible beaches such as Tamandare with different tones of blue and green and Praia dos Carneiros, a beautiful and peaceful beach with quality infrastructure. If you end up driving down on the coast you will reach the boarder of Alagoas and an another interesting holiday destination Maragogi, which is quite a lot more simple than Porto de Galinhas, but combines perfectly with it.

Praia dos Carneiros

In a nutshell Porto de Galinhas is a destination of a traveller who appreciates easy access, high quality accommodation, large variety of restaurants, and wants to have a stressless holiday surrounded by fascinating nature.

Brazil Diversity recommends:

• Pousada Perola do Porto – A well located pousada with excellent infrastructure. Spacious rooms with a private terrace/balcony, just a short walk away from the hearth of the village.
• Nannai Beach Resort – A high quality resort located in front of Muro Alto beach. Offers different room types including lovely bungalows with private pools. Highly recommended.

Honeymoon in Brazil: turquose sea, white sand beaches and palm trees

During many years I worked closely with travellers looking for a dream destination to spend their honeymoon. Of course there are as many different attributes for a honeymoon as there are wedding couples, but based on my experiences I would say that 80% of all the honeymoon requests include the following three elements: Crystal clear turquoise waters, white sand beaches and palm trees. Simple, isn’t it?

Honeymoon

Well once the requirements related with the natural setting has been full filled the next question coming up is often related with the accommodation. First of all it has to be private, preferably a villa or bungalow type of accommodation with a private pool if possible. Secondly the standard of the facilities and the services has to be high and offer something special for honeymooners, like welcome champagne, free candle light dinner…or at least some rose petals over the bed or the bath.

I used to ask myself what makes honeymoon so special then? Why is it different from the other trips and why people have so many expectations on it? Sometimes it sounds a like a very stressful thing to be organized, as each and every moment of it has to be more than perfect. However I do agree that the stress over the honeymoon is morely likely to happen during the preparations. Once you reach the destination with your spouse, get accommodated in your bungalow, step on that white sand beach and see how the palm trees sway in the breeze all the stress you had suddenly disappears.

Well, why am I writing about honeymoon requirements then? Simply because Brazil has several destination fullfilling these expectations, and we would like to give you some tips where to spend your dream honeymoon in Brazil. As there are as many ways to spend the honeymoon as there are couples, we haver listed below some possible honeymoon destinations with short description.

Fernando de Noronha

Among the top tree honeymoon destination in Brazil are certainly is the island of Fernando de Noronha, the southern coats of Bahia and the well developed region of Porto de Galinhas with large variety of accommodation option. Why these three then?

First of all Fernando de Noronha is a destination for a lover of nature and virgin beaches, which should always be the main reason when planning a trip to Noronha. The beauty and the pureness of the island are indescribable, sinceraly there must not be too many places where the conservation of the nature has been so well done as in Fernando de Noronha. Here you will be accommodated in a small pousada, whether the nivel is luxurious or raither cozy with personalized treatment, it’s up to your personal choice. Fernando de Noronha is a once in a life time experience!

Porto de Galinhas

The region of Porto de Galinhas has a large infraestructure when it comes to tourism. The large variety of accommodation options will guarantee the fact that during your honeymoon you will be accommodated exactly in the kind room, villa or bungalow as you wish. Here you will find bungalows with private pool, stressless all inclusive hotels and large range of other services and activities without forgetting the beautiful natural settings of this coast with plenty of white sand beaches and palm trees. Do you want to pamper yourself during your honeymoon, go to Porto de Galinhas!

Last, but definitely not least the southern coast of Bahia. I could bet that among the Brazilians themselves, such destinations as Arrail d’Ajuda, Trancoso and Maraú in the southern coast of Bahia are probably the top destinations when spending their honeymoon in Brazil. These destinations are real hideaways with magnificant nature, seducing beaches and lush vegetation. Here you will find some very luxurious, but still intime accommodation options, where you will be able to a the most romantic honeymoon ever. The southern Bahia is a place to relax and simply enjoy the pure harmony and tranquily of the region.

Maraú

These are just three examples of perfect honeymoon destinations, of course Brazil has a lot more to offer and like I mentioned earlier it’s all up to your personal choice. Some may prefer a city break in the marvellous city of Rio de Janeiro combined with a beach extention in chic Búzios or tropical island of Ilha Grande, others may prefer adventures in the Amazon…Whatever it is, you will find it in Brazil!

Paradise on the Earth: Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco

Fernando de Noronha

The archipelago of Fernando de Noronha lies in the Atlantic ocean, about 360 km from the city of Natal, being the eastest inhabited point of Brazil. The volcanic archipelago is both a beach and eco-tourism destination. Year after year the beaches of Fernando de Noronha are among the most beautiful ones of Brazil and thanks to the rich marine life of the archipelago it’s with no doubt Brazil’s best diving and snorkeling spot.

The only way to reach Fernando de Noronha is by air and the connections from the continent leave either from Natal or from Recife. The flying time is about an hour. Fernando de Noronha applies a tourist tax which can be paid before arrival via internet or at the airport. The amouth of the tax is about 33 R$ per day and to avoid queues, we do recommend you to pay the tax in before hand. Basically all the pousadas (=brazilian guesthouse) include airport transfers in the basic price of the stay, so therefore you do not need to worry about the transportation once you arrive to Noronha. At the airport you will meet a large number of agencies offering tours and activities. It’s a good idea for you to pick some brochures in order  to get an idea of all the activities available in the island.

Baía do Sancho

When talking about Fernando de Noronha, it’s good to remember that we talk about a National Park and the fragile nature of this paradise island is highly protected. For an ordinary tourist this means that you will probably not find any other cleaner beach from Brazil than the beaches of Fernando de Noronha. On the other hand, it’s also good to remember that you will also be responsable of keeping them clean, otherwise high penalties will apply. Don’t expect to find a hotel located right on the beach, nor beach servicies with chairs and bars. At Fernando de Noronha the beaches are protected and no building are allowed on the beach. Basically the only so called “beach bar” can be found from the beach of Praia do Meio and the centrally located Praia do Cachorro may have locals selling drinks and light snacks as well.

Praia do Leão

Dois Irmãos

The three most beautiful Brazilian beaches (rated by the Brazilian authorities) can be found from Fernando de Noronha. The number one, Baía do Sancho, can be reached either by sea or by descending ladders hanging in between two rocks. This color of water is a mixture of turquoise, green and light blue, and you may observe a large number of tropical fish while swimming or snorkeling around. The second most beautiful beach is Baía dos Porcos, located next to Baía do Sancho. Both of them offer some most espectacular views over the coast and the sea. Baía dos Porcos, which is located in front of the famous rocks called “Dois Irmãos“, has a number of natural swimming pools and it also excellent for snorkeling. The last but not the least at the top three is a beach called Praia do Leão.  This beach, located in the southeastern part of the Fernando de Noronha is the longest one of the island and the color of water is deep blue. This is where the sea turtles come to lay their eggs on the beach.  To reach all these and many other beaches for the first time it’s recommendable to have a local guide with you. One of the most popular excursions in Fernando de Noronha is a tour around the island, which takes you to all the famous beaches and ends up to being an excellent way to get to know the island.

Conceisão

The main attraction of Noronha is the nature, especially the under water life. This makes the island to be the best diving and snorkeling destination of the country. Some of the best beaches to observe the marine wild life year around are Praia Atalaia and Praia Sueste. Praia Atalaia is practically a natural aquarium and located within the National Park area. That’s why a limited number of person (30) is allowed to visit this it on daily basis. Praia Sueste on the other hand is the calmest beach of the island allowing diving and snorkeling at any time of the year. Like all around Fernando de Noronha, here diving is also limited to certain areas in order to protect the coral reefs. The island of Fernando de Noronha is also very popular among surfers, being the beach of Conceicão one of the best options for surfing. The wawes are ideal from December to February and this is also one of the best points to enjoy spectacular sunsets of the island. For those that are not into water sports Fernando de Noronha offers options for hiking, horseback riding or deep sea fishing. Dolpins can be seen either early in the morning at the bay of Baía dos Golfinhos or day time during boat excursions organized by the travel agencies.

Check out our itinerary suggestions including the island of Fernando de Noronha.

Sunset

Brazil Diversity recommends:

• Pousada Algas Marinhas – a small pousada located in Floresta Nova, close the to village of Vila dos Remedios. Helpfull staff together with rooms decorated with good taste and quality materials makes this pousada an excellent value for money.
• Pousada Solar dos Ventos – wooden bungalows located in the southern part of the island with views over the the bay of Baía do Sudeste. An excellent choice for those willing to have full privacy during their stay.
• Dolphion Hotel – Dolphin offers hotel standard accommodation with rustic charm of pousadas respecting the surrounding nature. Location just a short step away from the landmark of Noronho, Morro do Pico.
• Pousada Zé Maria – If you want to spoil yourself with the best that Fernando de Noronha has to offer choose Pousada Zé Maria with prime location on the island.