Porto de Galinhas

Brazil

Porto de Galinhas is a coastal town in the municipality of Ipojuca, in Pernambuco.

Porto de Galinhas is a small beach town, very popular as a weekend getaway for people from nearby Recife. The area is stunningly beautiful with amazing reefs. Hotels range from cozy "pousadas" to five-star resorts. Do not miss nearby Maracaípe.

Bustling beach town in summer, lots of dining places, local "churrascarias" (barbecue) and good seafood. Lots of beach activities in the area. Amongst them, visits to the "piscinas naturais" in a jangada, a local raft tour to the nearby reefs, where sea water makes natural ponds, and lots of different fish can be seen.

If lucky enough you might attend a sea turtle birth at full moon in midsummer, plan for a full moon stay.

Note that the beautiful reefs are only available at very low tide, for about two hours a day. Ask for information at travel agency or tourism information center for the recommended days and hours to visit reefs.

  • Hippocampus Project, Rua da Esperança, 700, +55 81 3552-2191. tue-sat, 09:00 - 12:50 and 14:30 - 16:50. Dedicated to research the biology, cultivation and preservation of Brazilian seahorses. R$ 4.

Hippocampus Project, Rua da Esperança, 700, +55 81 3552-2191. tue-sat, 09:00 - 12:50 and 14:30 - 16:50. Dedicated to research the biology, cultivation and preservation of Brazilian seahorses. R$ 4.

  • Buggy tours, +55 81 3552-1930.
  • Take a trip on a little boat in the lagoon and swim with the fish (take some kind of footwear as the rocks are sharp!).
  • Walk to nearby Maracaipe and watch the surfers.
  • Find a spot on the beach, order shrimp and beer, sit back and relax.
  • In the beach point Pontal do Maracaipe local kitesurfers can be seen. For the more adventurous, classes on this sport are available as well.
  • Visit beautiful Praia Dos Carneiros. White sandy, cristal clear water beach located south of Porto de Galinhas, very near Tamandaré. Can be reached by boat trip.
  • Catamara Cavalo Marino, +55 81 3552-2180 or +55 81 8811-7393. Hire a boat and get to Ilha de Santo Aleixo. Caribbean-style Island front of Toquinho beach (south of Porto de Galinhas). Ideal for snorkelling and swimming. The excursion takes up to 6 hours.
  • Scuba diving, located at various hotels. Explore the natural reef by scuba diving while you're there. These guys will come pick you up at your hotel (which ever one in a 6 miles radius) and take you to explore the natural ponds. A great experience.
  • Project Hippocampus, Pontal de Maracaipe.
  • VIC Safari Adventures, +55 81 3562-1172, +55 81 9255-0370, +55 81 8742-3540. VIC Safaris Adventures operates off-road jeep tours to the rural attractions of Porto de Galinha, with visits of old sugar cane mills, swimming under a waterfall and seeing of animals, like sloths.

Buggy tours, +55 81 3552-1930.

Catamara Cavalo Marino, +55 81 3552-2180 or +55 81 8811-7393. Hire a boat and get to Ilha de Santo Aleixo. Caribbean-style Island front of Toquinho beach (south of Porto de Galinhas). Ideal for snorkelling and swimming. The excursion takes up to 6 hours.

Scuba diving, located at various hotels. Explore the natural reef by scuba diving while you're there. These guys will come pick you up at your hotel (which ever one in a 6 miles radius) and take you to explore the natural ponds. A great experience.

Project Hippocampus, Pontal de Maracaipe.

VIC Safari Adventures, +55 81 3562-1172, +55 81 9255-0370, +55 81 8742-3540. VIC Safaris Adventures operates off-road jeep tours to the rural attractions of Porto de Galinha, with visits of old sugar cane mills, swimming under a waterfall and seeing of animals, like sloths.

The shops in the pedestrian zone in the center of town offer local crafts and clothing as well as beach equipment.

Don't leave Porto de Galinhas before trying traditional tapioca.

  • Barcaxeira. The name is a mixture of barco (boat) and macaxeira (sweet cassava). The speciality of Barcaxeira is macaxeira gratinada, baked mashed cassava with meat and cheese. R$20.
  • Beijupirá. Expensive but delicious. The speciality of the restaurant is beijupirá (filet of cobia). They serve lobster and shrimp dishes as well. Menus are available in English, German, Italian and Finnish. R$50.
  • Carne-de-Sol da Cunha - Excellent meat for a good price. One dish serves two people.
  • Peixe na Telha, Rua das Piscinas Naturais (100 meters from the Pracinha. Seafood at the seaside. "Telha" is a curved clay tile used to roof houses. The speciality of Peixe na Telha is a fish baked in this clay tile. The restaurant is accessible from the road or from the beach. It provides a free shower for people coming for dinner directly from the beach. For R$5 to 15 they guard valuables during the meal. The restaurant is directly in front of the natural tide pools. R$20 to 30.
  • Tio Dadá - In the town center 50 meters from the natural pools.

Barcaxeira. The name is a mixture of barco (boat) and macaxeira (sweet cassava). The speciality of Barcaxeira is macaxeira gratinada, baked mashed cassava with meat and cheese. R$20.

Beijupirá. Expensive but delicious. The speciality of the restaurant is beijupirá (filet of cobia). They serve lobster and shrimp dishes as well. Menus are available in English, German, Italian and Finnish. R$50.

Carne-de-Sol da Cunha - Excellent meat for a good price. One dish serves two people.

Peixe na Telha, Rua das Piscinas Naturais (100 meters from the Pracinha. Seafood at the seaside. "Telha" is a curved clay tile used to roof houses. The speciality of Peixe na Telha is a fish baked in this clay tile. The restaurant is accessible from the road or from the beach. It provides a free shower for people coming for dinner directly from the beach. For R$5 to 15 they guard valuables during the meal. The restaurant is directly in front of the natural tide pools. R$20 to 30.

Tio Dadá - In the town center 50 meters from the natural pools.

There are many bars and restaurants here to serve the weekend party crowd. It isn't hard to find a place for a drink along the beach, on either of the two main roads, or from a number of stands set up at night where the two main roads connect near the beach. Sometimes it is possible to see and even participate in an impromptu drum circle at this intersection on weekend evenings.

Within walking distance on the beach to the south is the smaller town of Maracaipe. If you want to get away from the noise it is a quiet place. Further south the "Recanto do Cavalo Marinho", is a protected area for seahorse breeding. A local "jangada" can take you as well.

Beaches further south are also beautiful, but harder to access. Tamandaré can be accessed going south on the PE-60 road. There are signs on-route with directions to Carneiros. Toquinho and Serrambi are some of the other options.