For a winter getaway at a tropical beach with a carefree Latin American vibe, consider a spot along Brazil’s more than 4,000 miles of Atlantic coast. The colorful, laidback town of Porto de Galinhas is a natural choice for family travelers.
Bright tropical fish delight children by swimming around their ankles as they stand in the shallow water of the reef, and in a lagoon at one end of the long beach, kids can watch tiny seahorses.
The beach itself is filled with color and activity, with sunbathers, swimmers and souvenir sellers, and bright-colored kites flying overhead. The steady breeze is perfect for kites, and you can rent one from one of the beach kiosks. If your kids have trouble getting it to fly, there will be lots of help from locals.
Boatmen offer rides on jagandas, shallow-draft boats they sail and paddle out to the reef. Riders can step off the boat to walk on the reef in water so shallow and crystal-clear that each bright-colored tropical fish is visible.
You can take a boat trip to isolated lagoons or go scuba diving to explore the massive coral reefs or investigate shipwrecks. The vast estuary beyond the beach is a nature reserve, and families can kayak there or in the lagoons and estuary.
The town that lies along a main street behind the beach is just as busy and colorful as the beach, lined with shops selling local crafts and every possible beach toy and accessory, with a few chic boutiques and plenty of places to sample Brazilian cuisine. Like the town center, hotels and resorts along the beach maintain a low profile, with one- and two-story buildings and bungalows set among green lawns and palm trees.
Porto de Galinhas is only one in a long string of white-sand beaches that line the coast in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco. Just to the south, where the river meets the Atlantic, Pontal de Maracaípe is known as the best spot for kitesurfing. Or you can add some sightseeing by choosing the beach at Olinda, a 17th-century town that’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. Nearby Recife is lined with more beaches for families preferring a more urban vibe than laid-back Porto de Galinhas.
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