The beach hosts countless Brazil’s cultural symbols including the bikini, beautiful people, and flip-flops, to name a few and it’s part of the carefree lifestyle. Years ago, beaches like Copacabana made it mainstream, yet there are many mesmerizing beaches that are hidden gems for the adventure seekers.
Best Secret Beaches of Rio De Janeiro
1. Prainha
The interruption of high-rise buildings and apartment-blocks is still pending at this beautiful beach. It’s one of Rio’s relatively mysterious gems. Prainha is a small crescent of soft, white sand making it one of the most serene and unspoiled beaches in Rio.
The beach is bordered by cliffs from one side wrapped under rainforest and to the other side is the turquoise ocean studded by the white splashing waves. The spot is amongst the favorite’s of surfers and for the ones who look for a relaxing vicinity.
Nearby Attractions: Praia De Quatro Ilhas, Bombinhas Beach, Mirante Eco 360, Lagoinha Beach (Trapiche).
2. Joatinga
Joatinga is a part of the charms and tricky accessibility that makes it feel all the more exclusive and worth the travel here.
Just enjoy the small, winding track extending to the road draped in the forest before opening out onto the white sandy shores of Joatinga. this small beach is a beauty of a mirror for dazzling turquoise blue water and a lush vegetation border.
The little harbor is perfect for swimming in the cleanest part of Rio’s ocean with neat, alluring, and welcoming waves for surfing.
Nearby Attractions: Paroquia de Sao Pedro, Sudoeste Beach, Museum of Naval Aviation, Sao Pedro Chapel.
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3. Lopes Mendes
The beautiful translucent waters, white sand, and green sea make Lopes Mendes on Ilha Grande, one of the best beaches in Brazil. The beach spans three kilometers around the tranquil surroundings.
The beach is an ultimate retreat with no buildings as far as the eye could see capturing and erasing the beauty of this gorgeous place and in addition, there is even no encroachment of bars and restaurants.
With plenty of exposure, the sun is in full form during the peak hours, but soothing shades of palm and almond trees give you a sigh of relief. Ilha Grande is an island in the capital, Rio de Janeiro is just a few hours away from the main city.
In the Lopes Mendes’s left is Morro dos Castelhanos, with 350 m of altitude, and to the right, Morro do Ferreira, 760 m high. The ocean is good enough for surfing and also a better place for swimmers and even children in other shallow points.
If you love to visit this beach then take a bus from Rio to Angra dos Reis before taking a 40-minute boat trip to Vila do Abraão on Ilha Grande. Then, take a taxi boat to Manges beach, and walk through the hills surrounded by forests and move down to the fabulous Lopes Mendes.
At some distance from the beach at the left sideways, there’s an ancient chapel, known as the Chapel of St. Benedict.
Nearby Attractions: Adventure Boat, Namaste Terapias Corporais, Elite Dive Centre.
4. Praia do Forno
Praia do Forno or the Oven Beach finds its place in Arraial do Cabo, at a stretch of a couple of hours by car from Rio de Janeiro. Arraial do Cabo is a drowsy, fisherman’s village with an easygoing atmosphere, a piece of a world far away from the loud noise of neighboring town, Búzios.
Praia do Forno is the golden star beach of the Arraial do Cabo with white descending sands and breathtaking blue water and a few gentle ripples rather than waves. You can only reach there by boat taxi or a hike up and over the hill covered in greenery including plump, spiky cacti.
An absolute gem on the Buzios Peninsula is a beach that is actually colored by a certain mineral. The people of Brazil call it the “Granada“, and it has been found that the beach is full of iron content – thus the reddish color of the sand here at Praia do Forno or Oven Beach. It is thinkable that the beach is called oven because of the landscape, there’s not much of breeze here and it can get quite hot.
Just plan one of the adventure trips to the beautiful Praia do Forno, famous for the red-sand due to the reflection of the heat off the rocks of the closed-in bay warm the air at the beach and hence comes in the bucket list of one of the best secret beaches of Rio De Janeiro.
Nearby Attractions: Morro do Forno, Almirante Paulo Moreira Oceanographic Museum, Nossa Senhora dos Remedios Church.
5. Praia do Secreto
The puzzling ‘Secret Beach’ has bit by bit lost its mystery as more and more people hear of this fragment of paradise and simply went to have a check on it.
Despite its hidden status in recent times, it still remains relatively unknown and one of the most beautiful, peaceful, and calm retreats in Rio.
Praia do Secreto, as a matter of fact, is a natural pool located in Recreio, a neighborhood in the far west of Rio de Janeiro city which is guarded by the border of smooth rocks and the ocean. The not so deep water warms up in quick time, making for an inescapable resting point and greets you with open arms to Rio’s exceptionally ice-cold seas.
Nearby Attractions: Praia de Grumari, Macumba Beach, Pedra da Tartaruga, Prainha Beach.
6. Praia Itacoatiara
Praia Itacoatiara expanse across the coast of Niterói, a city just over the bay from Rio de Janeiro. The fine sand slopes easily around the wide basin with clear, clean waters to one side and a lively boardwalk to the other. The ocean invites you with the exhilarating waves that attract the surfers like nothing else.
With a volume of energetic gatherings of live music, chilled drinks, and Brazilian snacks, Itacoatiara isn’t the ordinary escape like some of the other beaches, but its beauty is equally alluring.
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Nearby Attractions: Costao de Itacoatiara, Parque Estadual da Serra da Tiririca, Pedra do Elefante, Enseada do Bananal, Itaipu Beach, Camboinhas Beach, Sossego Beach, Archaeological Museum of Itaipu, Parque da Cidade.
7. Praia do Perigoso (The Beach of Danger)
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Praia do Perigroso is situated in the neighborhood of Barra da Guaratiba, it’s a secret spot that most tourists are not aware of.
On one side the beach is covered under the sheets of high mountains and on the other side is wrapped under the ocean, therefore making the beach a perfect getaway spot. The adjacent town Barra da Guaratiba is a hillside village overpassing the ocean much similar to Santorini in Greece. It’s the most authentic Carioca neighborhood and owners almost no tourists.
In order to get the accessibility to the beach, you need to complete a one-hour hike through a tiny hill on top of the village or you need to take a bus (#867 Barra da Guaratiba) from downtown Rio or take a BRT and get off at the final stop in the village of Barra da Guaratiba. Over there, you can go for a motor taxi all the way to the start of the mountain track. And it takes another hour and a half to get to the beach.
Nearby Attractions: Arca do Noah – Educacao Ambiental, Pedra Aguda, Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Amparo, Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao.
8. Lagoa da Tijuca
A small lake formed by the seawater is Lagoa da Tijuca neighboring Barra da Tijuca in the south zone of Rio. If you are looking for a relaxing place, go for a picnic and swim in the middle of beautiful fishes. It’s a very popular place amongst the children, who come here after finishing their school.
If you wish to get here, then board a bus (900 Barra da Tijuca), BRT, or a metro and get off at Pasarela Barra (the Barra bridge.) Next, you need to take an eastside walk along the beach for five minutes and you will see a beauteous blue lake, Lagoa da Tijuca.
Nearby Attractions: Praia da Barra da TijucaCidade das Artes, Ilha da Gigóia, Joatinga Beach, Pepe Beach, Ponte Joatinga, Barra da Tijuca beach.
9. Praia do Recreio
Praia do Recreio is nestled in the South Zone at a distance of 20 minutes away from Barra da Tijuca. The place is in the favorite list amongst the surfers.
It’s also called the “Green Beach” of Rio because it’s very clean and environmentally friendly. This is one of the best secret beaches of Rio De Janeiro which is like a heaven for surfers and people who love to spend time with nature.
Nearby Attractions: Cachoeira das Andorinhas, Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Amparo, Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao, Church Of Our Lady Of Penha.