Ipanema beach is extremely diverse and entertaining: you can surf, play soccer, fresco ball, volleyball, buy a bikini, drink coconut water, cycle or run along the board walk. At weekends the beach gets filled by locals, called “Carioca”, who literary spend the whole day chatting and sunbathing: a flamboyant gay community stands in front of posto 8, a stream of perfectly carved bodies decorates posto 9, soap operas celebrities hide in the quieter dunes of Leblon beach and surfers battle with the strong currents of Arpoardor. This is because located on the hillside next to Ipanema beach is a favela (shanty town). Many of the residents of this favela make their way down to Ipanema beach and peddle their wears.
At Copacabana you wake up with the calming blue waters and surf till u drop while refreshing your self on the luscious icy Acai mixed with cereal and frozen fruits. Sundays are the best time to hit the market when it’s closed for driving giving way to carts that sell a variety of items. The beach is the sight of international surfing competitions, beach volleyball and foot-volleyball competitions (a terrific sport to watch if you haven’t seen it before), television shows, and Capoeira demonstrations every week during the summer.
In the heart of Rio, Leblon Beach is a charming beach (located next to Ipanema ) packed with exclusive hotels, restaurants, bars and boutiques. The beach is popular during the day with families, especially for Baixo Baby, a play area with toys and activities for kids. Leblon beach is pretty close to Ipanema beach, they are only separated by a small channel. You could say it’s the same beach looking at it from a distance. Ipanema beach is the “hippest” and most secure beach in Rio de Janeiro today. You will be where everything is “happening” in Rio de Janeiro, in Ipanema, and only three blocks away from Copacabana famous beach.
If you wish to come to Prainha and stay here for longer to enjoy the waves, you may opt to get shelter at local houses or you can rely on camping and cottages at Guarda do Embau. The “secret” beach of Joatinga is accessible by foot and is where celebrities in search of privacy and surfers in search of good waves go. At that moment another wave exploded on our heads. My instinctive reaction was to swim sideways to help him, but as soon as I motioned, another wave reached us. Residents of Rio come to the beach for morning and afternoon jogs and walks down the boardwalk and there are bike lanes for the many cyclists that come here.
Barra da Tijuca is a soulless expanse of freeways, carparks, megamalls and apartment towers, jutting out of Rio de Janeiro. You’d struggle to tell the difference between it and almost anywhere in the USA. The famous Barra beach and the most popular spot to be at the beach for the young and beautiful crowd in Barra da Tijuca is just a 1,5 blocks walk away!! This area is called “Posto 2″ and we have the beach kiosk “Pepe” here, in this area we can see the famous Soap Opera actors/actresses and the rich and famous Brazilians. Barra da Tijuca is also often frequented by refreshing waves inviting to surfing both for beginners and experienced surfers. My traditional vacation in Brazil almost always involves buying a new board and taking the bus out to Barra to try it out.
OK, I’ve told you where all my favorite Rio beaches are, now what about the city itself? First of all - if you’ve never been here before, leave the driving to the Brazilians. Like any large metropolitan city, Rio has it’s bad places. In fact, foreigners have wound up in some shady areas and narrowly escaped - and this happened just recently when they were driving back from Buzios, using the GPS in a rental car. So play it safe. If you don’t speak the language, Portuguese, find a car to hire to get you around. You’ll be surprised how cheap it is. And the driver most likely will take you to places you never dreamed existed. Now, want the best fares? Try some the places you see here.
Related beaches:
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- Cost of Living Near Ipanema Beach Rio Ipanema is one of the most expensive places to live in Rio. At the forefront of beach culture are the many surfers and sun worshippers...
- Ipanema Beach Volleyball Pictures and Review Ipanema Beach is considered one of the most beautiful in the world and was made famous by the song The Girl from Ipanema. This area...
- Leblon Beach Rio de Janeiro Brazil Leblon beach is pretty close to Ipanema beach, they are only separated by a small channel. You could say it’s the same beach looking at...
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Tags: Acai, Beach Volleyball, Bike Lanes, Blue Waters, Coconut Water, Frozen Fruits, Gay Community, Ipanema Beach, Leblon beach, Local H, Play Area, Posto 9, Rio Beaches, Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro Beaches, Shanty Town, Soap Operas, Strong Currents, Summer Residents, Surfing Competitions, Television Shows, Volleyball Competitions, Water Cycle
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