A magnificent confluence of land and sea, the log, scalloped beach of Copacabana and Leme always has a flurry of activity stretching its lenght: overamped footballers singing their teams anthem, Cariocas and tourists lining up for caipirinhas at Kioskes, many kids showing off their football talent, and beach vendors picking their way through the mass of bronzed bodies. As in Ipanema, each group stakes out its stretch of sand. Leme is a mix of older residents and favela people, while the area between the Copacabana Palace and Rua fernando Mendes. Young football and footvolley (volley ball played without the hands) players hold court near Rua Santa Clara. Posto 5 and 6. it means beach point.

What preserves the spectacular Grumari beach, the most beautiful and unspoiled in Rio, is precisely the fact that it has not yet been discovered. Being one of the most beautiful brazil beaches, it is always a scenery of soap operas and in Brazilian and foreign movies. Nowadays Grumari Beach is an area of environmental protection of the city and the access to it is forbidden for buses and a limited number of vehicles.The green forrest of the area is all preserved. The sea is strong, but, on the sand, when the sea is wavy, the waves come and give origin to some “natural pools”. There is an extension of 4 km of beach and a sympathetic fisherman colony (they guarantee the fresh fish to the “made up” restaurants under the shadow of the trees (small tables). The way to this beach is very pleasant as the scenery is a vivid and colorful costal image of Brazil.

Getting to Prainha beach takes a while, and you are dependand on wheels unless you take the orange surf bus passing Copacabana beach! The trips is about 1h 30 min. If you have your own rented car here is how to get there: Take either the Avenida Niemeyer or Linha Amarella towards Barra de Tijuca, pass Barra and drive the Estado da Guanabara to Recreio, enjoying the road and the views! You will pass Recreiro and Macumba, Pontal beaches. Be patient, you are passing alot of beautiful wave formation and surf spots, but it is all worth it because you are about to arrive at one of Rios most spectacular beaches, the Prainha beach! You’ll find a scentic, exotic, strap of white sand, surrounded by beautiful green hills. This is Prainha, meaning the little beach in portuguese, one of the best surfing spots in Rio and a breath taking scenery away from the crowds, except during the hollidays . . .

A beautiful beach, with steeply sloped sands, Praia Vermelha (Red Beach) conquers its tourists with its exotic, luxuriant and strange glamour. Sorounded by coconut and bamboo trees, this place is just another charming oasis of peace and calm in Rio, blessed with cacti, orchids, bromeliads and grassy bushes. The red beach lies close to the Morro da Urca, situatetd at 220 m altitude. From here you can reach Sugar Loaf by cable car. And to be honest, you shouldn’t miss it! Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açucar) called like that for its shape, rises at 396m (1,300ft) above sea-level, offering you a breathtaking panorama of Rio’s majestic beauty, with built-up areas nestled between magnificent bays and dazzling beaches on one side and abruptly rising mountains from the water, on the other side, in Guanabara Bay.

Botafogo beach is a charming small sand strip on the calm bay inlet looking out at Pão de Açúcar, or Sugar loaf. Botafogo beach offers treats to people who practice water sports, as well as a great view and boats that “park” there for some time when they leave Marina da Glória (boat station), or from the Yatch Club, which has a great variety of boats. If you are a football fan, Botafogo is one of the Rio areas which burn passionate about it! You will find a lot of Botafogo soccer shirts here, as the suburb has it’s own football team often in heated rivalry with their other Rio clubs, Fluminense, Vasco da Gama and Flamengo. As you probably already know, football is the national sport of Brazil and you will often see the beach filled with youngsters playing beach football or beach footvolley until the sun goes down.

Barra da Tijuca is the longest beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with 12 Km of clean and tropical green water. 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 buss out to Barra to try it out. If you are a beginner, I recommend a longboard or a foam board for better stability and steepest learning curve. If you have a flat in Barra de Tijuca or you go out early and intend to stay here the whole day, you will appreciate the first few kilometers of the beach which are filled with bars and seafood restaurants, so you can have a snack in one of the breaks, gulping up some saltwater and put some fluid back into he body. Believe me, fresh water never tastes this good, as after hours of surfing.