Visiting Maragogi
Maragogi was the longest trip I made from Recife, but close enough to enjoy the day at its natural pools. Anyway, I had no time to explore the town (that seemed very small and poor) and the surroundings, with some good spots, as I can imagine by the pictures I bought from a local photographer. It is, for sure, a marvellous place to go, but I’m not so sure if it will justify a long stay unless water and sun are the only needed things
Natural Pools
The big highlight of Maragogi is the reef with its natural pools.
Far from the coast, they provide a very large area of shallow water, punctuated with reefs, where you can dive, snorkel, bath, or only walk around watching the fish and people’s happiness.
Not to be missed, with caution because of the sun.
Snorkel
It’s the best way to watch the fish, easy and safe to practice in Maragogi.
You may rent an equipment (fins are forbidden in the reef) at the restaurant (I paid R5 but now it must cost the double), and take it with you in the boat, to deliver back in the beach.
Just remember one thing: you are amused watching the fish, feeling cool in the water, but the sun is taking care of your back. Lotion or cream protection is not advisable in the reef, so a t-shirt may work as a good idea.
Enjoy the beach
A long, wide, calm warm beach matches anybody dreams.
It’s safe, it’s easy to find some lonely spots under the coconut’s shade, as seen in most travelling brochures, or you may prefer an umbrella with gentle service right by the water.
What else can we demand in a beach? Showers? they are there also!
A drink? Please don’t bother and let me drink my coconut!
Frutos do Mar – Tons of lobsters
Frutos do Mar – Tons of lobsters
Floating Stalls
Floating Stalls
Eating on the reef
It’s a funny show, the image of people dipped in water, several kilometres far from the coast, surrounding a couple of floating bars that supply anything from grilled meat and fish to fruit and drinks.
Of course, everybody adheres to the party.
Directions: Here and there, around the natural pools
Sun Burning
Since our first visit to the tropics, Mexico, I use to say to Fernanda that, in the tropics, the sun is dangerous even in the room, at midnight! We always forget that moving here and there we are under the sun.
Swimming, we are under the sun. Even staying in the shade, that are not available in Maragogi pools, the reflection in the water… keeps burning.
We are mature, experienced and careful. We can’t bypass the pealing skin, but watching some serious scalds in people around us, we feel obliged to a repeated warning: careful! It is your skin and your health…
Town
Fernanda loves the beach but recovering from the sun means… shopping around.
In Europe all the resorts are prepared to Fernandas, but in Brazil, only Porto de Galinhas approached to her taste.
It was a superficial look, but Maragogi seemed a very small town, with not many attractions when the sun goes down.
Wrong? maybe, but that’s what we saw and felt.
Unexpected Rain
You are under an abrasive sun, and then, suddenly, the sky gets dark, a wind sweeps the beach, and you are caught by a freezing and heavy rain.
That’s the tropics, and after some minutes everything is dry again, the sun shines and people get back to laughing.
We had it in Maragogi, while in catamaran, and… when it stopped it was fun, but I heard (and found in Recife) that even in the tropics, sometimes the rain may be boring, so you better take the weather in mind when deciding to go.
Landless People
We found some not touristy images in Maragogi!
Sometimes we read in the news, the serious social problems in Brazil, caused by the existence of thousands of people without any mean of subsistence.
They organized in very revendicative groups, and settled in precarious habitations, always in the side of important roads, to enhance the consequences of their revendicative movements.
In our way to Maragogi we saw several villages of this poor people, alerting for the troubles of a rich country with a poor people.
The integrated service
As long as we arrive at the beach, a restaurant offers its services, covering everything.
You may, as we did, reserve your table to lunch in your way back from the pools, choose the menu to have the food ready as soon as you come, and get a ticket to the catamaran operated by the same organization.
There are other options, but this was perfect: No hurries, no stress, no doubts, no wasted time… that’s real vacation.
Address: Frutos do Mar – Maragogi
Underwater photos
Be prepared
Taking home the underwater photos that you couldn’t take by yourself is funny, but I must alert that the quality is poor (I publish the best, after retouching them in my PC) and the price is high.
Anyway, they allow us to watch the CD in place, and that’s a guarantee you must use before paying for it.
Catamaran
The top attraction of Maragogi is the reef with the natural pools, that, opposite to some other places in the area, stay quite far from the coast.
Differently from Porto Galinhas, the mainly used transport is a catamaran, easy to book in the beach.
It costs R75 per person (oh, the inflation! I paid only 30), and provides a quick transportation to the pools, where it stays, waiting for the return and providing some assistance, with small but useful shadow.
