Japaratinga → Japaratinga

Japaratinga → Japaratinga

Date: Sunday, September 6, 2026 · Distance: ~49 mi · Driving time: ~45m (excluding stops) · Open in Google Maps

Road surfaces
Asphalt · 23 mi · 46%
Unknown · 17 mi · 35%
Unpaved · 5 mi · 10%
Water · 4 mi · 8%

Departure from Japaratinga comes mid-morning, tracing the coast north along the Rota Ecológica. The day's character shifts partway through: the run up to Maragogi is the postcard version of this coast, while the return south of the Rio Manguaba feels quieter and less developed.

North to Maragogi

The first stop is São Bento, the calmest of Maragogi's beaches, still holding the ruins of an old monastery among its plain village streets. It's known locally for bolinhos de goma — tapioca-starch cakes with grated cheese and coconut, sold from home kitchens along the sand.

The road then reaches Maragogi itself, the largest town on this stretch and Alagoas's second most-visited destination after Maceió. Its fame rests on the Galés, natural pools on a coral reef roughly four kilometers offshore, part of the Costa dos Corais protected area — the largest continuous coral reef in the South Atlantic. Sunday's tide doesn't suit a trip to the reef, so this stop stays a walk along the waterfront.

Continuing on, Barra Grande offers the day's first real beach stop, its natural pools the shallowest of Maragogi's reef formations, near the Caminho de Moisés, a sandbank that surfaces at low tide for wading out into the sea.

Crossing the Manguaba

The road turns south, reaching the Rio Manguaba ferry around midday. The crossing marks a real threshold: north of the river is the tourist corridor around Maragogi; south of it, in Porto de Pedras (its own municipality since 1921), the coast turns markedly quieter, a small lighthouse marking the river mouth as the ferry arrives.

Lunch follows at Restaurante da Marinete, a straightforward, locally run seafood spot. Afterward, the drive passes through a short stretch of road arched over by trees, locally called the Túnel Verde — a quick scenic interruption rather than a stop worth lingering at.

The Ecological Route South

Praia do Patacho follows, a highlight of the day and the only beach in Alagoas with Blue Flag certification: hushed and coconut-lined, with a reef that surfaces into natural pools at low tide. Praia de Lages, a short distance on, offers a briefer, more contemplative pause on the same shoreline.

The road then reaches the Ponte Tatuamunha, crossing the river near the old fishing village of Tatuamunha, known for its colorful waterfront houses and handicraft shops. The river holds significance beyond its scenery: it's a release site for Brazil's marine manatee program, run by ICMBio since 1980 — one of the few rivers in the country where the species is actively recovering.

Arrival: Praia do Boqueirão

The final stop is the Mirante da Barreira do Boqueirão, a viewpoint above the beach of the same name, known locally for the best cluster of restaurants on this coast. From here, the light drops over the water as the afternoon closes out — and with the hotel on this beach, there's no further drive once the view has been taken in. The evening settles in at the pousada, restaurants along the waterfront close at hand for dinner.