Japaratinga → Recife

Japaratinga → Recife

Date: Monday, September 7, 2026 · Distance: ~141 mi · Driving time: ~3h 30m (excluding stops) · Open in Google Maps

Road surfaces
Asphalt · 105 mi · 74%
Paved · 21 mi · 15%
Unknown · 13 mi · 9%
Concrete · 2 mi · 2%

The final morning begins early, with departure from the hotel timed to the day's only scheduled sailing to the Piscinas Naturais de Japaratinga at 6 a.m.

Piscinas Naturais de Japaratinga

Boarding happens just off the sand in the village, wading a short distance out to reach the catamaran before the roughly twenty-minute crossing to the pools. The reef here forms part of the Costa dos Corais protected area, one of the largest coral reef systems in the South Atlantic, and the turquoise pools that surface at low tide are considered by many visitors a match for — or better than — the more heavily trafficked version of the same experience in Maragogi, with far fewer boats crowding the same stretch of reef. Two hours are set aside for swimming and snorkeling before the return crossing.

Last Morning in Japaratinga

Breakfast back at the hotel at 8 a.m. leaves a couple of hours open before checkout, with a choice of which stretch of coast to spend them on. Praia do Boqueirão, just south, is the quietest option, deserted and dense with coconut groves and little in the way of structure. Praia Barreira do Boqueirão, past that, is more built up, with the Mirante above it and its cluster of restaurants, plus freshwater springs by the roadside that give the beach its other name, Praia das Bicas. Furthest out is Praia do Pontal, the southernmost of Japaratinga's beaches, where the sand runs out at the Rio Manguaba and the balsa to Porto de Pedras departs — the one stretch of coast not yet seen on this trip. Checkout at noon closes out the stay.

Lunch and the Road Back

Lunch follows quickly at Italian Rocchi in the village, a faster stop than a full sit-down meal en route, before the drive north retraces the coastal route. A fuel stop breaks up the drive before the final stretch into Recife.