Porto de Galinhas

Porto de Galinhas is a coastal town in the municipality of Ipojuca, in Pernambuco.

Understand

Porto de Galinhas is a small beach town, very popular as a weekend getaway for people from nearby Recife. The area is stunningly beautiful with amazing reefs. Hotels range from cozy "pousadas" to five-star resorts. Do not miss nearby Maracaípe.

Get in

By plane

The closest airport is in Recife/Guararapes, some 60 km north of Porto de Galinhas. The bus company Cruzeiro (☏ 0800 81 2662 (domestic) or ☏ +55 81 2101-9000) operates buses (ônibus) from Recife center to Porto de Galinhas from 04:45 until 22:30. These busses stop at Recife Airport.

Further flight connections you can find to the airport of Maceió.

By bus or carpooling

From Recife, two bus lines make the trip to Porto, as locals call it. The bus company Cruzeiro (☏ 0800 81 2662 (domestic) or ☏ +55 81 2101 9000) operates buses (ônibus) from Recife center to Porto de Galinhas from 04:45 until 22:30. The first bus line takes around 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes and stops at the airport and several other locations in Recife. It costs R$12.50 (April 2021) and doesn't have air-conditioning. If the bus is full you will have to stand for the trip.

The other one is bus line 195. It's operated by Cruzeiro as well, has busses equipped with air conditioning, better seats and a semi-express route. It costs R$18.25 (April 2021) and leaves each hour from Cais de Santa Rita in Recife. At the other end of the Rua de Esperança is the praçinha (little plaza), the city center on the beach and near the tide pools.

From Recife there are shared rides offered on Blablacar. The prices are around R$12 (April 2021).

From Maceió there are a few shared rides offered on Blablacar. You can also take an intercity bus or shared ride to the Recife airport and continue from there with the bus operated by Cruzeiro or with another shared ride to Porto de Galinhas.

The 1 bus terminal in Porto de Galinhas is next to the gas station o posto at the end of the Rua de Esperança, the main street of Porto de Galinhas.

By car

Porto de Galinhas is about 80 km from Recife (via BR-101 and PE-60 roads), 330 km from Natal, 800 km from Salvador, 2.300 km from Rio de Janeiro and 2.800 km form São Paulo.

By taxi

You can also take an Uber, 99taxi or local taxi from Recife or from other places around Porto de Galinhas.

Get around

The town is small and easily navigable on foot. Uber and 99Taxi also work, as of December 2019, and a typical 10-minute trip costs about R$ 6.

There are very frequent vans between Porto de Galinhas and Maracaípe for R$3,50.

Buggys are available for rent with or without driver, which presents a great alternative to traditional car rental.

See

Bustling beach town in summer, lots of dining places, local "churrascarias" (barbecue) and good seafood. Lots of beach activities in the area. Amongst them, visits to the "piscinas naturais" in a jangada, a local raft tour to the nearby reefs, where sea water makes natural ponds, and lots of different fish can be seen.

If lucky enough you might attend a sea turtle birth at full moon in midsummer, plan for a full moon stay.

Note that the beautiful reefs are only available at very low tide, for about two hours a day. Ask for information at travel agency or tourism information center for the recommended days and hours to visit reefs.

Do

• Visit the "Piscinas naturais" - gaps in the reef where small fish can be found. R$30 for 45 minutes, with tickets available at the booth near Giroskka Bar in Praça central. Snorkel gear is provided. The snorkeling is fun for beginners, but nothing to write home about if you've snorkeled in Hawaii, the Riviera Maya, or the like. Only one type of fish.
• Buggy tours (Assoc. Prop. e Condutores de Bugue), ☏ +55 81 3552-1930. 
• Take a trip on a little boat in the lagoon and swim with the fish (take some kind of footwear as the rocks are sharp!).
• Walk to nearby Maracaípe and watch the surfers.
• Find a spot on the beach, order shrimp and beer, sit back and relax.
• In the beach point Pontal do Maracaípe local kitesurfers can be seen. For the more adventurous, classes on this sport are available as well.
• Visit beautiful Praia dos Carneiros. White sandy, crystal clear water beach south of Porto de Galinhas, very near Tamandaré. Can be reached by boat trip.
• Catamarã Cavalo Marinho, ☏ +55 81 3552-2180, +55 81 8811-7393. Hire a boat and get to Ilha de Santo Aleixo. Caribbean-style Island front of Toquinho beach (south of Porto de Galinhas). Ideal for snorkelling and swimming. The excursion takes up to 6 hours. 
• Scuba diving (Mergulhão Scuba), at various hotels. Explore the natural reef by scuba diving while you're there. These guys will come pick you up at your hotel (which ever one in a 6 miles radius) and take you to explore the natural ponds. A great experience. 
• Project Hippocampus, Pontal de Maracaípe. 

Buy

The shops in the pedestrian zone in the center of town offer local crafts, clothing, and beach equipment.

There are ATMs from the banks 24Horas and Caixa, but none from Bradesco.

Eat

Don't leave Porto de Galinhas before trying traditional tapioca.

Budget

Porto de Galinhas

• 1 Restaurante Natália, R. Merepe III, 4 - quadra Loja E 2. (updated Aug 2022)
• 2 Mô Frango Frito Crocante, Rua Esperança, 316, loja 01, galeria do calçadão entrada pela, R. Bejupira. (updated Aug 2022)
• 3 Caipioca & Crepes, R. Esperança, 111. (updated Aug 2022)

Maracaipe

• 4 Dude Esfihas, R. Vila Nova, 7-S. (updated Aug 2022)
• 5 Dumar Pizzaria, Avenida Sertânia Rua 3 sem número. (updated Aug 2022)
• 6 Restaurante Cajueiro & Delivery, Av. Sertania, 2. (updated Aug 2022)
• 7 Paraiso do pontal, N. São do Ó, Ipojuca. (updated Aug 2022)

Mid-range

• 8 Barcaxeira, R. da Esperança, 458 (on the corner of Pracinha). The name is a mixture of "bar" and "macaxeira" (sweet cassava). Its speciality is macaxeira gratinada, baked mashed cassava with meat and cheese. (updated Aug 2022)
• 9 Peixe na Telha, Rua das Piscinas Naturais (100 meters from the Pracinha). Seafood at the seaside. "Telha" is a curved clay tile used to roof houses. The speciality of Peixe na Telha is a fish baked in this clay tile. The restaurant is accessible from the road or from the beach. It provides a free shower for people coming for dinner directly from the beach. Optionally they guard valuables during the meal. The restaurant is directly in front of the natural tide pools. (updated Aug 2022)

Splurge

• Beijupirá. Expensive but delicious. The speciality of the restaurant is beijupirá (filet of cobia). They serve lobster and shrimp dishes as well. Menus are available in English, German, Italian and Finnish. (updated Aug 2022)

Drink

Drinks cart on the shore

Many bars and restaurants serve the weekend party crowd. It isn't hard to find a place for a drink along the beach, on either of the two main roads, or from a number of stands set up at night where the two main roads connect near the beach. Sometimes it is possible to see and even participate in an impromptu drum circle at this intersection on weekend evenings.

On the very shore of the beach, you can find carts that sell pina colada out of the actual pineapple, for R$ 20.

Sleep

Hotels range from cozy "pousadas" to top-quality five-star resorts (Nanai and Summerville). Especially at weekends the city center will be very loud. The streets around the Pracinha are full of party-goers and the bands play on the streets in front of the pousadas. Especially Pousada Benedita and Pousada Marakatu are only a few meters away from the street parties. Room prices in one of the posadas at the city center start at R$50. Avoid being led to a hotel by touts, as you will get an inflated price.

• Hotel Pontal de Ocaporã, Sitio costa tropicana - Lote 182, ☏ +55 81 3552-5000. The first hotel of Porto de Galinhas. Literally on the beach, which is also one of the region's safest ones for swimming. Great for kids, with a whole staff just for them. 
• Pousada Sky Beach Flat, s/n Rua Merepe III Quadra 5C, ☏ +55 (81) 3552-2846. Check-in: 14:00. Single and double-bed studios with A/C, balcony, fridge and microwave oven. Large pool and excellent breakfast. Some construction noise during the day (Dec 2019). Decent free Wi-Fi that may get disconnected during peak hours if many guests are using it. Only one member of the staff of 3 speaks any English. (updated Dec 2019)
• Pousada Beira Mar (in the town center right on the beach). Good service by the two Swiss owners. 
• Pousada Benedita, Rua da Esperança 85 (centre, 60 m from the main beach), ☏ +55 81 3552-1343. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 12:00. Cheap and clean little hotel. Doubles R$ 80-150. 
• Pousada Doce Cabana (in a quiet residential area about 15 minutes walk from the city center). This pousada has a pool with a swim-in sauna and provides full breakfast and free Internet service to guests. They have English speaking staff and English speaking drivers on call for excursions. 
• Pousada da Preguiça. 
• Pousada Sonhos do Porto. Very cozy and amiable staff. Very nice service and hosting. Can host parties of up to 8 people per apartment. 
• Pousada Tabajuba. Ideal for honeymooners. This cozy little pousada is just the best when you want to spend a lovely honeymoon. When there, be sure to try the massage therapy. 
• Pousada Tabapitanga, Pontal da praia do Cupe. Great for couples with or without kids. Has a restaurant. Be sure to order the lobster. 
• Pousada Villa delle Rose, Rua Manuel Uchôa (20 steps from the beach). This pousada provides a friendly, quiet atmosphere. The rooms are sparsely furnished, but have a minibar. The proprietor, Rose, speaks English. 
• Che Lagarto Porto de Galinhas, Praça 11, 19 (4 blocks from the beach), ☏ +55 81 3552-1144. Not very clean or quiet. 
• Pousada Recanto do Lobo. Ideal for families. 
• Casa Amarela, Praça 18. 

Go next

Within walking distance on the beach to the south is the smaller town of Maracaípe. If you want to get away from the noise it is a quiet place. Further south, lies the "Recanto do Cavalo Marinho", a protected area for seahorse breeding. A local "jangada" can take you as well.

Beaches further south are also beautiful, but harder to access. Tamandaré can be accessed going south on the PE-60 road. There are signs on-route with directions to Carneiros. Toquinho and Serrambi are some of the other options.

You can also go to these places; all of them have dormitories:

• Recife
• Maragogi famous for the swimming pools inside the Atlantic Ocean. From Porto de Galinhas there are a few Blablacar rides.
  And there are Blablacar rides from Recife to Maragogi. For those you can ask the driver to pick you up in Porto de Galinhas.
• Maceió
• São Miguel dos Milagres The 'Caribbean of Brazil'. There is a hostel. See Get In