Cabo Frio

The sand at Praia do Forte is unusually white and fine because it is almost pure quartz, and the water is unusually cold and clear for this latitude because of the same upwelling that operates at Arraial do Cabo next door. Behind the town lies the Araruama lagoon, one of the largest hypersaline lagoons in the world, worked for salt since the colonial period and still producing. The Forte Sao Mateus stands on the rocks at the mouth of the channel, built from 1616 against French and Dutch raiding. Dunes separate the beaches from the lagoon and can be walked or sandboarded. It is a long-established Brazilian holiday town rather than an international one, and it fills completely in January.

What you actually see

• Pure quartz sand - unusually white and fine along Praia do Forte.
• The Araruama lagoon - a hypersaline lagoon still worked for salt.
• Forte Sao Mateus - a 1616 fort on the rocks at the channel mouth.
• Dunes between sea and lagoon - walkable and used for sandboarding.

When to go

December to March. Two days.

Honest expectations

The sea is genuinely cold, which surprises people. In January the town is extremely crowded and traffic from Rio is heavy in both directions. Beaches near the centre are busy and noisy. The fort keeps limited hours.

Nearby

Arraial do Cabo is south; Buzios is east on the next peninsula.