Carneiros Beach

Praia dos Carneiros lies where the Formoso river meets the sea, and the combination is what makes it - coconut palms leaning over the sand, a reef holding the water calm and shallow, the river running out at one end and a long sandbar at the mouth that emerges at low tide. The Capela de Sao Benedito, a small whitewashed chapel built in 1723, stands almost on the beach and is the image the place is sold on; it is still used and charges a small fee to enter its grounds. Boat trips run up the Formoso through mangrove and out to the sandbars. Most of the beachfront is occupied by private clubs that charge consumption minimums, which is the practical reality of visiting.

What you actually see

• A 1723 chapel on the sand - the whitewashed Sao Benedito by the water.
• A river mouth beach - the Formoso running out at one end.
• Reef-calmed shallow water - protected swimming along the whole strand.
• Sandbars at low tide - emerging at the mouth and reached by boat.

When to go

September to March. A day, timed for low tide.

Honest expectations

Almost all beachfront access runs through private clubs with minimum spends, which surprises people. Parking is charged and limited. The chapel is small and often has queues for photographs. Weekends bring heavy crowds from Recife.

Nearby

Tamandare is north; Sao Jose da Coroa Grande is south toward Alagoas.