Marau Peninsula

Marau runs about forty kilometres between Camamu Bay and the Atlantic, and the village at the tip, Barra Grande, is the base for it. The reef at Taipu de Fora is what most people come for: at low tide the water drops off the flat and leaves warm clear pools with reef fish in them, shallow enough to stand in, and the timing is dictated by the tide tables. Along the peninsula there are beaches with almost nobody on them, freshwater lagoons behind the dunes, and inland the Cassange lagoon and small waterfalls. The road down the peninsula is unpaved and slow, which is what has kept the place quiet, and access from Camamu by boat is often faster than driving.

What you actually see

• Taipu de Fora reef pools - warm clear water on the flat at low tide.
• Forty kilometres of coast - beaches with very few people on them.
• Dune lagoons - freshwater behind the beach line, including Cassange.
• A slow unpaved road - the reason the peninsula stayed undeveloped.

When to go

September to March. Three days. Check tide tables before booking Taipu.

Honest expectations

The reef only works around low tide and is disappointing at high. The road in is rough and long; the boat from Camamu is the usual alternative. Distances between beaches are large and buggy transfers add up.

Nearby

Camamu is across the bay; Itacaré is south along the coast.