Porto de Galinhas

The name means port of chickens, and its origin is not decorative: after Brazil banned the Atlantic slave trade in 1831, enslaved Africans continued to be landed here illegally, and the coded phrase used to signal a delivery referred to Angolan chickens. The beach itself is fringed by a reef about a hundred metres out, and at low tide the water between reef and shore drops to waist depth and clears, forming pools full of reef fish. Jangadas - small wooden rafts - ferry people out to them on a fixed rotation, and the timing is set entirely by the tide tables. Around it are Muro Alto with its calm lagoon, Maracaipe for surf, and a heavily developed strip of resorts, shops and restaurants.

History

By local history the place was called Porto Rico, rich port, until 1850, when it became a landing for enslaved people brought illegally for the sugar plantations. To hide the trade they were shipped together with guineafowl, and the traffickers' password, there are new chickens in the port, gave the beach its name (Wikipedia, Porto de Galinhas).

What to look for

• Reef pools at low tide - clear waist-deep water a hundred metres out.
• Jangada rafts - wooden boats ferrying visitors on a fixed rotation.
• A name from the illegal trade - the code used after the 1831 ban.
• Muro Alto and Maracaipe - the calm lagoon and the surf beach either side.

When to go

September to March. Three days, timed to low tides for the pools.

Practical notes

The pools only work around low tide and are crowded when they do; fish feeding is now restricted, so the show is quieter than the photographs suggest. The village is very developed and commercial. Rafts, buggies and vendors sell constantly.

Nearby

Maracaipe is south; Recife and Olinda are north up the coast.

Key facts