Beach between hills
Granite and forest.
Arleyramos — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gledson Agra de Carvalho — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Anna Beatriz Fonseca — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Anna Beatriz Fonseca — CC BY-SA 3.0
Itacoatiara is an open-ocean beach in Niterói, framed by granite hills and forest inside the Serra da Tiririca State Park. In 2016 TripAdvisor users ranked it the twelfth-best beach in Brazil. The park was created in 1991 after a campaign by local residents, and in 1992 UNESCO recognised it as part of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve; it includes a marine section reaching 1,700 metres offshore between Alto Mourão and the Costão de Itacoatiara. The Costão (217 metres) rises above the beach, and the park's trails climb other hills such as Alto Mourão (369 metres). The sea here is open ocean and the waves are often strong, so swim only when the water is calm. Entry is free.
Granite and forest.
217 metres above the sea.
1,700 metres offshore.
Itacoatiara, Niterói
It is open ocean and the waves are often strong, so swim only when the water is calm and stay close to shore.