Maceió: the natural pools of Pajuçara

The turquoise waters protected by a natural barrier reef have made Maceió one of Brazil's most celebrated beach destinations in the northeast.

The city's different beaches are connected by a long seafront promenade.

Off Pajuçara Beach, with low tide, traditional sailing boats called jangadas carry swimmers to natural pools formed by a submerged coral reef just a few meters from the surface.

Returning to shore, the Pajuçara Craft Market sells hammocks, lace, and local handicrafts right on the waterfront: the filet, the net lace typical of Alagoas, is still worked by hand by some artisans sitting in front of their stalls.

Moving south, one reaches the Mundaú Lagoon, a lagoon where entire fishing communities still live in stilt houses connected to the city by a canal.

In the late afternoon, Francês Beach, about twenty kilometers from the center, offers waves more suitable for surfing just outside its own coral reef.

The natural pools of Pajuçara form only for a few hours around low tide: arriving at the wrong time means finding the jangadas stranded high and dry on the sand.

The stilt houses of Lagoa Mundaú remain inhabited year-round, not as a tourist attraction but as a normal fishermen's quarter just minutes from the coastal hotels.