Experience the best of Porto de Galinhas

Porto de Galinhas is a beach town in the municipality of Ipojuca, on the coast of Pernambuco about an hour's drive south of Recife. A line of offshore reefs breaks the Atlantic waves, leaving shallow, warm water close to the sand, and coconut palms edge the beaches. The town centre is a grid of pedestrian lanes with shops, craft stalls and restaurants.

At low tide the reef forms natural pools that people reach by small rafts called jangadas and explore with masks, watching colourful fish. Maracaípe beach, to the south, has surf and a mangrove estuary where seahorses are studied. Other beaches nearby include Muro Alto, sheltered by its own reef, and Cupe, and the coast road leads on to quieter coves.

Seafood dominates the menus, especially grilled lobster, shrimp and moqueca, a fish stew cooked with coconut milk, while tapioca pancakes and fresh coconut water are everyday snacks. The climate is tropical and warm all year, with most of the rain falling in the middle months and the sea clearest in the drier, sunnier season.