American traveling to Maceio - Alagoas, Brazil (best, life, cost)

[b00nz]

Hello all - Obviously this is my first post here, but found this site to have a lot of varied posters from varied locations, and thought perhaps someone could lend a little advice regarding my upcoming trip.

I'm going to be spending about 8 days in Maceio, Alagoas in the middle of May with a friend and was wondering if anyone has any advice on adventurous things to do. My friend knows the city quite well, so I think we will be good with regards to dining and night clubs. But I've watched some videos and looked at pictures of the area and see some very cool forests/hills for hiking that would be perfect. We will be renting a car for some of the time to explore the beaches to the north and south of Maceio, but it will also allow us to take a day trip somewhere further away that would be worth the drive.

So if anyone knows of any fun, adventurous things to do (such as hiking, tide pools etc) within a days driving distance of Maceio (or in and around Maceio), and would be willing to help me out with some details, I would be greatly appreciative. Thank you very much in advance and safe travels!

-Mike

[ricardobrazil]

Maceió: Capital of brazilian state of Alagoas, it has nearly 1 million inhabitants.

Climate useful intel:

In May, raining season is starting on, so you'll find some pretty constant showers, but not too much. Temperature will not be the same as it is during the summer(it's the coldest Northeast capital), but it still will be hot with averages going around 84ºF.

Taking a ride:

Pajuçara beach- very beautiful, relaxing waters around

Pontal da Barra- Going a little farther to south through AL-101 road, there's a fisher village in there.

http://www.turismo.al.gov.br/sala-de-imprensa/galeria-de-imagens/costa-dos-corais/BARRA%20DE%20CAMARAGIBE.jpg/image_thumb (broken link)
Coral coast: 36km away from downtown, its the second largest coral barrier on the world.

Sorry man, that's all I know from there. I live 1,5 thousand miles south of Maceió. I hope you enjoy Brazil.

[b00nz]

muito obrigado menino! like i said, i'm trying to find any information i can online and i haven't been able to find a lot yet, so anything anyone has is greatly appreciated!

[MalaMan]

Welcome to the Northeast of Brazil, land of beaches as beautiful as those in the Caribbean and in Thailand!

The "must go" in Maceió are the "natural pools" in the middle of the ocean (some hundreds of meters from the shoreline), that are large areas of shallow waters, warm and transparent waters, protected by reefs, with depth ranging between 2 and 6 feet.

The best "natural pools" in the Maceió area are the Pajuçara pools ("piscinas naturais de Pajuçara") and the Maragogi polls ("piscinas naturais de Maragogi").

[MalaMan]

I found this article in English about Maragogi:



The Natural Pools of Maragogi are a Tropical Playland

Beaches in Maragogi are calm, with crystalline water and fine white sand. However, the astonishing natural swimming pools of Maragogi are the big attraction. Six kilometers away from the coast, the Galés (what the swimming pools are called), are breathtaking.

At low tide, the water being only ankle or knee deep, with a mask, the visitor can take in all the beauty of the life under the sea. Fish swim around and come to feed from your hands and the coral formations are stunning.



www.brazil-travelnet.com/maragogi.html


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[b00nz]

Thanks so much MalaMan! It looks absolutely gorgeous. Especially when compared to the 7C and rainy weather where I'm living right now. I will definitely research some of these places as well as the website that you found. I cannot wait, thanks again!

[MalaMan]

I'm sure you will love it, even if you have some rainy days in Alagoas in the month of May (I'm sure only a few days will be rainy, followed by a pleasant sunny weather in the next day).

If you have some time to access the internet during your stay in Maceió / Alagoas, please come to this thread to share your experiences and your impressions...

[b00nz]

I won't mind a little rain at all, coming from Wisconsin, all we've had since October is cold, rain/snow so I won't be complaining. I will be bringing my computer and the apartment we are staying at should have internet access, so I'll try to stop in here and update a little bit (although going onto the internet and checking my email etc is about the lowest priority while I'm there). Thanks again though!