Pipa
Brazil
A village on red cliffs above a bay where dolphins come in close to the beach
Photo by Raphaela Abreu on Unsplash
Photos by Jaime Dantas, Jaime Dantas, Jaime Dantas and Filipe Sizilio on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Brazil
September to February
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 340mm in Jun
Where it is
6.23°S, 35.05°W Open in Google Maps
Things to do
Several days- Walk to Baía dos Golfinhos at low tide and wait for the dolphins — and leave before the tide turns
- Swim at Praia do Madeiro, which is calmer than the beaches in front of the village
- Watch the sunset from the Chapadão
- Take a buggy to the Guaraíras lagoon for the sunset at Tibau do Sul
- Walk the trails in the Santuário Ecológico
- Surf at Praia do Amor, where the waves are
Pipa travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Brazil
Mid-rangeRestaurants, pousadas and most bars take cards; Pix runs everything else, and it needs a Brazilian bank account. There is nowhere to change money, and the village has no bank branch, so arrive with cash from Natal or the airport for the stalls, the beach chairs and the buggy drivers.
ATMs & cards
There is no bank branch in Pipa, only a few Banco24Horas machines in the shopping arcades on the main street, and they stop paying out at 22:00. They can run dry on a busy holiday weekend. Withdraw in Natal or at the airport before you come.
Avoid these
- relying on the village machines on a holiday weekend
- needing cash after 22:00, when the machines stop paying out
Use these instead
- Banco24Horas
- Banco do Brasil
- Bradesco
There is no bank branch in Pipa itself. Withdraw in Natal or at the airport, and use a card wherever one is taken.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Brazil
Reasonably safeThe village is relaxed and walkable, including at night on the main street. The risk most visitors meet is the tide: the beaches either side are walked at low tide along the foot of the cliffs, and the water comes right up to them. Keep phones out of sight on the main street late at night, and use a driver rather than walking the unlit road between the beaches after dark.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (7 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
- Avenida Baía dos Golfinhos — the main street, including in the evening
- Praia do Madeiro
- Praia do Centro
Worth more attention
- Baía dos Golfinhos — reached only at low tide along the foot of the cliffs — walking back late gets you cut off
- Praia do Amor — the surf beach, with currents to match
- The road between the beaches on foot after dark, which is unlit
- Standing under the cliffs, which shed rock
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Brazil visa rules
No visa neededup to 90 days
Other passports
e-Visa requiredup to 90 days$80
Brazil reintroduced visas for these three nationalities. It is an e-visa applied for online.
Visa required in advance
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Brazil
Good but costlyRequired to enter
- Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Yellow fever — recommended for most of Brazil including the area around Rio
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Tetanus up to date
Getting treated
Public emergency care (SUS) is free to everyone including foreigners, but is crowded and slow. Private hospitals in Rio and São Paulo are excellent and expect insurance or payment up front.
Dengue, zika and chikungunya are all present and mosquito-borne — repellent matters. Yellow fever vaccination should be given at least 10 days before arrival.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
Very goodPipa eats better than a village this size should, because it has been a traveller's place for decades: fish, shrimp and tapioca on the main street, and a range of kitchens beyond. Eat on the beach at lunch and on the main street at night, and book at weekends in high season.
Travel tipsNightlife
A small village with a bigger evening than it looks: restaurants until late, then bars along the main street, busiest at weekends and over New Year.
- Avenida Baía dos Golfinhos — the main street, where all of it happens
- Praia do Centro — the beach bars below the village, at sunset
Closing: Bars around 01:00 or 02:00; later at weekends, in high summer and over New Year.
Getting around
Limited- UberWorks here
- 99Works here
- inDriveWorks here
- BoltNot here
99 the Brazilian one, often cheaper
- Against a taxi
- Cheaper than a taxi and, in the big cities, the default for everybody.
Some favela and periphery addresses will not be accepted by drivers at night; that is a driver safety decision, not a fare one.
Time zone and your working day
America/Fortaleza — 1 hour ahead of you
7 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–16:00 your time, 10:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 08:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 08:00–16:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for Brazil, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
Portuguese (Brazilian)
- HelloOi / Oláoy / o-LA
- PleasePor favorpor fa-VOR
- Thank youObrigado / Obrigadao-bree-GA-doo / -da
- Yes / NoSim / Nãoseeng / nowng
4 more phrases
- Excuse meCom licençakong lee-SEN-sa
- How much is it?Quanto custa?KWAN-too KOOS-ta
- The bill, pleaseA conta, por favora KON-ta
- Cheers!Saúde!sa-OO-djee
Softer and more open than European Portuguese, and the de sounds like "dje".
Travel tipsReligion
Catholic and Evangelical
The largest Catholic population in the world, with a fast-growing Evangelical share and Afro-Brazilian traditions such as Candomblé and Umbanda practised alongside.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Greet with a kiss on each cheek between women, or a woman and a man; a handshake between men
- Expect physical closeness in conversation — standing back reads as cold
- Arrive late to social invitations; on time is genuinely early
- Learn a few words of Portuguese, and never open in Spanish
Don't
- Do not make the OK sign with finger and thumb — it is obscene here
- Do not walk with a phone visible in the street
- Do not wear obvious jewellery or watches on the beach or in the city
- Do not call Brazilians Hispanic or assume they speak Spanish
Where to stay in Pipa
No Holistay rentals in Pipa yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Pipa on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Natal (São Gonçalo do Amarante) NAT
1h 30mfrom the airport· 62 km as the crow flies
About 1h 30m by road.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
