Praia do Farol

Praia do Farol, on Ilha do Cabo Frio, is a snorkeling spot, and with a snorkel you can see fish and it is very common to come across various marine animals. From the beach, visitors may spot turtles, dolphins and, at certain times of year, even orcas. With luck, rays also pass through the region. Ilha do Cabo Frio lies next to an upwelling of cold water, which brings nutrients and abundant fish to the sea.

The beach is named after the two navigation lighthouses on the island, built in 1836 (the Farol Velho, now decommissioned) and in 1861 (the Farol Novo). The tree that marks the center of the beach, now fenced off and protected, is mentioned on Amerigo Vespucci's nautical chart. The beach also holds an archaeological site closely watched by the authorities. Among the shipwrecks of Ilha do Cabo Frio, one of the most famous was the Thetis, a British ship that sank in 1830 carrying gold and silver from the east coast of South America.

On the beach there are beachrocks made up of 80% fragments of red algae and shells. They are the oldest beachrocks ever dated on the Rio de Janeiro coast, aged 11,000 to 13,000 years, and part of them is submerged. On Ilha do Cabo Frio, the vegetation is dominated by cacti and plants that reflect the region's semi-arid climate, caused by the upwelling.