PT
EN
ES
O que é o litoral sul
It is a stretch of about twenty kilometres south of João Pessoa, almost all of it in the municipality of Conde, where the cliffs meet the sea. Seven beaches in a row: Barra de Gramame, Praia do Amor, Carapibus, Jacumã, Tabatinga, Coqueirinho and Tambaba.
What sets it apart from the northern coast is the terrain. At Bessa or in Cabedelo the seafront is flat and urban. Here the road runs along the clifftop and the beaches lie below, each with its own access — which is why the outing goes viewpoint to viewpoint, not along a promenade.
How to get there
From the Tambaú or Cabo Branco seafront, take the PB-008 southbound, following signs for Litoral Sul, Conde, Jacumã and Coqueirinho. From the seafront to Jacumã is just under an hour.
The road is paved and in good condition as far as the main beaches. An ordinary car reaches Jacumã, Tabatinga, Coqueirinho and Carapibus without difficulty.
What an ordinary car cannot do is the stretch between beaches along the cliff edge. For that you need a buggy, or you go back to the road and come down again at the next access point.
A ordem que funciona
Most agencies leave the seafront between seven and nine in the morning and return in the late afternoon. Doing it on your own, this is the sequence that works best:
- Barra de Gramame, where the river meets the sea. It is the first stop and the quickest — twenty minutes is enough to see it and move on.
- Carapibus, for a first swim before the sun gets strong. A beach with kiosks and calm water at certain tides.
- Jacumã, the hub of the area. It has shops, guesthouses and infrastructure, and is where most buggy tours set off.
- Tabatinga, with the highest cliffs of the stretch and the quietest feel of the seven.
- Coqueirinho, for lunch and the afternoon. It has the most restaurants and is the prettiest for anyone visiting just once.
- Tambaba in the late afternoon, if you want to see Brazil's first official naturist beach.
Seven beaches in one day is a rush. If you want an easy day, cut it to three: Carapibus, Coqueirinho and Tambaba.
O passeio de buggy
It is the way to see what the road doesn't show. The route leaves from Coqueirinho and goes viewpoint to viewpoint: Dedo de Deus, Castelo da Princesa, Mirante das Tartarugas, Shopping Rural and the cliffs between Coqueirinho and Tambaba.
In September 2026 the trip cost around R$ 250 per buggy, not per person. Agree the price and the route before getting in, and confirm whether Tambaba is included — not every driver does the final stretch.
If you are only doing one buggy ride on the whole trip, do it here and not on the northern coast. This is where the scenery justifies it.
Tambaba, and what to know beforehand
Tambaba was Brazil's first official naturist beach. The beach is split: one side for general use and one for naturism, with its own access rules.
This tends to confuse people who arrive unaware. It is not a nudist beach throughout, and the naturist side has conduct rules enforced by the local association. If you are with family and would rather avoid it, stay on the common side — which already has the cliffs and the sea that make the trip worthwhile.
The final approach is the worst of the trip. A dirt road and a climb, hard in a low car after rain.
When to go and what to bring
The strip of sand on the southern coast is narrow, and at high tide some beaches all but disappear beneath the cliff. Check the tide table and plan to arrive on a falling tide — it changes the outing entirely.
Between September and February the weather is more settled. Between April and July it rains more, and the dirt road to Tambaba becomes difficult.
- Cash. Not every beach bar has a card machine, and the mobile signal drops in several stretches.
- Shoes you don't mind getting wet, for the rocky access paths and the cliff descents.
- Strong sunscreen. The cliffs reflect the light and burn more than an urban beach.
- A full tank. Petrol stations are scarce once you leave the PB-008.
Go by car or on a booked tour. You can reach Jacumã by bus, but moving between the beaches without a vehicle is not feasible.
Vale o dia inteiro?
Yes, and it is the outing we recommend most after the catamaran to Picãozinho. It is the landscape the northern coast doesn't have — red cliffs dropping into the sea, and seven different beaches in twenty kilometres.
Anyone staying on our stretch of coast is less than an hour from the start of the route. Leave after breakfast and get back in time for dinner in Tambaú.
