The island
Nine in the morning, flip-flops on, and the only question that matters: which beach today. Six beaches, walking times, tractor and boat prices, shade, food and tide.
San Diego Flats · Velha Boipeba11 min read
Nine in the morning, coffee finished, and someone in your group asks the only question that matters on this island: which beach today. You have flip-flops on, a bag with a towel in it, and no idea whether the beach you have in mind is a ten-minute walk or a boat and a tractor away.
We answer that question every morning at the flats, and the answer always depends on three things: the tide, how far you feel like walking, and whether you want lunch served to you. So here are the beaches of Boipeba one by one, from the end of our street to the far tip of the island, with how to get to each from Velha Boipeba, how long it really takes, where the shade is and who each one suits.
Boipeba's beaches run in one chain down the east side, village to tip: Boca da Barra, Tassimirim, Cueira, Moreré, Bainema and Ponta dos Castelhanos, across more than twenty kilometres of coast.
There are no cars. You move by foot, by tractor, by quad-bike taxi or by boat, and the sand itself is the main road. At low tide the whole chain links up and you can walk from the village to Moreré in about two hours. At high tide, some stretches disappear and you take the inland path or wait.
Two numbers to keep in your head all week, both 2026 prices: the tractor to Moreré is about R$ 15 per person, and a quad-bike taxi is R$ 25 to R$ 30. Bring cash; card machines on the beach depend on the signal that day.
From Velha Boipeba: two minutes on foot from our flats, and you do not need shoes.
This is where the Rio do Inferno meets the sea in front of the old village, which is why the water is calm and the bottom is sand. The pier is at one end, so you watch the boats come and go all day while you swim.
Shade: almond trees along the back of the beach and the awnings of the shacks. Food: the most reliable on the island, with places like Ponto da Barra and Toca do Lobo serving fried fish, moqueca and cold beer through the day; Toca do Lobo closes in the early afternoon. Tide: at low water a tongue of sand appears at the river mouth and people walk out to photograph it; at the mouth itself the current runs, so swim along the beach and not in the channel.
Who it is for: everybody on the day they arrive. Families every day. Anyone who wants sand under the table at lunch without organising anything.
From Velha Boipeba: 20 to 30 minutes walking south on firm sand, past the short rocky stretch of Praia de Pedrinhas. At high tide the sand narrows and you climb onto the path for a few minutes.
The beach opens into a long crescent lined with coconut palms, with calm water and, on a weekday out of season, almost nobody.
Shade: the palms, at the back of the beach rather than at the waterline. Food: usually one shack open, Cabana da Gleide, which does garlic shrimp and stews; out of season it can be shut on a weekday, so carry water. Tide: the walk is easy at low tide and awkward at high; time your return.
Who it is for: couples, readers, anyone who found Boca da Barra too sociable and does not want to spend the day travelling.
From Velha Boipeba: 40 to 45 minutes on foot in total, which is fifteen minutes past Tassimirim.
Cueira is the postcard: a shallow cove with water clear enough to count your toes and one of the biggest surviving coconut groves on the island behind it. The water stays waist-deep a long way out, which is why families with small children end up here.
Shade: good, under the palms at the back. Food: the best beach lunch on the island. Guido's is famous for lobster, and there are other shacks along the beach, including Sabor Tropical, which does moquecas, plus Pastel da Carol for pastries. Several of them work mainly in season; ask us the night before and we will tell you what is open this week. Tide: the cove widens dramatically at low water.
Who it is for: the long lazy day, families, and anyone who wants one very good lunch with their feet in the sand.
From Velha Boipeba: six kilometres. Four ways to do it.
Moreré is the island's other village: pousadas, a church, a football pitch between the palms, and the reason most visitors come at all. About a kilometre offshore, at low tide, the reef drains into natural pools where you float over fish in water that comes up to your waist.
Shade: patchy on the beach, plenty in the village restaurants. Food: simple and good, with beach barracas and pousada restaurants serving moqueca, shrimp bobó and grilled fish, usually as dishes for two. Tide: everything here depends on it. The pools exist for roughly two hours around low water, and outside that window there is nothing to see. Our full guide is the Moreré natural pools tide guide.
Who it is for: snorkellers, anyone who wants one perfect photograph, and people who like the idea of a second, smaller village to spend a night in.
From Velha Boipeba: go to Moreré first, then walk about 20 minutes south along the sand. By quad from the village it is around half an hour in total.
Bainema is where the coast opens out and the people stop. The sand runs on for kilometres, the sea is more open than in the coves, and the wind has a job to do.
Shade: very little, so bring a hat and plan to sit under whatever you find. Food: there is usually a shack open at the near end, Pontal do Bainema, but do not count on it out of season. Tide: at low water the sand packs hard and it is the best walking beach on the island. The sea has more current here than in the coves, so swim near other people and never at a river mouth.
Who it is for: walkers, photographers, people who want a beach with no soundtrack. Two litres of water per person, and tell someone where you went.
From Velha Boipeba: the island boat tour, about R$ 250 per person in 2026, boarding at Boca da Barra around 09:00 and back between 16:00 and 17:30. Or a quad-bike taxi on the interior track, arranged in the village. Or on foot from Bainema, about an hour and a half at low tide if you start early and you are fit.
The southern point takes its name from a Spanish ship that wrecked on the reef in the sixteenth century, a story every boatman tells slightly differently. Today it is a lighthouse, a reef that forms pools at low tide, white sand, and the turning point of the classic boat tour.
Shade: almost none. Food: simple shacks operate on tour days, including a pastel stand that has become part of the trip; on other days assume nothing. Tide: the pools need a low tide between about 11:00 and 14:00 to be worth the journey. We check the table with you.
Who it is for: the boat day, snorkellers, and anyone who likes standing at the end of a place. There is more on it in Ponta dos Castelhanos.
| Beach | From the village | Shade | Food | Sea | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boca da Barra | 2 min on foot | Almond trees, awnings | Daily, reliable | Calm, river mouth | Arrival day, families, sunset |
| Tassimirim | 20 to 30 min walk | Coconut palms | One shack, seasonal | Calm | A quiet swim, an easy lunch |
| Cueira | 40 to 45 min walk | Good, under palms | Several shacks in season | Shallow and clear | A long lazy day, children |
| Moreré | Tractor R$ 15, quad R$ 25 to 30, boat, or 2 h walk | Patchy | Village restaurants | Pools at low tide | Snorkelling, a night away |
| Bainema | 20 min past Moreré | Little | One shack, unreliable | Open, some current | Walking, solitude |
| Ponta dos Castelhanos | Boat tour R$ 250, quad, or 1.5 h from Bainema | Almost none | Only on tour days | Reef and pools | The boat day |
Water, more than you think, because only Boca da Barra has shops nearby. Cash in small notes. Reef-safe sunscreen and a brimmed hat. Reef shoes for Moreré and Castelhanos, where the coral is sharp and standing on it kills it. A dry bag if you are walking the chain.
Our flats include a beach kit with chairs, an umbrella and a cooler, so that is four fewer things to buy. See what each one has on the flats page, and if you have not worked out your route to the island yet, how to get here starts at Salvador airport.
Which beach in Boipeba is closest to the village? Boca da Barra. It starts at the end of the main street of Velha Boipeba, two minutes from the pier and from our door, and it has the most reliable food and shade on the island.
Can I walk from Velha Boipeba to Moreré? Yes, along the sand at low tide, about two hours via Tassimirim and Cueira. At high tide parts of the route disappear, so check the tide table first, leave early and carry water. Most people walk one way and take the tractor back.
How much does the tractor to Moreré cost? About R$ 15 per person each way in 2026, from Ponto da Tiririca at the back of the village, taking 30 to 40 minutes. A quad-bike taxi is R$ 25 to R$ 30 per person and takes around 20 minutes. Prices are set locally and change, so confirm with us on the day.
Do all the beaches have beach shacks with food? No. Boca da Barra and Cueira are reliable, Tassimirim and Moreré usually have something open, and Bainema and Castelhanos are hit or miss, especially outside high season. Ask us the night before and carry water either way.
Which beach is best for small children? Cueira, because it stays shallow a long way out and has real shade, and Boca da Barra, because it is calm and two minutes from your door. Bainema has more current and is a long way from help; save it for a walking day without toddlers.
Boca da Barra. It starts at the end of the main street of Velha Boipeba, two minutes from the pier and from our door, and it has the most reliable food and shade on the island.
Yes, along the sand at low tide, about two hours via Tassimirim and Cueira. At high tide parts of the route disappear, so check the tide table first, leave early and carry water. Most people walk one way and take the tractor back.
About R$ 15 per person each way in 2026, leaving from Ponto da Tiririca at the back of the village and taking 30 to 40 minutes. A quad-bike taxi is R$ 25 to R$ 30 per person and takes around 20 minutes. Prices are set locally and change, so confirm with us on the day.
No. Boca da Barra and Cueira are reliable, Tassimirim and Moreré usually have something open, and Bainema and Castelhanos are hit or miss, especially outside high season. Ask us the night before and carry water either way.
Cueira, because it stays shallow a long way out and has real shade, and Boca da Barra, because it is calm and two minutes from your door. Bainema has more current and is a long way from help, so save it for a walking day without toddlers.
Updated November 3, 2026
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