BootsnAll Travel Community

So, throughout your travels, what's the most white sanded, tourists unpacted, light blue watered, palm treed, eye stunning, tropically fished, human unexploited, tight budget friendly beach you've ever seen?

Cook Island? Maldivas? Some Caribean Island? Bora Bora? Just curious

-Hector-
Leaving for a RTW in January 2004!

Hey Hector:

I have not travelled as much as I would like to, but you can find magnificent beaches in NE Brazil that are nearly untouched. My Mom recently purchased a lot (over 1 acre in area) for 15,000 US dollars, in a tiny fisher village called Maracajau in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. What I like about the beaches in Brazil is that, there are no regulations whatsoever. You can drive on the beach, you can camp virtually anywhere and nobody bothers you. The locals are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet.

Here are some pictures of Maracajau, RN, Brazil

http://www.maracajau.hpg.ig.com.br/maracajau.htm

[This message was edited by Luke Ache on 25 November 2003 at 10:50.]

How is being able to drive on the beach a good thing ?
Interesting information though,do you happen to know where I can look up like website maybe on buying land in that region. Thanks Luke

Hey Luke that sounds VERY interesting indeed mate. Please fill us in with details!



-Hector-

-Hector-
Leaving for a RTW in January 2004!

Hi all:

Lotsworld: I guess driving on the beach gives you a sense of freedom which you cannot experience anywhere here in the USA or Canada! I find the American concept of regulating everything quite ridiculous! Beaches in the USA have been turned into national parks, if not, they are private property. Worse yet, sometimes you have to pay to get in!
As far as buying property there, you can buy a lot by the beach for about 10,000 US dollars. You can buy a modest house in Maracajau for about US 25,000. I also would like to point out that Maracajau is just a tiny dot in the region.
The whole NE part of Brazil is composed of 9 states. About the region: It is the poorest region of Brazil, most people are very poor, but very friendly and the surroundings are stunning! The biggest cities like Natal, Fortaleza, Maceio have a lot of social problems (crime, hunger, street children..etc), but if you look for something in the small villages, it is like being in Paradise and the cost of living is so low! I have a brother who left the USA for Rio Grande do Norte and I dont think he is ever coming back. There many immigrants in that part of Brazil though..lots of Europeans living there now. My brother lives in Pipa Beach, RN which is now very well known by Europeans (Germans especially)

The reason why I like the beaches in Brazil is because, there are some awesome beaches there, yet, the cost of living is so low and it is not as commercialized as places like the Caribbean or Hawaii.

Here are some pictures of "Pipa Beach" or Praia da Pipa in Portuguese..click on "Veja as fotos do ano de 1999" to go forward.
http://www.pipa.com.br/galeria/galeria2000.html

[This message was edited by Luke Ache on 25 November 2003 at 17:16.]

Here is a website with listing..It is all in Portuguese, but it should give you an idea of prices around the area:

http://www.turimoveis.com.br/vend_terr.htm

Ex:

(1132/CT) Camurupim Beach- Lot close to Arituba Lagoon and Camurupim Bay. Perfect for your getaway home- Measurements: 25.50 m X 19.12. Asking Price: R$ 10,000- Thats $ 4471 Canadian dollars or 3409 US dollars

(730/AT) Buzios- Good for home- 15x60 m- R$15,000- $6707 Canadian dollars or $5113 US dollars..what a bargain

If you want further details, you can email me at achel@bluemail.ch. Like I said, I have a brother living there and I should be able to give you more information about buying something there.


Luke Ache

I was amazed at the variety in Panama: pristine white sand beaches, black sand beaches (watch your bare feet on that!!), pink sand beaches......

Of course, I haven't been down there since the US Canal Treaty expired in 2000. But, I'm sure the out-of-the-way spots haven't been hindered by development yet. Check out the San Blas Islands.........superb diving!!!

"Henceforth I ask not for good-fortune, I myself am good fortune. Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing." –Walt Whitman, "Song of the Open Road"

Fiji has some really excellent sandy beaches - and if you're lucky you manage to get to a 'unpacked' one....

www.aresthetics.ch/trav
My personal travel website

Maybe I'm a little different. I can take a hot, sunny, tropical secluded beach for a few days. I'd rather a beach with some people & activity.

Pretty well any beach will do.

We enjoyed Mt Manganui in NZ (although the water is a little cool).

Byron Bay in Australia is fabulous - a very eclectic group of people and good surfing to boot.

Railay Beach in Thailand was incredible but packed. The scuba and snorkelling is world class, and the rock climbing was lots of fun too. Riding in a long tail is a unique experience too.

Goa, India has nice beaches - complete with cows who like to share your shade umbrella.

The cheapest beach was in Padangbai, Bali. Nice snorkelling at the "Blue lagoon" - a few steps away from town. We stayed for about $10/night for 5 of us in our family including breakfast. Stay away from Kuta - the garbage in the water was awful.

Luke, Thanks for the info. Not all regulation is bad, driving on the beach might be fun for you but its not for the little animals (Crabs, turtles) that live or rest on the beach. Even if there are no animals there is still pollution.

I am all for regulating people from driving on the beach or any other regulation that will help preserve the environment ..

I really enjoyed Nungwe on the north coast of Zanzibar. The diving was amazing, the sand was GLARING white, and there were just two little hostels with no electricity. The hostel person would put a kerosene lantern outside your door at sunset each night. The meals were mostly fresh-caught fish and local fruits, etc.

The other cool thing was that, since it's at the tip of a small island, you could watch the sun rise over the ocean, then that same night walk about a half an hour around the tip and watch the sun set over the same ocean.

Unfortunately, that was 7 years ago and I bet it has gotten a lot more developed since then. Anyone been to Nungwe lately?

As for the regulations posts--with 6 billion people on the planet, I am all for regulations. And I am more than happy to pay to get into a beach if it means that beach will not turn into strip malls and condominiums. Nature is valuable! What's wrong with paying to protect it?

Jessie

"Whenever I have to choose between two evils, I always like to choose the one I haven't tried before." --Mae West, I believe

i was going to say southend and try and be funny but that wouldn't have been funny at all. sigh.

i do have a suggestion for GB. north berwick half hour from edinburgh. beautiful beach running all the way along the side. on the east coast.

i wrote this on lonely planet "standing on the beach, with the sun, golden sand and the cliffs & rocks, i felt like i was in spain or something". of course someone had to disagree with me and tell me how could it possibly feel like spain which i was miffed at. north berwick is a beautiful little seaside town. no nightlife at all really, but you're only a short train ride away from edinburgh so i think north berwick's a great place to spend some time.

i agree about the driving. if i looked over and saw a car driving on a beach i'd be totally dismayed at such a lack of respect for the area. why should a car have authority over everything?

"I feel like they built you just for me" - Christopher Grimes

"As for the regulations posts--with 6 billion people on the planet, I am all for regulations. And I am more than happy to pay to get into a beach if it means that beach will not turn into strip malls and condominiums. Nature is valuable! What's wrong with paying to protect it?"

Paying to get into something which doesnt belong to anybody or better yet, something that belongs to all of us..makes no sense whatsoever.
I guess, modern Western society has gone so far away from the meaning of life.the roots and nature all together. You remind me of the bottled juices I see in American supermarkets. It reads..ORANGE JUICE..1% NATURAL JUICE"..if it is supposedly juice..how the heck can "juice" contain a certain percentage of natural juice? Anyways..nature is nature, you cant regulate nature..it is ours, or not ours..depends on how you see it. I am quite philosophical, and I am quite opposed to everything that is fake, plastic and superficial..

Luke Ache

The best beach I've visited is just north of El Nido, Palawan, Philippines.

El Nido is a pretty low-budget place. The beach there is not very good, but if you walk along the coast for a few kilometers to the north, past ancient lava flows and some jungle, you reach a stretch of wonderful, golden sand. Yes, there is an airplane landing strip behind the beach beyond the trees. But the beach is pristine and deserted - at least it was when we went there in 1996.

Yup Agree with Joe!! Luke here needs to re think.
Luke, If you go back to your earlier post you say that "you can drive on the beach" and then you say "I am quite philosophical, and I am quite opposed to everything that is fake, plastic and superficial.." uhm guess driving a big car on a pristine beach does not count .

Nature belongs to everyone and since humans are capable of doing stupid things like driving on a beach is one really good reason to regulate.

I cant believe I am supporting regulations but in this case it makes sense

Not to mention something I saw at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico! They built a handrail inside of the cave! I was in shock! Such disrespect with the landscape and nature..MY GOSH!I guess soon enough, they will put some artificial lighting in the caves, or maybe they will build a Mc Donalds at the end of the cave path. TOTALLY RIDICULOUS!


Luke Ache

Would you say designating areas as National Parks and charging people to visit is regulation? And if it is then does regulation make sense in this case

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

- Mark Twain

"Would you say designating areas as National Parks and charging people to visit is regulation? And if it is then does regulation make sense in this case"

First of all, it is not a "national" park. The man drawn boundaries are only in the minds of those who have been brainwashed to believe in it,but in reality, such boundaries are only in the minds of people, they dont exist unless you want them to exist. I have personally chosen to understand the world and people as one,after all we are all one world, therefore calling something which doesnt belong to anybody a "national park" is ludicrous.
Technically, nobody owns anything, if you understand where I am coming from, therefore it cant be a "national park". I still do not understand why would I be charged to see something that:

A-Either belongs to all of us (citizens of the world) or

B- It doesnt belong to any of us (Us being citizens of the world)


Luke Ache

So luke.... when can i come and visit

Possible next BnA party location?

ServeYourWorld.com