Despite its very wide coast, Brazil has few beaches destined to the practice of naturism. In most beaches, you are expected to keep your bathing suit on (and this includes the ladies’ tops). Topless girls are welcome in some places, but that is not universally practiced, accepted or allowed. Technically, it is still illegal to be naked in public in Brazil, but there is a bill waiting for approval in the Senate that might change that.
So, if you like to sunbathe in your birthday suit, you might have to look for the few isolated spots that offer privacy and total freedom for the practice of naturism. Most of them are regulated by local legislation.
Here is the list of official naturist beaches, organized from Northern to Southern states, in case you intend to vacation “au naturel”:
1 – Tambaba – in the city of Conde, state of Paraíba.With white sands and natural pools, it hosted, in 2008, the International Naturist Conference.
2 – Massarandupió – close to the city of Entre Rios, in Bahia, it has 2 kilometers of beautiful white sand. I have been there some 20 years ago, way before it became a naturist resort (in case you are wondering). It is really gorgeous, specially in the middle of the night, when little turtles leave their egg shells and run to the ocean.
3 – Barra Seca – in Linhares, state of Espírito Santo. Pretty urbanized, it has small hotels, public lighting and toilets and food stands on the sand.
4 – Olho de Boi, a minuscule beach with difficult access in Búzios, state of Rio.
5 – Praia Brava – Shared by nudists and surfers from Cabo Frio, in the state of Rio, it is pretty isolated and encircled by high, steep mountains.
6 – Praia do Abricó – in Grumari, a neighborhood of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Visited by naturists since the 40s, it was the favorite of Luz del Fuego, a mid-century diva that would pose nude surrounded by snakes.
7 – Jurubá – in the historic city of Paraty, in the state of Rio. After a 15 minute boat ride you can reach the naturist center of Araújo island.
8 – Praia do Pinho – Close to Camboriú, in the state of Santa Catarina, it was the birthplace of Federação Brasileira de Naturismo, the organization that coordinates this sort of activity in Brazil, which has 300 thousand members, congregated in 29 regional groups. It took a while to get established as a nudist beach – the owner of the property that faces the ocean is very religious and has seven children. After rejecting the idea for a while, he opened a restaurant and a small hotel for nudists.
9 – Galheta – This nudist beach of Florianópolis, the capital of the state of Santa Catarina, is half way between two very popular beaches, Barra da Lagoa and Praia Mole. It is mostly isolated and can be reached through a small path in the middle of the rainforest. Naturists share the space with surfers – Florianópolis has some of the best waves in the country.
10 – Pedras Altas – these two isolated beaches, full of rocks, small streams and natural pools, are part of the Biological Reserve of Serra do Tabuleiro, in the state of Santa Catarina. It is only 30 kilometers away from Florianópolis.