Things to do in Pipa
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Pipa
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
The connoisseur's window: dry, sunny, kite wind, and before the December price wall.
Dry season and Fest Bossa and Jazz in Pipa, with strong kite winds.
Dry and festive, peaking at New Year, with the year's highest prices and crowds.
Carnival season in February or early March, hot and busy, with rain increasing.
The wettest run, peaking around April to June: heavy showers, lower prices, and June festa season.
What's on
- Réveillon (New Year's Eve) 31 December
Pipa's biggest party, beach celebrations and a village at total capacity.
- Carnival February or early March
A beach village Carnival of blocos, bars and packed beaches.
- Fest Bossa & Jazz usually August
Free jazz, blues and bossa nova across venues in Pipa and other host towns, running since 2010.
- São João June festivals June
Local June festa season with bonfires, forro and corn based food, in smaller village form.
Best things to do in Pipa
Baía dos Golfinhos
A protected, boat free bay reached only at low tide, where wild dolphins routinely feed close to swimmers.
Praia do Madeiro
Pipa's best all round beach, calm water, a famous longboard wave and dolphins in the morning.
Praia do Amor
A broad surf and sunbathing beach under the cliffs, with reef pools at low tide and lively beach bars.
Chapadão
The great red cliff plateau above Praia do Amor, and the definitive viewpoint along the Pipa coast.
Praia do Centro
The village beach, with fishing boats, beach bars and safe natural rock pools at low tide.
Praia das Minas
A long, wild and quiet turtle nesting beach for walking, far from the village polish.
Mirante dos Golfinhos
A clifftop lookout over the dolphin bay, best early when you can spot dolphins and turtles below.
Vila Mangueira
A small Greek style lane of boutiques and cafes, Pipa's most photographed twenty minute stroll.
Where to stay in Pipa
Centro and Avenida Baía dos Golfinhos
short, social, car free stays
Every restaurant, bar and agency on foot, but the avenue is loud late into the night.
Praia do Amor and the south cliff
couples and view stays
Cliff top pools and a short walk to Amor beach, with hills and stairs as the trade.
Madeiro and the north approach
beach first families and early risers
Mornings on Pipa's best beach in a forest setting, with transfers needed for most dinners.
Sibaúma
a destination resort stay
Quiet and private, but a drive from Pipa's beaches and dining on every day you leave.
Think twice about
- Busiest central stretch of Avenida Baía dos Golfinhos
Bar and music noise runs late. The flaw is noise, not safety, so sleep one or two streets back.
- Lodging hard against the cliff edge at Amor, Minas or Cacimbinhas
This coastline erodes and undercuts. Question any private stairway cut into an unstable cliff face.
- Tibau do Sul town as a Pipa base without a car
A pleasant lagoon town about 8 km from the beaches, with no evening walk home to Pipa.
Best restaurants in Pipa
Chez Marilia
A small French Mediterranean restaurant reviewers place in Pipa's top three, hosted with real warmth.
Aprecíe Restaurante
Contemporary Brazilian fine dining on local seafood, Pipa's tasting menu end of the village.
Camarão na Fazenda Pipa
The village's most tested shrimp house, grilled prawn platters and fish stews with live music.
Macoco
Latin contemporary cooking built on cassava and local produce, excellent without being formal.
Sofi Bistro
A small, highly rated Brazilian seafood bistro, calmer than the avenue terraces and carefully cooked.
El Farolito
An Argentine parrilla steakhouse, the corrective dinner after days of shrimp, loved by groups.
Espaço Lampião
A grand sea view terrace with live music, best ordered for its mixed seafood moqueca for two.
Quintal Restaurante e Tapiocaria
A garden tapiocaria serving tapioca crepes and honest Brazilian plates at local prices.
Outdoor things to do in Pipa
Santuário Ecológico de Pipa
Atlantic forest trails to lookouts over Amor, Madeiro and the dolphin bay, with a turtle museum.
Pipa Surf School
Beginner surf lessons plus paddle and kayak rental in the gentle water of the dolphin bay.
Barra do Cunhaú
A flat water river mouth kite spot with an ocean wave zone, a proper day trip south of Pipa.
Pipando Passeios
Tandem paragliding over the Amor cliffs and Chapadao, weather dependent and booked early in a stay.
Pipa Off Road
Graded quad bike routes over cliffs, tracks and lagoons, from two hour beginner runs to expert routes.
Pipa Aventura
The classic jeep and buggy south coast day, ending with sandboarding and a lagoon sunset.
Falésias de Cacimbinhas
A towering eroded cliff and dune field between Tibau do Sul and Pipa, known for sandboarding.
Sibaúma Beach
A wilder, emptier fishing village beach for long walks and low tide swimming, reached as a day trip.
Best hotels in Pipa
Toca da Coruja
Luxury bungalows in vast tropical gardens just off the main avenue, calm yet walkable to everything.
Hotel Sombra e Água Fresca
A small luxury resort above Love Beach with panoramic pools and ocean and forest views.
Kilombo Villas & Spa
Five private design villas on Sibauma beach, a destination eco luxury stay south of Pipa.
Hotel Ponta do Madeiro
A garden hotel on the cliff by Madeiro beach, with a panoramic pool and direct beach access.
Pousada Waikiki Boutique
A comfortable four star pousada near the beach in the centre, with pool, bar and parking.
Hotel Pipa Atlântico
A larger resort style hotel in palm gardens near the beach, with a big pool and a gym.
Vila Alemã
The budget pousada with the village's strongest review record, a pool and a proper breakfast.
Lagarto na Banana Hostel
The social hostel base near Amor beach, with a pool and a nightly bar for travellers and surfers.
Is Pipa expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | R$250 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | R$550 a person |
| Splurge | R$1,200 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Pipa Passeios: a few days ahead
- Pipa Surf School: a few days ahead
- Barra do Cunhaú: a few days ahead
- Pipando Passeios: a few days ahead
- Pipa Off Road: a few days ahead
- Pipa Aventura: a few days ahead
- Lagoa Guaraíras: a few days ahead
- Toca da Coruja: weeks ahead
- New Year and Carnival need booking weeks to months out, with minimum stays and multiplied prices.
- Book Chez Marilia and Aprecie dinners, paragliding and kite lessons early in a stay for a weather fallback day.
- Book the airport transfer before landing, and small pousadas such as Kilombo well ahead.
Is Pipa safe?
- Know the low tide exit time for Baia dos Golfinhos, and never stand on undercut cliff edges or overhangs.
- Swim where locals swim and respect rough water at Minas and Sibauma, where beaches are unsupervised.
- UV is extreme year round near the equator, and the sea breeze hides it.
Pipa travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Paying tour prices for free geography, when a tour's real value is transport, timing and guiding.
- Beach bar billing at Madeiro and Centro: confirm chair, umbrella and minimum consumption terms first.
- Any dolphin product promising a guaranteed swim with wild dolphins is mis-selling.
Getting around Pipa: public transport and more
- Fly to Natal airport, then about 85 to 90 km by transfer, shuttle, rental car or bus plus van to Pipa.
- Walk the centre, and use local vans and mototaxis for Madeiro, Minas and Tibau do Sul, agreeing fares first.
- A car helps for Sibauma and Barra do Cunhau and hinders in the narrow, scarce parking centre.
Who Pipa suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Pipa your trip
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