Enjoy a boat trip on the lakes and channels of Pernambuco. The first destination by boat is the Island Itamaraca. The island is located 49 km north of Recife and is characterized by beautiful palm-lined beaches, captivating any tourist.

Close to the beach there is a large sand bank, the so-called Coroa do Avião. With a length of 500 metres and a width of 200 metres, it is just big enough for a little green biotope to grow in the middle.
This beautiful little island offers absolute peace, but can also be visited for sports activities, such as (kite) surfing, wave boarding or snorkelling. Furthermore the island is sometimes used for little festivities or private parties. You should not miss out on an evening with bonfire, food and breathtaking sunsets.

In the year 1630 the Dutch fought the Portuguese inhabitants out of the area of Pernambuco in order to take over the highly fertile land and cultivate sugar cane in great extend.
The conquerors provided the whole world with the goods and were able to build villas and fortresses with the capital made from the export trade.
The Dutch reacted by building dozens of fortresses on their territory to be prepared for potential attacks by the Portuguese and other conquerors. That way they managed to defend themselves from Portuguese attacks for 24 years. However, over the years the Portuguese regained some of the territory piece by piece.

An old fortress from colonial times is located on the island of Itamaracas. It was built right after the Dutch conquest in 1631. Like all the other fortresses built by the Dutch, this one served as a military base during the 17th century.
During the Dutch occupation Fort Orange staged many battles against the people of the Portuguese colonies from Recife and Olinda.

The fortress impresses tourists with old battlements and cannonry pointing towards the Atlantic Ocean. The heavy ordnance served the defence against hostile ships and their attacks during the 17th century.
The fortress provides a unique insight into the colonial era, also because of the little museum inside the walls that exhibits historic photographs, documents, scrolls and other findings from colonial times.

The boat trip offers a number of destinations on sea, on the river and on land. You can take a trip through the mangroves, spend some time on two islands, visit the "Fort Orange" and the sea cow farm, take a sunbath at a beach with the locals, picnic at a river in the jungle or snorkel at the ocean's reef. This trip is a must for any Brazil-visitor!