Joaquina Beach and Dunes

Joaquina, or “Joaca”, is an ocean beach on the east side of the island, about 15 km from downtown. It is around 3 km long and has hosted world surfing championships, according to Wikipedia. Around it lies the Lagoa da Conceição Dunes Municipal Nature Park (Parque Natural Municipal das Dunas da Lagoa da Conceição), a protected area with tall dunes of pale sand.

Surfing and the open sea

The sea at Joaquina is open, with strong waves and cold water for much of the year. It is great for surfers but calls for care if you only want to cool off.

Sandboarding on the dunes

The dunes around the beach are the setting for sandboarding: riding down the dunes on a board. Boards can be rented in the area in season. Climb up through the areas already marked for use and do not step on the vegetation, which holds the sand in place.

The name

Wikipedia notes that the name Joaquina only appears on maps from 1975; before that, this stretch was called Praia do Campeche. To this day, the sand of Joaquina runs on, unbroken, into Campeche Beach.

Sunset on the dunes

In the late afternoon, many people climb the dunes to watch the sun set behind the hills. Bring a jacket: it gets windy up there.

How to get there

Joaquina is a few minutes from Lagoa da Conceição, along the SC-406. See getting around.