São Miguel dos Milagres, a paradise in Brazil

With only 8,000 inhabitants, São Miguel dos Milagres is a small fishing village located 100 kilometers from Maceió, a corner of the Northeast of Brazil with good weather all year round. Unlike some nearby cities, it offers isolation, tranquility, preserved and semi-deserted beaches and the charm of staying away from mass tourism.

São Miguel dos Milagres is part of the “Costa dos Corales” ecological route, a region protected by Brazilian environmental legislation. In contrast to the "all-inclusive" resorts of its neighbor Maragogi, or the nightlife of Porto de Galinhas, what the visitor finds in Milagres is privileged nature, a sky-blue sea, charming inns, good gastronomy, beaches without waves and small fishing boats. Nothing more and nothing less.

The Ecological Route that is understood by the coast of the neighboring states of Pernambuco and Alagoas covers about 25 km, along which small cities accessible on foot, by bicycle, by jangada (flat boats that do not damage the corals during the navigation) or on buggy rides, a classic in the area.

The advantage of São Miguel dos Milagres and the Ecological Route is that it is still a space little explored by tourism and preserves the peaceful atmosphere of a town in the interior, without big festive events or crowds. The city has five well-preserved beaches that can be explored on foot, but going from one to another can be complicated by rising tides (always check before making the journey).

Beaches

Porto da Rua is a kind of "small center" of São Miguel dos Milagres, and its waterfront is wide, outlined by a string of palm trees and where corals form natural pools that are its great attraction. When the tide goes out, the sea "retreats" and you have to walk several meters to access the water. Toque, next door, has similar characteristics and next to the São Miguel dos Milagres beach they are usually the starting point for “jangadas” excursions to snorkel in the natural pools and sandbanks, located about 15 minutes away by boat. of the coast.

Very quiet, the Riacho beach is an option for those looking for some infrastructure, which is not abundant in the area: some tents and restaurants on the seashore are the exception. Here the premise is to immerse yourself in the magnificence of calm and warm waters, which earned the entire region the nickname of "Brazilian Caribbean"; From Riacho, you can walk to Marceneiro beach, almost deserted, where the small church of São Miguel dos Milagres is located, a must-visit postcard. Praia do Patacho is one of the most beautiful in the surrounding area, surrounded by coconut palms, translucent waters and a few meters from a very sophisticated and exclusive hotel offer. 

In Milagres, nightlife is limited, among other reasons because nature requires getting up early to make the most of the day: one of the must-sees of the trip is the jangada ride to the natural pools, which can only be enjoyed at low tide, for which there are to combine with the “jangadeiros”, who know when to go out, but it is always dawn. The buggy excursion along the beaches -stopping a little at each one- is another tradition in an area that lives on tourism, fishing and the sale of handicrafts. The inns also rent bicycles to tour the idyllic coastline.

How to get

It can be reached from the airport of Recife (Pernambuco) or from Maceió (Alagoas); both destinations have direct flights and also with stopovers from Buenos Aires starting this summer. There are about 100 km between Maceió and São Miguel dos Milagres, a trip that takes about 2 hours. One of the ways to travel is through the AL-101, which runs along the coast and can be used to make stops along the coastal path. Between Recife and São Miguel dos Milagres, the road takes about four hours and, although it is a much longer trip than the one that goes through Maceió, many people take this route to also visit destinations such as Porto de Galinhas and Maragogi, traveling along the BR- 101.

When to go?

Milagres is always a warm destination, so you can enjoy the sea at any time of the year: the average annual temperature of the town is 25 °C. Isolated rains are more frequent between April and August, but the rainiest month is July. This does not prevent sunny days during winter, because the rains are often fleeting.