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Arraial do Cabo, Brazil

Stay in Arraial do Cabo: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Arraial do Cabo

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Oven S Beach Arraial Do Cabo
Arraial do Cabo. Photo: Barão Mochileiro, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Arraial do Cabo

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces NE (34°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (214°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.8 km out (1 in 278). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 25°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Arraial do Cabo, 0.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 22°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 21 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Rio de Janeiro Galeão – Tom Jobim International Airport (GIG), changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

    See flights MDW → GIG · Skyscanner from about £505 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 2 h 30 from the airport to Arraial do Cabo.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Arraial do CaboAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Arraial do Cabo · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Arraial do Cabo · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Arraial do Cabo on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Arraial do Cabo does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 19Oct365 ft9 ssoft371kJ23°C
Tue 20Oct245 ft7 smushy199kJ22°C
Wed 21Oct164 ft8 smushy144kJ23°C
Thu 22Oct54 ft8 smushy154kJ22°C
Fri 23Oct33 ft9 smushy125kJ24°C
Sat 24Oct102 ft5 smushy20kJ25°C
Sun 25Oct12 ft6 smushy25kJ25°C
Mon 26Oct82 ft6 smushy19kJ26°C
Tue 27Oct578 ft9 ssoft1,166kJ22°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Tue 20 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to GIG, changing at ATL, then 2h 30 by road. About 21h 10 door to door

  2. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Praia Brava - Pontal do Atalaia

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, wind 5 kn (10 km/h).

  3. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Praia Brava - Pontal do Atalaia

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  4. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  5. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  6. Sun 25 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  7. Mon 26 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to GIG, changing at ATL, then 2h 30 by road. About 21h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Arraial do Cabo each day: Arraial do Cabo, Praia Brava - Pontal do Atalaia, Praia Grande - Arraial do Cabo.

The trip from Arraial do Cabo, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £885–£1,700 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to GIG, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£505–£1,045
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£50–£85
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£120–£195
Food7 days eating out£120–£220
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£55–£90
Total£885–£1,700

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Arraial do Cabo

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.