Ilha dos Frades

At Ilha dos Frades, marine life includes colourful corals, fish such as the maria-preta, and turtles, and at Tobar beach the highlights are the coral reefs and the natural pools. In the Baía de Todos os Santos, with its warm and sheltered waters, diving is usually possible all year round; the limiting factor is wind that builds strong waves and stirs up the bottom.

In the 19th century, the island served as a waiting point for tumbeiros, the slave ships, and had a lazaretto, a warehouse where enslaved people and those suspected of contagious diseases were kept in quarantine. The origin of the name is uncertain, and the island has had different names since its discovery in the early 16th century. Shaped like a 15-pointed star, it lies practically in the centre of the Baía de Todos os Santos. It has been an ecological reserve since 1982 and has vegetation typical of the Atlantic Forest, with native trees, including brazilwood. The island has the first beach in Brazil's Northeast to receive the Blue Flag, an international certification.