The Best Beaches in Latin America

Park trails

Several of the Latin American beaches lie inside parks and are reached on foot. Tortuga Bay on Santa Cruz Island is at the end of a paved trail of about 2.5 km through cactus scrub from Puerto Ayora; visitors sign in at a ranger station, and the beach closes around 5 pm. The long first beach, Playa Brava, has rough surf and strong currents, and swimming happens in the calm, mangrove-lined Playa Mansa at its far end. Cabo San Juan del Guía in Tayrona takes a jungle hike of two to three hours from the park entrance, a horse or a boat from Taganga. The park charges an entrance fee and mandatory insurance.

Staying overnight

Cabo San Juan del Guía has a campground with tents, hammocks on the rocky cape and a restaurant that is expensive and often takes cash only. The beach is crowded at midday, so people either arrive early or sleep there.

Roatán

West Bay Beach on Roatán is a strip of white sand with resorts and restaurants behind it and a coral reef just offshore, with snorkelling near the rocks at the end. Taxis and tours come from the cruise port and water taxis from West End. Vendors are persistent, and the beach is crowded on cruise ship days.

Brazil

Seven of the ten beaches are in Brazil, several of them inside reserves that set visiting times or allow access only by authorised boat.