The Lighthouses of Brazil

Ilha Rata is the second-largest island of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, located southeast of the island of Fernando de Noronha itself. Located about 225 mi northeast of Cabo de São Roque.

Photo courtesy Márcio Cabral de Moura [Flickr]

This tall modern lighthouse was built on Brazil's northernmost cape, across the mouth of the Rio Oyapock from French Guiana, to mark the country's northern border. Accessible only by boat ^photo

This lighthouse marks the entrance to the Rio do Pará and the city of Belém. (G 0005.5)

There is a church near the lighthouse, and also nearby are the ruins of a 17th century mission that was one of the first European outposts in the area. Located on Ponta da Guarita, a promontory on the west side of the Baía de Marajó about 15 km south of Salvaterra. (G 0024)

Photo courtesy Center of Social Communication of the Navy [mar.mil.br]

Apparently located on a small island just offshore at Salvaterra, on the west side of the Baía de Marajó. ^photo (G 0022)

Located on the east side of the Rio do Pará at Val de Cães, about 10 miles north of Belém.

This striking and very modern lighthouse is the centerpiece of a large park, the Mangal das Garças, adjacent to downtown Belém and at the confluence of the Rio Guamá and Rio Acará.

Photo courtesy Breno Peck [Flickr]

This lighthouse marks the east side of the entrance to the Baía de Guajará. Located about 30 km north of Vigia.

Located on the northern point of Ilha Cajutuba, about 50 km west of Salinópolis.

Located on a low point of land about 60 km northeast of Santarém.

Located on an island just offshore about 120 km east of Salinópolis.

Located in mid-river about 32 km east of Manaus and 2.5 km southwest of he Moronas lighthouse.

The Alfândega (customs house) of Manaus is one of the city's best-known landmarks; it was prefabricated in Britain, shipped to the Amazon, and reassembled stone by stone. The building is now the Port Captain's office. Located on Av. Marquesa da Santa Cruz in downtown Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, about 750 mi by air west of Belém.

Photo courtesy lebates [webshots]

Located on the Baia de São Marcos in São Luís, the capital of Maranhão, adjacent to the ruins of a 17th century French fort (São Luís was founded as St. Louis by the French in 1612). ^photo

Photo courtesy Serafín Fernández [picasaweb]

Located about 15 km northwest of São Luis (this must be in or near Alcantara, across the Baia de São Marcos from São Luís).

Located on the Baia de São Marcos about 6 km southwest of São Luís.

The tower seems safe from the sea (unlike the first 2) but seems about to collapse. It likely has been removed by now.

Photo courtesy Geroge L B [panoramio]

Located on an island at the east entrance to the Baia de São Marcos.

The picture above shows the new light on the right, and the old light on the left.

Located on a rocky point north of Parnaíba, west of the principal mouth of the Rio Parnaíba.

Photo courtesy Helder Fontenele [Flickr]

Located about 5 km northeast of Camocim, a fishing port in the northwestern corner of Ceará. ^photo

Sibling of Jericoacoara. Located above the beach at Mundaú, about 150 km west of Fortaleza. ARLHS # BRA-019

Photo courtesy Port Authority of Ceara [CPCE]

One of the oldest buildings in Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará.

Photo courtesy valegabriel [webshots]

Located above the Praia (beach) de Mucuripe east of downtown Fortaleza. The neighborhood of the lighthouse is described as 'unfriendly.' ^photo

Located in Aracati, on the west side of the entrance to the Rio Jaguaribe. ^view

Photo courtesy Port Authority of Ceara [CPCE]

The tower is mounted on the Petrobrás PAG-2 oil drilling platform. Located off the coast near the seaport of Guamaré. Accessible only by boat.

The lighthouse has a gallery but no lantern. Located on the beach at Caiçara, about 160 km northwest of Natal.

Located at Rio do Fogo on the Canal (Channel) de São Roque, a channel around the cape protected by offshore reefs, about 15 km southeast of Touros.

Located on a reef 2 km offshore from Maxaranguape in the Canal (Channel) de São Roque. Accessible only by boat.

Mãe Luíza (Mother Louise) was a parteira (midwife) who ministered to the poor of Natal in the early 1900s. Her name was applied first to the neighborhood in which she lived, and then to the lighthouse in that neighborhood. Located on a bluff in the city of Natal, capital of Rio Grande do Norte.

Photo courtesy luckyshots [Flickr]

Located on the beach of the Cabo de Bacopari in Baía Formosa, about 100 km south of Natal. ^photo

The light is one of the best known tourist attractions of Paraíba, with parking and souvenir shops. Located atop a steep bluff on the Ponta de Seixas, the easternmost point of Cabo Branco, about 15 km east of João Passoa, the capital of Paraíba.

Photo courtesy Nacho Vicent [Flickr]

Having been inaugurated November 18, 1872, the Lighthouse of Olinda is as the oldest one of Pernambuco.

Photo courtesy TC2 [Flickr]

Located on the point of the cape near the town of Nazaré about 40 km south of Recife. ^{historic photo}

The lighthouse stands among the ruins of the Forte do Santo Inácio. Located at Tamandaré, about 50 km southwest of Cabo de Santo Agostinho.

Photo courtesy cyber girl [Flickr]

Ponta Vedra is a point of land in the city of Maceió; the lighthouse is located in the surf off the point. Accessible only by boat.

Photo courtesy Julio Cardos Opereira [webshots]

Located in Maceió, the capital of Alagoas. ^photo (G 0220)

Located on the beach at Ponta Coruripe, about 50 miles southwest of Maceió near the town of Coruripe (sometimes spelled Coruípe).

Photo courtesy José Luna [Flickr]

Peba is a well-known protected natural area, with a magnificent beach and an extensive dune system, on the north side of the entrance to the Rio São Francisco southeast of Piaçabuçu at the southern edge of Alagoas.

Santa Izabel, near the northern border of Sergipe, is a biological reserve.

Located in Aracaju, the capital city of Sergipe. (G 0230)

Photo courtesy Henrique Vicente [Flickr]

Located at the seaport of São Cristóvão about 25 km southwest of Aracaju. ^photo

Located at Barra do Itariri about 85 miles north of Salvador. ^closeup

A sea turtle refuge and conservation center called Projeto Tamar is located next to the lighthouse. Located on the beach at Praia do Forte, about 50 miles northeast of Salvador.

Photo courtesy quartominguante [webshots]

Located in Camaçari, an industrial port about 25 miles northeast of Salvador.

Located on the Ponta de Santo Antônio marking the northern entrance to the Bahia Todos os Santos, the harbor of Salvador, Bahia's state capital and Brazil's colonial capital. (G 0242)

Photo courtesy Ben Hsu [webshots]

Located on a promontory near the northeastern corner of the Bahia Todos os Santos, about 25 km north of the Farol da Barra. (G 0254)

Photo courtesy Capt. Peter Mosselberger [ListOfLights]

Located on a small island at the mouth of the Rio Contas in Itacaré. Accessible only by boat.

Photo courtesy Maubuch [Flickr]

Prefabricated in France, the lighthouse was moved twice to escape beach erosion, the first time being in 1907. Located in the town of Belmonte, about 70 km Porto Seguro.

Photo courtesy Tarcisio Pereira de Souza [Flickr]

Located on a headland about 30 km north of Porto Seguro.

The Arquipélago de Abrolhos is a group of five rocky islands about 65 km off the south coast of Bahia. Located at the highest point of Santa Bárbara, the largest island of the group.

Photo courtesy Luiz Castro [Flickr]

Located in Mucuri, the southernmost city of Bahia.

The light has been moved to a modern fiberglass tower on the south side of the river.

Built on one side of the concrete foundation pad of the original lighthouse, on the south side of the entrance to the Rio Doce in Regência.

Photo courtesy Leandro Moreira [Flickr]

The lighthouse was first built on the north side of the entrance to the Rio Doce, but was relocated to the south side in 1907. ^photo

Located in the seaport and resort city of Barra do Riacho about 25 km southwest of Regência.

Located on a rocky island about 10 km of the coast near Guarapari. Accessible only by boat.

Located about 5 km south of Barra de Itabapoana in the extreme northeast corner of Rio de Janeiro state.

Photo courtesy Ricardo Lugão [Flickr]

Located on the beach about 7 km northeast of Cabo São Tomé.

Photo courtesy Norma Coelo [panoramio]

Evidently located on the beach about 25 km southwest of Cabo São Tomé. ^*

Some restoration work was done on the tower in 1999.

Located on the Ponta da Imbetiba about 3 km south of the center of Macaé, a seaport roughly 70 km northeast of Cabo Frio.

The lighthouse was built on the highest point of the island at an elevation of about 390 m. The island is accessible by boat from Arraial do Cabo on the mainland, but permits from the navy's research institute are required.

Located on a rocky headland about 13 km southeast of Maricá and 40 km east of the Baía de Guanabara entrance.

Photo courtesy Cleber Moraes [Flickr]

Located on an island about 11 km off the entrance to the Baía de Guanabara, the harbor of Rio de Janeiro. (G 0360)

Photo courtesy L. F. Castro [Flickr]

Located on the southeastern tip of the Ponta D'Areia peninsula in Niterói, on the east side of the harbor of Rio de Janeiro. ^*

Photo courtesy Center for Marine Signaling and Almirante Moraes Rego [mar.mil.br]

Located at the tip of a narrow peninsula sheltering the bay of Ubatuba. ^*

Located on an island about 5 km off the entrance to the Baía de Santos, the harbor of São Paulo.

This lighthouse is located in the Forte do Itapema, a sixteenth century fort largely destroyed by fire in 1883. Located on an island on the north side of the Santos Estuary, across from the waterfront of Santos. Accessible only by boat(?).

Photo courtesy Captain Peter Mosselberger [ListOfLights]

Located in a park on the waterfront of Santos near the boulevard of Siqueira Campos. (G 0498.1)

Photo courtesy Captain Peter Mosselberger [ListOfLights]

Located on one of the summits of a high island about 35 km southeast of Itanhaém. Accessible only by boat, and the island lacks landing facilities. ^*

Located on the southwestern tip of the Ilha de Peças, where it formerly guided ships around the north side of the Ilha do Mel into the Paranaguá estuary. To get here, first go to Paranaguá; at port ask for a boat to Ilha das Peças or Superagui.

Photo courtesy Hartmann [Flickr]

Located on the southwestern tip of the Ilha de Peças, where it formerly guided ships around the north side of the Ilha do Mel into the Paranaguá estuary.

Located near the southern tip of the Ilha do Mel, marking the east side of the entrance to the channel leading to Paranaguá. (G 0524)

Photo courtesy Captain Peter Mosselberger [ListOfLights]

Located on the north side of the Bay of São Francisco do Sul estuary 3.2 km west of the entrance. ^{another photo}

Photo courtesy Correa Marcos [eMail]

ditto (G 0555)

Photo courtesy Everaldo J. Santos [Flickr]

Located atop an island about 10 km east of Canto Grande.

Along with neighboring islands, the Ilha do Arvoredo is included in the Reserva Biológica Marinha do Arvoredo, an ecological reserve. Tours of the reserve are available, but it's not clear if these include visits to the lighthouse. Located on an island off the northern end of the Ilha de Santa Catarina, the large island that includes the state capital of Florianópolis. ^*

Located on a promontory on the central east coast of the Ilha de Santa Catarina, about 12 km due east of Florianópolis.

Located on a bluff on a hook-shaped peninsula sheltering the harbor at Imbituba.

This light is no more than 15 m tall and is located on the Morro dos Conventos, a rocky headland at Araranguá, about 80 km southwest of Laguna.

Photo courtesy ekevu [Flickr]

Just behind the old light (partly visible above, both lights are visible on the right.)

Photo courtesy Gilberto Otávio Lima [Flickr]

Located on the beach about 45 km southwest of Torres.

Photo courtesy Aguinaldo Severino [Flickr]

Located in the resort city of Cidreira.

Photo courtesy O. Marisco [webshots]

Located on the beach about 70 km northeast of Mostardas and 40 km southwest of Quintão. Accessible by 4WD.

Photo courtesy Rafael Podolano [Flickr]

Located on the beach about 11 km southwest of the Mostardas lighthouse. Accessible by 4WD.

Photo courtesy rdallagnol [panoramio]

Located on the beach about 40 km northeast of Rio Grande do Sul. Accessible by 4WD.

Photo courtesy Klaus Huelse [leuchturm]

Located on a sandy point projecting into the Lagoa dos Patos about 25 km west of Mostardas. Accessible by 4WD.

Photo courtesy Rafael Podolano [Flickr]

The ruins are located on a tiny island off a sandy point projecting into the Lagoa dos Patos about 16 km north of the village of Bujuru. Accessible only by boat.

Lights are said to have been shown from this point as early as 1698. Located on the west side of the Rio Grande do Sul. (G 0620)

Photo courtesy Captain Peter Mosselberger [ListOfLights]

In recent years two long (about 2.5 miles) breakwaters or moles (moelhas) were built to protect the entrance to Rio Grande do Sul. These moles are tourist attractions; light sail-powered rail cars carry visitors over a narrow-gauge rail track to the lighthouse at end of the West Mole. (G 0622)

Photo courtesy Captain Peter Mosselberger [ListOfLights]

Located on the beach about 110 km northeast of Barra do Chuí.

Photo courtesy Paulo Azambuja [Flickr]

Located on the beach about 40 km northeast of Chuí.