Praia Jose Goncalves beach in Buzios sits between Praia Caravelas and Tucuns beach right before the entrance to the Buzios peninsula. The beach is at the forefront of a protruding cliff that is part of the Emerencia Ecological preserve. In some cases, Praia Jose Goncalves, Praia Olho de Boi and Praia dos Amores have similar features in that Jose Goncalves beach, Olho de Boi beach and Amores beach are isolated and protected by environmental protection laws. The difference is that Praia Olho de Boi and Praia dos Amores are frequented by naturists or nudists while Praia Jose Goncalves is so far from everything else that it is too isolated even for the naturists tastes.
The beach of Jose Goncalves was named after a slave trader who used this small strip of sand as his port of call. However, the practice of slave trading was not limited to Praia Jose Goncalves. On the whole, the Buzios peninsula was a major trading port that bought and sold slaves, Brazilian timber, whale oil and whale meat as commodities. It was only during the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries that Portuguese colonial authorities eliminated the trading of these commodities one by one because of new ordinances. In any event, Praia Jose Goncalves and the rest of Buzios once more became a smattering of sleepy, seaside villages populated by farmers and fisherman.
Because of its intrinsic tourism value, the Emerencia Ecological reserve and Praia Jose Goncalves, by association, are the object destination of many tour providers. Right beside Praia Jose Goncalves is the Caravela beach resort hotel that provides weekly morning tours of Emerencia and Jose Goncalves beach in Buzios. The tours are scheduled every Monday at nine in the morning.
Further out from Praia Goncalves and after Praia Caravela is Praia de Baia Formosa which is also within an Atantic forest reserve that has Manatee breeding grounds inside its borders. Going the other way will take you to the Buzios peninsula where you can sample all of Buzios' 23 beaches and culture. In the hiking trails at Emerancia Ecological reserve, there is one trail that you can follow that will take you all the way to Pero beach.
A good place to stay to be in easy access between these prime tourist's destinations would be at Praia Caravela. With just a few minutes walk, you arrive in a part of the world that has been decreed to remain untouched. The crowning glory of this reserve is Praia Jose Goncalves. In a way, the beach of Jose Goncalves truly is a crown because, if you look at a map, you will see that the cliff jutting out from the land has a beach right at the forefront. That beach is Praia Jose Goncalves beach in Buzios.