Praia da Tartaruga is a C-shaped beach jutting out from between Praia dos Manguinhos and Praia das Virgens. Tartaruga beach is protected by law as a nature preserve for nesting turtles. With locals and foreign tourists alike crowding the beach of Tartaruga during the day, the eggs layed by the turtles in the sands of Praia da Tartaruga are protected from predators.
Praia da Tartaruga is divided into two beaches. One part of Tartaruga beach has shallow waters where fishermen ship their oars and cast about for the catch of the day. The small strip of sand on this part of Praia da Tartaruga is a good place to play football and volleyball. To the left is the larger strip of sand where most of the people congregate to sunbathe, build sand castles or walk up and down the shoreline. Between the smaller and larger parts of Tartaruga beach, you can find a restaurant that specializes in seafood and oyster plates. These plates can cost about $7.00 and comes garnished with salt and lemon. While you are having your fill of the local cuisine, vendors may approach you to sell their products. To the sides of the restaurant are small huts that sell tourist memorabilla. The wonderful smells of working barbecue grills emanating from some of the huts will almost certainly attract your attention.
Praia da Tartaruga has gentle waves and warm waters that make it appealing to families on vacation. During the weekends, the beach of Tartaruga sees more people than usual because even the locals flock to the fine sands of Praia da Tartaruga. You can even get some snorkelling time. Some coral formations have been spotted by divers off the shore of Tartaruga beach.
The beach of Tartaruga provides occasional shade in the form of trees and shrubs. Praia da Tartaruga has a wide variety of facilities to satisfy the visiting tourist. At certain times, schooners and other small boats visit the shores of Tartaruga beach to ferry passengers to and from the beach of Tartaruga. Using a ferry is the best way to get to know all the beaches of Buzios. Perhaps you might want to catch one as Buzios has 23 beaches and is rather impossible to visit all of them in a single day by land. At any rate, you can get a passport at the town centre valid for one day of unlimited boat rides or purchase single journey tickets.
The western of end of Praia da Tartaruga is so far away from the entrance to Tartaruga beach that it is seldom frequented by people. If you want to avoid crowds and don't mind walking a few hundred metres, visit this stretch of Praia da Tartaruga to have some quiet time with the rhythm of the waves. This part of Tartaruga beach is ideal for meditation or communing with nature. Just don't forget to rub some sun-block on yourself. You don't want fried skin to sour some possibly good memories of your visit to Praia da Tartaruga.