2025 Recife Brazil

Our fourth and final port in Brazil was Recife. Recife is home to around 4million people and is the forth largest city in Brazil.

The beaches along the coast of Recife are some of the most dangerous in Brazil due to the abundance of sharks, sounds a bit like Adelaide. It also has a high crime rate apparently, looked pretty quiet to me, but then my tour for the day was a cruise along the waterfront with a brief visit in the town.

Arrival

Our arrival in Recife required some good seamanship by the crew, enjoyed this from my balcony…

Port do Recife

In the port facility there was a local band that was playing and seemed to be having a great time.

We were a bit earlier so I had a chance to go for a wander near the port cruise centre. I liked the street art on this building.

This looked more like a sheep to me than a lion, what do you think

The Tour – Catamaran and Old Recife

Sail a catamaran along a river through downtown Recife. Cruising on twin hulls through the arteries of the Capibaribe River, you’ll get a firsthand understanding of why Recife is sometimes referred to as “Brazil’s Venice”. The sprawling city covers three islands filled with everything from soaring skyscrapers to colourful colonial mansions. Some 40 bridges tie it all together, and they too vary widely in age and architectural style.

The exact sights on the cruise will depend on what route your captain chooses this day, but you can expect to see ample evidence of every chapter of Recife’s long history – from its earliest Dutch colonisation to its vibrant contemporary scene.

After about 90 minutes of the water, trade your catamaran for a coach and head for the Marco Zero Square, the most popular square of the city. From there, your on foot portion starts along the Rua do Bom Jesus and its remarkable buildings from the 17th century.

You will stop in an old building that today’s houses the Museum of the Giant Puppets of Olinda. The space houses a permanent exhibition of more than 70 giant puppets. The puppets represent TV personalities, singers, journalists, sportsman, politicians, folklore, and even religious figures. In all, there are about 600 puppets already created.

During the carnival parades, the puppets can reach up to 4 meters in height, depending on the height of the person carrying the puppet. Following the visit, return to your vehicle for the short drive back to the pier.

Fishing Local Style

Parque de Esculturas Francisco Brennand

One sight that was hard to miss was the Parque de Esculturas Francisco Brennand. It was created as a part of the project to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the finding of Brazil by Europeans, the project was call “I saw the world… It began in Recife”.

There are 90 sculptures, all created by Francisco Brennand. On a day like the one when we visited Recife, seeing the sculptures from a boat was definitely the right way to see them. It was pretty hot!

Recife Old Town

After the river cruise we headed to the Old Town of Recife to check out the Museum of the Giant Puppets of Olinda.

Museum of the Giant Puppets of Olinda

These giant puppets we are bit creepy. How many of the famous faces can you make out?

After the puppet museum it was time to head back to the Splendor to escape the heat.

Our last Brazilian Sunset

Recife

This looked like a nice city, the locals I spoke to were friendly and helpful. Not exactly a must do, but if you are in the area worth the time to visit.

Pacific Rim

Dinner was in Pacific Rim again.

We bought our bottles again, the white was purchased by friends when they were in Uruguay earlier on the cruise and it was pretty decent, a 3.5 out 5, paired well with my Crispy Soft Shell Tempura Crab. My Priorat red was also pretty good, a 3.5 out of 5 as well, this worked well with my Korean Style Lamb Chops. Another great meal in Pacific Rim…

Next up is 4 days at sea which means at least one wine lunch. Some of my subscribers have been “complaining” about the lack of wine on the cruise. Will fix that soon enough.

Until next time Brazil…. I will, hopefully, be back