Geriba Beach
Best for. Surfers, younger travellers and value minded beachgoers who want a long, sociable surf beach with cheap barraca food and a lively, unpretentious crowd.
Best spot. A barraca chair and umbrella near the middle of the beach for the scene and the cheapest day, or the Fishbone Beach Club when you want loungers and service.
Know this. This is an open surf beach with real waves and a busy weekend crowd, so it is a place to socialise and surf rather than find a quiet, calm swim.
Geriba is the beach that shows you the young, sociable side of Buzios. Where the little coves on the north of the peninsula are calm and postcard pretty, Geriba is long, wide and lively, an open surf beach with a barraca every few steps and a mixed crowd of Brazilian and foreign travellers who come as much for the scene as the sand. For a value minded traveller it is one of the easiest good days in Buzios, because the beach is free, the barraca food is cheap and cheerful, and the atmosphere costs nothing at all.
The honest read is that Geriba is a surf beach, not a swimming pool. It faces the open ocean and gets real waves, which is exactly why the surfers and bodyboarders love it and why the surf schools set up here, but it also means the water is livelier and less suited to small children than the sheltered bays nearby. On a summer weekend it can get genuinely busy, with music, beach games and a party energy that runs into the evening. If you want peace and calm water, this is not your beach, and that is worth knowing before you commit your day to it.
Play it for value and it is hard to beat. Rent a chair and umbrella at a barraca in the middle of the beach, order grilled fish or a plate of pasteis and a caipirinha, and you have a full day out for very little. If you fancy a step up in comfort, the Fishbone Beach Club at one end trades that barefoot simplicity for loungers and table service at a higher price. Come for the surf, the length of the sand and the sociable, unpretentious mood, and Geriba delivers the liveliest value beach day in Buzios.
One club, or the cheaper barraca chair
Most of Geriba runs on cheap barraca chairs, and that is the value. At one end, a single beach club adds loungers and service for those who want it.
Photo: Gonzalo Arselli via GoogleFishbone Beach Club
The beach club at one end of Geriba, with loungers, a bar and food service and street art along nearby Rua Ana, for those who want more comfort than a barraca chair. It is the polished option on a mostly barefoot beach, worth it for a treat day, though a chair and lunch at a barraca is the far cheaper route, with any minimum spend to be confirmed.
In Manguinhos, near town
Geriba lies in the Manguinhos area on the south side of the Buzios peninsula, only a few minutes by car, taxi or app ride from the centre and the Rua das Pedras, and about a two and a half to three hour drive from Rio de Janeiro. There is parking near the beach that fills quickly on summer weekends, so come early or use a taxi when the town is busy.
Bring cash for the barracas, sun cover and reef safe sunscreen, and rent your chair and umbrella once you arrive rather than carrying your own. Treat the waves and any currents with respect as this is an open surf beach with only seasonal lifeguard cover, and keep children close in the water. For calmer, more sheltered swimming, the smaller north side bays such as Azeda and Joao Fernandes are a short hop away.
Photo: Marcela Mancini via GoogleNot ready to book?
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Common questions about Geriba Beach
Is Geriba Beach free to visit?
Yes. Geriba is a public beach with free access along its length. The only cost is what you choose to spend at the barracas for a chair, an umbrella, food and drinks, which is cheap and cheerful, or a step up at the Fishbone Beach Club if you want loungers and service. That makes it easy to enjoy on any budget.
Is Geriba Beach good for surfing?
Yes, it is the main surf beach in Buzios. Facing the open ocean, it gets consistent waves that suit surfing and bodyboarding, and surf schools and board rentals set up on the sand, so it is a good place for a first lesson. The flip side is that the water is livelier and less calm than the sheltered north side bays, so it is less suited to small children.
Does Geriba Beach have a beach club?
Yes, one. Most of the beach runs on cheap barraca chairs, but at one end the Fishbone Beach Club offers loungers, a bar and food service for those who want more comfort, along with street art on nearby Rua Ana. For a value traveller a barraca chair and lunch is far cheaper, while the club is a nice treat, with any minimum spend to be confirmed.
Is Geriba Beach crowded?
It can be, especially on summer weekends and through the December to March high season, when the young, sociable crowd fills the sand and the barracas and the mood turns party like into the evening. It is long and wide, so there is usually room, but for a quieter, cheaper visit come midweek or in the shoulder season.
How do you get to Geriba Beach from Buzios town?
It is only a few minutes from the centre of Buzios and the Rua das Pedras by car, taxi or app ride, in the Manguinhos area on the south side of the peninsula. Buzios is about two and a half to three hours by road from Rio de Janeiro. Parking near the beach fills fast on busy days, so arrive early or take a taxi.
