Is the synthesis of Rio de Janeiro. Ipanema beach is extremely diverse and entertaining: you can surf, play soccer, fresco ball, volleyball, buy a bikini, drink coconut water, cycle or run along the board walk. At weekends the beach gets filled by carioca who literary spend the whole day chatting and sunbathing: a flamboyant gay community stands in front of posto 8, a stream of perfectly carved bodies decorates posto 9, soap operas celebrities hide in the quieter dunes of Leblon beach and surfers battle with the strong currents of Arpoardor. It is not unusual to see a pack of dolphins heading south or body surfers sharing the same wave with some penguins on a break from the gelid water of the South Pole.

The summer sunsets on Ipanema beach are the perfect ingredients to a romantic holiday, you can watch the sun lying behind ‘Dois Irmaos’ from the top of Arpoador Rock while sipping on a cold beer or simply sitting on the beach and reward the day with a final clap. Believe or not topless is not permitted in any of Rio de Janeiro beaches, considered too revealing and quite vulgar, on the other hand tiny Brasilian bikinis are a must in Ipanema beach a fashion statement that traveled faster than samba and successfully exported to the rest of the world Brazil best known attribute: the perfectly shaped women bottom.