in tupi language 'guarás' means herons, 'tyba' means gathering, from that, 'guaratiba.'

to this day, hundreds of herons can be seen flying above the beach and nesting in the nearby lagoon behind the restinga da marambaia, the beach and natural reserve located inside a military area. 

the beach is situated in an ecologically preserved region, close to the mata atlântica (atlantic forest) and mangrove vegetation, and on the right side of the beach one can see the ilha da marambaia, a 42 km sandbank used by the brazilian army which juts out into the atlantic ocean.