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.