at a glance

reaching all the way to the costa verde region in the south of the state of rio, the sand bar creates about seventy-nine square kilometers of beach area. at the entrance of the sepetiba bay, marambaia faces ilha grande (the big island). the highest peak of the sandbar is pico marambaia, which elevates 647 meters above the sea.

in the language of the tupi, the original inhabitants of this region, the word 'mba-ra-mbai' or 'mbara-mbai' meant enclosed waters, referring to the sepetiba bay - characterized by calm waters as opposed to the wild waves of the rest of the coast facing the atlantic ocean.

marambaia is also a word used in the portuguese language to describe a sailor who prefers to live on land rather than on a ship, some jokingly say that perhaps, over the years, the incredible beauty of this stretch of coast, rich of spectacular blue waves, fine white sand, and tropical vegetation, seduced many sailors into becoming 'marambaias' - hence, the name of the sandbank.