Recreio dos Bandeirantes (or simply Recreio) is both the name of a
beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...
and neighborhood in the
West Zone of
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. It is a recent development, with no skyscrapers, and the area also contains jungles atop rocky cliffs and hills. High waves permit
surfing
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
at Recreio Beach and the white sand beach is used by
beach volleyball
Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of the ...
players. It is about 35 km from the Rio de Janeiro city centre, and most of the people living there are middle-class and high middle-class families, who moved in trying to escape the growing violence of both the North and South Zones.
Apocryphally, the neighborhood received the name Recreio dos Bandeirantes, or "
Bandeirantes' Leisure" because the company that mapped and hired a real estate agent to sell lots there had that name. Another version says that many of the newcomers were from São Paulo, the city from which the Bandeiras departed in colonial times, and therefore Paulistas are associated with them. Still another version states that Recreio was the first (or last) resting place with fresh water for Bandeirantes traveling between Rio de Janeiro and
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
.
Development in the area began in 1959, and only more recently, have well-to-do residents discovered and made Recreio their home. It does not have the hustle and bustle of bohemic
Lapa,
Copacabana,
Leblon
Leblon (Portuguese: /leˈblõ/) is a neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is also the name of the local beach. The neighborhood is located in the South Zone of the city, between Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, Morro Dois Irmãos and the Jardim ...
, and
Ipanema
Ipanema () is a neighbourhood located in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon and Arpoador. The beach at Ipanema became known internationally with the popularity of the bossa nova jazz song, "The Girl from Ipane ...
, but there has been an increase in the number of restaurants, pizzerias, bars, private schools and colleges. There are a few ', or slums, in the section. However, the
Taxas Canal is often polluted by slum residents through trash dumping. Recreio has an organized association of residents who communicate online with tips and news about the neighborhood. They have been able to address the need for the city building a '—a road for bicycles—and authorities have been persuaded to build, in the future, two subway stations in the section to facilitate commuting to downtown and the South Side (which would otherwise take about ).
Churches in the area:
Primeira Igreja Batista do Recreio dos Bandeirantes (Igreja do Recreio) or First Baptist Church of Recreio dos Bandeirantes (Church of Recreio) is a Baptist Church near Avenida das Américas on Rua Helena Manela. The pastor of this church is Pastor Wander Gomes and the church has a little over 6,000 members. The church also has a second campus in Vargem Grande.
Igreja Presbiteriana do Recreio or Recreio Presbyterian Church is a presbyterian church on Rua Enersto Pinheiro. The pastor of this church is Pastor Daniel Guanaes.
{{Rio de Janeiro city neighbourhoods
Neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro (city)
Beaches of Rio de Janeiro (city)