Balneário Camboriú, Brazil’s ultra-chic beach resort, widens sand strip swallowed by skyscrapers

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With a skyline teeming with skyscrapers, beaches adorned with elegant edges, and stunning natural beauty, Balneário Camboriú, on the coast of Santa Catarina, has consolidated itself in recent decades as one of the top itineraries of the Brazilian summer.

Mayor Fabrício de Oliveira (Podemos) promises that next summer the shadows of the skyscrapers of Balneário Camboriú in Brazil’s Santa Catarina state in the South of the country will no longer obstruct swimming at the central beach.

By October, the municipality plans to complete the largest beach widening ever performed in Latin America.

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The widening work, which has a contract value of R$66.8 (US$12.6) million, began in March. According to the local administration’s forecast, the project calls for increasing the width from 25 meters to 70 meters by October.

The town hall organized an event to mark the arrival of the dredger, which will remove material from the seabed to increase the sand area.

Men and machines will work to spread the new sand on the beach, which will be dark at first but will take on a natural hue once it dries.

The work will be carried out by the binational consortium DTA Engenharia, a Brazilian company, and the Belgian company Jan De Nul. “We have brought to Balneário Camboriú the most modern dredging equipment in the world, the same that was used to build the Dubai palms and the Suez Canal,” said the mayor.

According to Oliveira, part of the work (studies and projects) was financed by the private sector through the Institute + BC. The rest was financed with funds from the fees for the development of the beach, which is already one of the most expensive in the country and can be written off.

In return, the municipality promises the public a large, fully revitalized recreational area along the beachfront. To the entrepreneurs, the municipality says that the announcement of the works has already brought benefits to local businesses.

Experts, however, are skeptical of dredging and beach widening because of the risks to local fauna and flora.

BRAZILIAN DUBAI

In a story published by Forbes magazine, about the ascent of electronic music in Brazil, Balneário Camboriú was presented as “the capital of e-music” in the country. According to Forbes, Balneário Camboriú is the home to the two best clubs in Brazil, the Warung club and the Green Valley club, which the publication claims to make up to US$1.6 million per night.

The city is also known by the nickname “Brazilian Dubai”, due to its high number of skyscrapers and affluent tourists.

One of the city’s main attractions, which should be included in tourists’ itinerary, is the Unipraias Camboriú Park. The complex features three of the city’s beaches and is connected by cable cars and monorails.

In addition, the park offers other activities such as trails and zip-lines. Laranjeiras Beach is one of the families’ favorites, with a calmer sea, which makes it attractive for children.