Joaquina Beach

As a boardsport lover normally moving on snow or water, this was something completely new to me when I travelled to Brazil: sandboarding. The principle is pretty much like on snow: board under the feet and down the mountain! Just that here the "snow" is not cold at all, the mountain is a giant dune and more clothing than a bikini or swimshort are not needed.

Florianópolis is a great place to try out this boardsport. At Joaquina Beach you will find a place to rent the boards. Then comes the hard part: walking up the dune. And that's when you will miss the lift you have in the mountains while snowboarding. Walking in the sand isn't easy, definitely not if it goes up steep like here. And of course you don't just want to do it once but as many times as possible. But hey...great body workout!

Once you made it to the top of the dune you will get the most breathtaking view on the beach and its surrounding. It really is incredibly beautiful there and makes the whole sandboarding thing even more fun. But now: board under the feet and go!

As a snowboarder I have to admit that I imagined it a lot easier than it actually was!  As you don't have the same edges like on a snowboard you can't really turn with a sandboard, so it pretty much just goes straight and to get used to that takes a little time, but once you get the hang of it it is pure fun!

Even if you are already dead after walking up the dune three times and falling into the sand in your bathing suit isn't the most comfortable thing to do, sandingboarding is after all a pretty thrilling experience and really a lot of fun, so if you ever get the chance to try it- do it!