Nine Islands boat trip on Lagoa Mundaú

Maceió's name comes from Tupi and means roughly "what plugs the marsh", a reference to these islands: sediment carried by the Mundaú and Paraíba do Meio rivers built up a cluster of islands that gradually closed the mouth of the Lagoa Mundaú, creating the Mundaú-Manguaba lagoon system. Boat trips around the Nove Ilhas wind through mangrove channels on a lagoon of 23 square kilometres. Each island has a story behind its name: Ilha do Coqueiro Só was left with a single coconut palm after a 1989 flood, Ilha das Andorinhas has swallows' nests, and Ilha de Santa Rita, the largest at 12 square kilometres, is an environmental protection area. The mangroves are pretty, but sewage from the surrounding towns pollutes the lagoon, and the jangada trip to the Pajuçara reef pools is the better choice for anyone who mainly wants to swim.