Peixe combines sport fishing on the Rio Tocantins with festival traditions and a cuisine influenced by several ways of life. This gives you different options when planning your trip: river activities, cultural customs or regional dishes. You can plan your stay around what interests you most and check festival dates before you travel.

Sport fishing and places to visit along the river

Guilherme Santos, the fishing guide currently listed in the official tourism offering, leads sport fishing expeditions on the Rio Tocantins in Peixe. He has worked in Peixe for nine years and is considered a leading local sport fishing guide. Fishing is therefore a specific option for travelers who want to experience the river on a guided expedition.

Nearby is Pedra da Baliza, 40 km—or about an hour downstream—from Peixe’s administrative center. A guided visit offers opportunities to swim in the river and observe nature. According to regional folklore, the rock is protected by the twins Ana and Honorato. The guided nature experience and sport fishing offer different ways to enjoy the Rio Tocantins.

Festival traditions in Peixe

The 2022 edition of the Festejo do Divino Espírito Santo included the traditional Missa dos Vaqueiros and a subsequent horseback procession through the city’s main streets. The festival is considered one of the attractions that draw travelers to Peixe. Bolo do Divino is traditionally served during the celebrations. If you would like to plan your stay around the Festejo, check the dates for your trip.

Rivaldi, the Festejo’s baker, makes cakes and cookies during the celebrations and supplies these specialties throughout the year as well. Traditional festival cakes are passed down through several generations, made by hand and baked in clay ovens. The baked goods therefore have significance beyond the festival itself and preserve traditional methods of preparation.

Projeto Amigos do Rio has also become a tradition in Peixe. Public-sector employees, environmentalists and numerous volunteers work together on the banks of the Rio Tocantins to promote environmental awareness and collect solid waste. The project’s 19th edition took place in 2025. A description from 2021 also identifies Peixe as the only municipality in Tocantins that maintains the Reizado tradition in December.

Regional cuisine: fish, pequi and jantinha

Peixe’s cuisine combines Indigenous, quilombola, ribeirinha and migrant influences with fresh ingredients from the Cerrado. One dish that puts the river at the center is Peixe na folha de bananeira: fresh fish is wrapped in banana leaves, seasoned with local herbs and fruits, and cooked over hot coals. Arroz com pequi, by contrast, is cooked in a pequi broth. The two dishes thus differ both in preparation and in the ingredients that define their character.

Espetinho do Sandro serves the local jantinha: the meal includes vinaigrette, rice, tropeiro-style beans, boiled cassava and a skewer. Options include meat, chicken wings and homemade sausage. Together with the festival cakes, these dishes offer a glimpse of different sides of local food culture—from everyday meals to sweets associated with the Festejo.

Praia da Tartaruga

A description published in 2023 names Praia da Tartaruga as a place where turtles gather. It also describes clear water and a 225,000 m² stretch of white sand. Praia da Tartaruga offers another way to connect with nature, alongside the river and the guided activities at Pedra da Baliza.

Discover more destinations: Lagoa da Confusão

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