Lesser Known Adventures in Brazil

“We are delighted that you’d like to go back to Brazil, a country as huge and varied as an entire continent. I have just returned from Santa Catarina, one of the states in the south of the country. If you are looking for a region which is undiscovered by European or American visitors, with remote and dramatic mountain and canyon landscapes to explore and divine, uncrowded (outside the ultra high season Christmas to Carnival in mid February when the most popular resorts are invaded by holiday-making locals and Argentines) then you can’t do better than to explore this friendly and safe region. I’d highly recommend hiring a car, that’s what we did.

The capital, Florianopolis, is a prosperous and modern city sitting astride an isthmus between the rugged coastline and Santa Catarina Island. The island itself is surprisingly varied for its size, with surf-happy beaches, hidden coves only accessible by boat or rainforest trail, small and friendly resorts, picturesque lagoons and a spine of densely wooded mountains. Here you find tiny unspoilt Azorean fishing villages, colonial forts, and rich oyster beds feeding a clutch of seaside restaurants. Back on the mainland, down the coast, is a string of gorgeous beaches close to the pretty resort of Garopaba, connected by rocky headlands with signed coastal walks: you can stay at small guesthouses, ranging from the family run to the chic boutique variety.

Inland the lovers of wild mountain landscapes are in for a treat: especially walkers, as the guided trails here are virtually untrodden. The almost uninhabited Serra Geral range and the vertiginous canyons of Aparados da Serra National Park, cut through by frothing rivers and waterfalls, offer the rare visitor a real treat. You can stay in family-run mountain guest houses, but are unlikely to see many other tourists here.

Please see my blog for more details. Also see our Secrets of Southern Brazil and One-Off Departure North East Brazil holidays.If you’d like us to put together a suggested tailor-made itinerary for you, we’d be delighted to do so.”