| Like Iguape, CANANÉIA, 50km
south, is on an island, lying between the mainland, to which it’s linked
by a short bridge, and the Ilha Comprida. There’s a constant ferry
service between the town and the Ilha Comprida, from where you can either
take a bus (every hour) or walk the 3km to the beach. Where the road hits
the beach, there are a couple of simple hotels and bars. In the summer it
gets quite crowded here but, as in the north of the island, you don’t
have to wander far for a quiet piece of sand. |
|
| In the centre of Cananéia,
in particular along ruas Tristão Lobo, Bandeirantes and Dom João
II, there are many simple ochre-coloured and whitewashed colonial and
nineteenth-century buildings. Except for a few, such as the
seventeenth-century Igreja São Jão Batista (Wed–Sun 8.30am–noon
& 2–6pm), they’re in very poor condition and for many only the
facade remains. Worth a brief look is the Museu Municipal
(Mon–Fri 8am–noon & 2–6pm, Sat, Sun and holidays 8am–noon
& 2–8pm), with pride of place among the exhibits going to a
preserved shark weighing 3500kg. The area to the south of Cananéia is a
protected nature reserve, with isolated beaches and fishing
villages which can be reached by chartering a small motor-launch. Karl
Beitler (tel & fax 013/851-1683) a long-term German resident in Cananéia,
knows the area well and leads tours into the Mata Atlântica and the
islands. Schooner trips to outlying islands last five or six hours
(weekends only Dec–Feb; $15), allowing time to stop and swim or view
marine birds.
Cananéia’s grandest hotel is the Glória
(tel 013/851-1377; $20–$50), across from the Rodoviária, but its rooms
are damp, the staff unfriendly and general atmosphere institutional. Most
other hotels are along or near the waterfront in the same vicinity: good
bets are the Beira-Mar at Av. Beira Mar 219 (tel 013/851-1115;
$20–35), the Recanto do Sol at Rua Pedro Lobo 271 (tel
013/851-1162; $20–35) or, with swimming pools, the Cabana do Bugre
(tel 013/851-1101; $10–20) and the Coqueiro (tel 013/851-1255;
$20–35), both on Avenida Independência. You can eat extremely well in
Cananéia, with the menus of the mainly Japanese-owned restaurants
including clams, mussels, conch, octopus and, Cananéia’s speciality,
oysters; especially recommended are the Naguissa do Silêncio, Av.
Luiz Wilson Barbosa 401, and La Maré, Av. Independência 884.
Cars are permitted to drive along the beach
between Iguape and Cananéia. Otherwise, buses have to take a
circuitous route inland and the trip is over 80km, with departures several
times a day between the towns. |