| IGUAPE, roughly two and a half
hours south of Itanhaém by bus, was founded in 1538 by the Portuguese to
guard against the possibility of Spanish encroachment on the southern
fringes of the empire. On the southern tip of the estuarine island of
Papagaio, Iguape was well placed as a base for exploring the southern
Paulista interior, up the Rio Ribeira do Iguape. Far from possible
markets, however, it was slow to develop and attempts to settle immigrants
– most notably Confederate refugees – were met with abject failure.
But because Iguape remained a backwater for so long, many of its colonial
buildings survive today, albeit in extremely dilapidated states. |
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| During the summer, Iguape
is popular with Paulista holiday-makers, seeking a beach vacation away
from the sophistication, crowds and expense of resorts further north. The
nearest good beach on the mainland is Barra do Ribeira, popular
with surfers; to get there it’s a fifteen-minute boat ride from Iguape,
or a twenty-kilometre car ride over rough track. Facing Iguape is an
island, the Ilha Comprida, 86km long but just 3km wide, with an
interior of light forest; an uninterrupted beach stretches the entire
Atlantic-facing length of the island. In the summer it gets very crowded
near the access road across the island, but if you want to be alone just
walk south for a few kilometres. Continual ferries make the
five-minute crossing to the northern part of the island and, until 7pm, buses
take passengers across the island to the beach.
A couple of kilometres south of the access road
crossing the island, there are several campsites, bars and lanchonetes.
The island also has several hotels: budget choices include the Alpha
(tel 013/842-1270; $20–35) and the Vila das Palmeiras (tel
013/842-1349; $20–35). You’ll get good inexpensive steak, fish,
chicken, rice and beans at the Nordestão on Avenida Beira Mar, and
there are numerous restaurants serving up cheap fresh fish.
A better choice of hotels, though, is to be found
in Iguape itself: the Zé Juca at Av. Ademar de Barros 598 (tel
013/841-1920), the De Martis at Rua Rebello 258 (tel 013/841-1325)
and the Rio Verde at Rua Antônio José de Moraes 86 (tel
013/841-1745) are amongst the cheapest (all $20–35). For food, Aconchego
do Amigo Fritz, Rua São Paulo 26, Barra do Ribeira, is a small,
reasonably priced place serving German food, fish and seafood. The Barra
Bar at Rua São Pedro 120, Barra do Ribeira, serves traditional
sandwiches and huge portions of prawns and is the only place open late at
night. In town, the best option is the Cantina Sapore d’Italia at
Rua 7 de Setembro, which offers reasonable Italian food. |