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| Brazil (São Paulo State) |
| Southwest of Santos |
| The coastal escarpment southwest of Santos begins its incline 20–30km inland from the sea. Lacking the immediate mountain backdrop, and with large stretches of the coast dominated by mangrove swamp, this region was for years left more or less untouched by tourism. However, holiday development companies have been moving in recently, aiming at Paulistanos who can’t afford places further north. | |
| Heading south from Santos,
the road follows the coast as far as Peruíbe, then moves inland onto
higher, firmer terrain before heading back to the coast down the Serra do
Mar. The road is slow but, passing through small fishing villages, banana
and sugar plantations and cattle-grazing land, you’re reminded that
there’s more to Brazil than just beaches. Incidentally, from São Paulo,
rather than travelling via Santos it’s much faster to take a direct bus
to Iguape and Cananéia.
Toward Paraná |
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| If travelling south to
Paraná, you’ll have to change buses in REGISTRO, an hour inland
from both Iguape and Cananéia in the heart of a Japanese tea-growing
region. If you’re unlucky with connections and need to stay, try
the Lito Palace (tel 013/821-1055, fax 821-4470; $20–35), Av.
Jonas Banks Leite 615, or the cheaper Regis (tel & fax
013/821-1988; $10–20), at Rua São Francisco Xavier 83. The Ebissuya,
Rua Getúlio Vargas 401, is one of the town’s better restaurants,
while the Estoril at Rodoviária BR-116, km 442, on the way to São
Paulo, has a good varied menu specializing in Brazilian dishes.
It’s also possible to reach Paraná by boat: five days a week there are launches from Cananéia (Mon 1pm; Wed, Thurs, Sat & Sun 8am; tel 013/851-1268) that travel via a tranquil, inland waterway to Ariri, a small fishing community just within the state of Paraná. Although the journey there takes only three hours, there is a small risk of no connecting launch to Guaraqueçaba or Paranaguá. If you are stuck, there are a couple of rustic pousadas ($10–20) in nearby Marujá, a couple of kilometres away, where there’s also a great beach. For more regional information on the area Southwest of Santos, go to: |
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