Paraty Beaches: Information and tips you must know
Paraty is that type of city that brings together everything that we like on a perfect trip: a beautiful historical center that looks like a time travel, paradise beaches, waterfalls, a funny nightlife… The beaches of Paraty are really special because mix the beauty of the Atlantic forest and a crystalline sea.
We have two ways to access Paraty, by bus and by car. So in this post, we have amazing tips for you that want to discover the best places. Besides that, we select beaches very close to the historical center that you can go by foot.
Let’s go!
Paraty Beaches: walking distance from the historical center
If you are staying near the historical center and you want to go the beach walking, follow the 2 recommendations:
Pontal: Pontal Beach, along with Jabaquara Beach, is the nearest beache to the historical center. We do not recommend to swim, like the others in this list, but it’s a good stop to have lunch. Besides that, some agencies offer kayak tours and you can choose the duration of the tour. You can have a nice morning discovering more about Paraty’s bay.
From the historical center, where starts our Free Walking Tour at Main Square, it won take more than 10 minutes walking. Our tip is to ask a local if is going to happen something at night, like a party or some event. It’s very common when we have some festivals in the city, some concerts happen or big parties at Pontal Beach. I prefer this one to have a nice afternoon, drink a coconut water and relax than swim! And a lot of kiosks offer options to have lunch.
Jabaquara: Jabaquara beach stays in Paraty’s bay. If you are walking from the historical center it’s going to take around 30 minutes, or from Pontal Beach it’s around 15 minutes. You will see a lot of signs showing the way and the view is amazing! In Jabaquara Beach, we have options to have a drink and a snack. Don’t forget to try a Jorge Amado drink.
A lot of travelers like to go to this beach because they discover that under the water it has a mud that you can exfoliate your hole body (I tried and I had a soft skin for the rest of the trip!). This mud became so famous that it’s a symbol of a Jabaquara Carnival party!
A tip! Between the Pontal and Jabaquara beaches, we have the Defensor Perpétuo Fort, built in 1793. Today, it’s a Museum! You can visit from Tuesdays to Sundays, 9am until 5pm. The view from the Fort is amazing, don’t forget to put this in your list!
On Jabaquara Beach Paraty post we explain more about this neighborhood.
Paraty Beaches: accessible by trek
If take a bus / do a hike is not a problem, some other options:
Praia do sono: To get to this one, there are 2 options: hiking or boat. Well, I’m not a big fan of boats, so I did the hiking, but I asked the price, just to know how much it would be for a ride to go back by boat. He said R$30,00, but I was by myself. If you have friends with you, for sure it will be cheaper. And if you arrange go and return the price can be even better.
If you prefer to hike, this is the way: take a bus in the bus station, about R$4,00, to Laranjeiras. This is the final destination and the bus goes every 30 min or 1 hour… it takes about 30-40 min… the bus stop is just in front of where the hike starts!
The hike took me 60min but I did it enjoying and slowly. Ok, the first 10 minutes I was about to give up! Haha! It was a slope! Don’t give up! It’s absolutely worth! The beach is calm and there aren’t many options for food… but is super beautiful! Blue water and white sand. If you go early, you can visit the waterfalls nearby. It’s a calm and relaxing place!
Ponta Negra: I will recommend something that I’ve never done, based on friends opinion… they had such a bright in the eyes talking about this place! The access is not easy, only boat or hike. If you prefer the boat, you can take in Trindade or Praia do Sono. If you want to do the hike, get ready for exercising a couple of hours! First you have to hike to get to Praia do Sono after there, you keep doing the hike and you will be in Antigos, then Antiguinhos…. After many hours we will finally arrive! This beach is nearby a fisherman village, it has got clean and calm water and it’s empty!!
Paraty Beaches: accessible by bus/ car
Trindade: If you have a car is easy, but by bus is possible as well. The travel from Paraty to Trindade takes around 40 minutes to 1 hour, it depends the transport or the season of the year. The Trindade’s village has restaurants, souvenir shops, hostels…! We have 4 beaches next to the village: Praia de Fora, Praia do Meio, Praia do Cachadaço e Piscina Natural (it’s a natural pool!). The last two, you can go by hike or boat, that cost something between R$5-10.
Very close to the Praia do Meio, we have a waterfall that carries a funny name: the “swallowing stone”! You can hike for 15 minutes (don’t worry, it’s very easy!) and when you arrive there, you can slip between the rocks of the waterfall and dive into a little cave (that’s why the name!). It’s super cool! Save one full day to visit Trindade.
Paraty Mirim: Close to the Paraty, we have the Paraty Mirim district. You can go there by car or bus. The bus leave every hour from the Bus Station and the ride is going to take 40 minutes. This beach is very good for kids, because the water is very calm without waves. Besides that, in the beach we have options for snacks. If you are going to Paraty Mirim, don’t forget to explore the ruins of the historical houses and the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Church, built in 1746!
Saco do Mamanguá: For sure this one is my favorite!! It’s awesome!! Some people describe it as the ‘’Tropical Fiordes’’! There are mountains on both sides and blue water in between! When I went we wen’t by car to Paraty Mirim (but you can also take a bus). Then we took a boat and finally had the amazing view of the mountains and water! From there we could see the ‘’Pão de Açúcar’’ mountain… another nice place to hike, but for this one it’s better to be on shape to try! I think I liked the Saco do Mamanguá especially because it was different from any other view I ever had!
São Gonçalo: Some people consider this beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Paraty! By bus, São Gonçalo stays around 40-50 minutes, and by car 30 minutes. To go to the beach, you have to cross a little river, but don’t worry! The crossing is easy with water only until your belly, but some locals offer boats to cross. This beach is perfect to spend the hole day, because it has a lot of kiosks. Very close to the São Gonçalo, we have São Gonçalinho only one hike away!
A tip! In the São Gonçalo beach or São Gonçalinho, we have the option to discover other places: Cedro Island or Pelado Island, amazing islands with a crystalline water!
See here the timetable of the buses in Paraty
EXTRA – Ubatuba: If you have more one day and already visited all the beaches on this list, it’s time to go to Ubatuba! This city stays in São Paulo, one hour from Paraty! You can access by the Rio-Santos road (BR-101). The beaches in Ubatuba, like Paraty, you can go by car or boat.
Besides all that… Beaches that you can visit during a boat tour!
Did you think that it was over? Of course not! Besides the beaches next to the historical center, Trindade and the others, we have some that it’s only possible to go by boat!
Boat tour with a agency or rent a boat?
In Paraty, we have this two options! it’s possible to rent a little and colourful boat in the Santa Rita square for a few hours and choose whato you want to visit (if you want to visit one specific island, or just swim on the sea…). I recommend this one for families and couples that want more privacy. The price will depends if it’s low or high season.
If you choose to buy a boat tour with a agency, normally it already has specific places, takes around five hours and lunch included. A lot of agencies offer this type of boat tour, if you want to know more just go to the Roberto Silveira Avenue.
Here in this post, we choose the best beaches to visit during a boat tour. In the end, you can decide which tour you have to buy!
Ilha Comprida: This one is my favorite! A important tip: don’t forget your snorkel! This one isn’t a beach, but one stop on the high sea. You can swim and see fishes during your stop on the Comprida Island! Take amazing pictures.
Lagoa Azul: If we translate, it’s Blue Lagoon, and this name tells us the main characteristic of this place! The water is so blue and this place so special that became a mandatory stop for boat tours!
Saco da Velha: This stop is to relax! The beach is very small and the waves very calm. A lot of boat tours and locals who rent there boats really like to stop here. In the end of the beach, we have a place that sells snacks and drinks, so if you want to spend the hole day in this one it’s worth it!
Praia da Lula: This one reminds me a lot the Saco da Velha Beach! We have the blue water, the green of the Atlantic forest and the water very calm. But in this beach, we don’t have kiosks or places to eat.
Ilha do Algodão: This beach is really amazing and it has a x-factor. Sometimes, we can see dolphins swimming close to the boat! Normally, they appear after a rainy day or during a cloudy day. So don’t be sad if you visiting Paraty during the Autumn or Winter, you can be surprised!
EXTRA – Ilha do Araújo: It’s impossible to write about all the island and not to mention the Araújo Island! Actually, this one is a place to visit and discover more about the local culture and about the caiçaras (native people that live in the coast of Brazil, from Rio de Janeiro until the south of Paraná). Now in the island, you can find a good infrastructure, like restaurants and places to stay. The crossing from Paraty to Araújo Island takes 10 minutes and a lot of locals offer this service. This place has a important and famous festival: the Shrimp Festival. Normally, it happens in July, and the hole island organized a huge party with typical sea food and concerts.
Besides that, we have between June and July, a religious party for the Saints Peter and Paul. This party happens since 1963, when the church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the Araújo Island was open. It’s a beautiful party because Paraty is a very religious city so all the parties are very organized and decorated! It happens a parade from Paraty until the Island, some people carry the image of the saints on boats until the Church in the Island and the celebrations starts!
Did you know that Paraty became a World Heritage by UNESCO in 2019? The city was recognized for its culture and landscape. If you want more tips and curiosities of the city, check our free Paraty City Tour!
