One of the islands around Parati
Parati (or Paraty - the spelling changes!) is a beautiful Portugese colonial style city on Brazil’s South East coast.
Parati is well served by buses from both Rio De Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The journey to Parati along the Costa Verde (Emerald Coast) from Rio De Janeiro is especially beautiful - dramatic mountains, verdant tree cover and blue-green ocean compete with one another for the ability to inspire. On witnessing the delights of this area, Amerigo Verspucci famously remarked “Oh God! If there was a paradise on earth, it would not be very far from here!”
A world heritage site, Parati is thought to have been founded at around 1670 to serve as a port for the gold being extracted in nearby Minas Gerais. Parati’s historic centre remains largely as it was in Parati’s early decades and dogs sleep contentedly in the middle of cobblestone streets that are free from cars.
Time in Parati can be whiled away eating gorgeous seafood, ambling through the historic centre, sun-baking on the beach, visiting local waterfalls or island hoping on one of the many boat services. The island hopping options are highly recommended - for just R$20 (about 6 Euro or US$8) a boat will transport you to 4 local white sanded islands, to which you can swim on-shore. Of the local waterfalls, Cachoiera do Toboga is particularly worth checking out - its used as a natural waterslide and is an exhilarating free fun ride, 9km from Parati’s historic centre.
If staying in Parati, the Misti Chill hostel is highly recommended. Another website with useful information about Parati is available by clicking here.
XML Feeds
