In the Green Coast, near Ubatuba, Angra dos Reis e Mangaratiba, there is this small and special city called Paraty. Before you decide what to do in Paraty its nice to get to know a little about the history of the city. Paraty was founded in 1667 but was already well habited by indigenous peoples, specially the Guarani. Still these days, one of the options of what to do in Paraty, is visit the tribes in Iriri and Paraty-mirim. If you ask the locals in Paraty what to do they can tell you other places where you can see the tribes, but in Iriri the Indigenous are ready to receive visits and you can also buy some of indigenous art.
Paraty was also a place of slavied people, and until these days it has a quilombo (where the descendents of these people lives in communitary land) called Quilombo do Campinho. If you whant to visit them, in Paraty what to do is take a bus at the bus station and ask to arrive next to the quilombo.You can also go to Iriri by bus, in the same way. It is the same bus by the way. And you can catch it in the return either. Or, in Paraty what to do is take one of the vans that circulate in this road. It also costs R$4,00.
In the earlier times of foundation, sugar cane was the main font of financial resources. After that, the city was a point of discharge of gold and precious stones from Minas Gerais to Portugal, through the Royal Road.
So one of the unmissible things, what to do in Paraty is walking in the historic centre. You can pay a guide with R$25,00.He will tell you the stories of the place, and show you the important churchs, theatre, cultural centres. You can also go in a buggy guided by horses.
For tourists that like nature, in Paraty what to do is easy to decide, because you have options that goes from trekking, bike riding to boat or jeep tours to the nearest islands and waterfalls.
One of the bests things of what to do in Paraty is take a boat and go swim in the ocean. There are more than 350 amazing islands to visit, as the island that belongs to the sailor and writer Amir Klynk. The boat is the one that he used when he went from one earth pole to another. Other option of what to do in Paraty is visit an another island that has a castle in it, that belongs to a rich entrepeneur. Or this other beach where turtles use to go. In Paraty what to do also is stay sitted in the trees shadows in Praia Vermelha, you can go there by boat. The beach has this name because of the specie of the trees, called by the locals as “aroeira” (Schinus therebinthifolius).
If you want another option of what to do in Paraty you can take a jeep tour for R$50,00 and meet alambiques (where cachaça is made), grocery stores, and have lunch at this beautifull restaurant next to a waterfall called Poço do Tarzan. One of the best things in Paraty is that, when you choose what to do in Paraty, you get to know a lot of things in just one tour. In the jeep tour, for example, you will get to know three waterfalls either. In the waterfall called Tobogã, you can slip through the rocks and fall in the water. But you have to ask the locals in Paraty what to do, and they will teach you. You should contribute with some money.
One of the other things of what to do in Paraty is chilling in one of the various caffes and restaurants in the historic centre. The prices go to low to high. And in the streets you will see a lot of artist, astrologists, poets, artisans, candy sellers, musicians. If you are lucky you can meet someone who was born in Paraty in the historic centre and get to know what to do in Paraty through the eyes of a local. People are very open and gentil. As the city is also very searched for tourists and travellers, if you are also oppened, you can get to know peoples from all over the world who moved there, peoples who are just passing and the ones who are living a individual journey.
There are Chileans, Bolivians, Dutch, Americans, Germans, people of all nationalities and from all parts of Brazil. There are even people venturing around the country who spend time in Paraty discovering what to do in Paraty. For example, many sailors dock at the site for a while. Paraty is one of the cities that has the largest fleet of sailboats in the country. These is a picture form inside one of thes sailboats.
What to do in Paraty includes the district of Trindade that is very close. You can go there by bus, in the bus station, for R$4,00. In Trindade there are two amazing beaches for bathes. In Paraty what to do doesn’t include sea baths becaus the sea is not very attractive. It is a little dark brown, and only the fishermen throws some nets there. So if you wanna go to a beach to take a bath, you can go to Trindade or take a boat and go to an island or a isolated beach in the sea.
The best beach to take a bath in Trindade is Praia do Meio. There are some bars in the sand, where you can eat these huge and delicious shrimps for R$89,00. All the prices showed in this article where praticated in octubre. So if you go to Paraty in the high summer, you can discover that what to do in Paraty maybe is a little more expensive.
For the night people, what to do in Paraty is going to the historic centre, have a nice dinner and listen to some live music. The more known places are SP 330 and Sarau. Sarau is placed in the Matrix Square and has a lot of good invited musicians and a varied menu. There you can taste one thing that only exists in Paraty, what to do is try the vegeterian portion of flambee vegetables in the cachaça Gabriela, from Paratiana Alambique e Cachaçaria. This cachaça has clove and cinnamon in his composition, and when the vegetables are flambee they catch a sweet taste that matches exactly with their flavour.
At Sarau, what to do in Paraty is listening to jazz and bossa nova trhough the night. Some peoples don’t feel shame to dance and you can always join them. At Sp 330 plays rock music, so there are options. In Paraty what to do is very varied, but in week days, everything closes at 1 am.
At monday nights, at the Matrix Square, watchin the Samba da Benção show is a amazing option of what to do in Paraty. It is a local musical group that gathered some incentive and realizes a show every monday night, for free. People feel very free to dance alone or with each other, while the band plays the most famous brazilian’s sambas. It starts at 20:30 pm and ends at 11pm. So, if you wanna know what to do in Paraty at a monday you can absolutely go there. After the Samba da Benção, there is another show, that happens outside the historic center, at a bar named Espeto’s. The show plays another brazilian music called forró and it is very liked by the locals. This in another option of what to do in Paraty in Monday nights and it lasts until 4 pm, one of the few places openned until that time.
For be hosted, that are many options available, from distant and private wood chalés in the mata atlântica forest to small hostels near the historic centre. If you are going with no car, it is better if you stay near the historic centre, so you can discover everything what to do in Paraty, just by walking and taking cheap locomotions. The Samba Canuta Hostel is placed 800m far from the historic centre, is very clean, has a good breakfast, you can buy tours right in the hostel and the bedroons has towels and everything else that you need for a good staying.
That are also hotels placed right into the historic centre, where you can vivenciate the old times to your from awakening to falling asleep. So, if that is what to do in Paraty that you pleasure the most, you will have to pay more. But you will be hosted in right next the beach and right inside the main movement of Paraty.
There is a hostel which is placed in Pontal bech, very very close to the historic centre, just distanciated by a small bridge, that is a cheaper option of what to do in Paraty. They offer breakfast at the beach and they also have individual and collective rooms. In Paraty what do to is also going to this hostel at night and take some drinks with the travellers, because they offer a bar.
Another tip of what to do in Paraty is watching a play in the Theatre of dolls manipulation. Or, once a week, in Paraty what to do is going to the cinema, where they exhibit cultural movies.
Paraty was also a place of slavied people, and until these days it has a quilombo (where the descendents of these people lives in communitary land) called Quilombo do Campinho. If you whant to visit them, in Paraty what to do is take a bus at the bus station and ask to arrive next to the quilombo.You can also go to Iriri by bus, in the same way. It is the same bus by the way. And you can catch it in the return either. Or, in Paraty what to do is take one of the vans that circulate in this road. It also costs R$4,00.
If you are a nature radical sport person, and if you are in Paraty what to do you can make the dream trail, through Mata Atlântica, leaving from Trindade, walking for two or tree hours, and arriving at Saco Bravo waterfall. This waterfall falls in the sea and it is one of the bests things of what to do in Paraty! Unfortunately it is only for people with good fisical prepare.
In Paraty what to do is also take a boat or a trail in Trindade and go to Praia do Sono. This beach is known as one of the most beautifull of the region and it is more isolated. They have camping in there where people stay for relax or for spending new year’s eve.
Anytime is a good time to go to Paraty! Just go and discover in Paraty what you do with your own eyes! It is worthing!