One thing that makes the beaches of the northern coast of São Paulo (and the southern coast of Rio, and other bits further south) unique is that they are found right by the Atlantic rainforest. The biodiversity of the Mata Atlántica, as the forest is known in Portuguese, is unrivalled. The scenery too. The sequence of water, sand, forest and mountains can’t be found anywhere else in Brazil.

The contact with the tropical forest brings the visitor in close contact with different bird species. You only have to sit and rest and wait for the birds to appear. The birds that appear on this entry where all photographed within the space of an hour on the little village of Barra do Sahy, state of São Paulo.

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The distance from the city of São Paulo to the shore is relatively short, and there is no shortage of beaches along the coastline.

The coast of the state of São Paulo is divided in two large regions:

• the north coast (litoral norte), from Ubatuba, on the border with the state of Rio de Janeiro, to Bertioga. It includes the towns of Ubatuba, Caraguatatuba, São Sebastião and Bertioga, as well as the island of Ilhabela.
• the south coast (litoral sur), from Guarujá to the Ilha do Cardoso, on the border with the state of Paraná. It includes the cities and towns of Guarujá, Santos, Praia Grande, Mongaguá, Itanhaém, Peruibe and Cananéia.

The nearest beaches to the city of São Paulo are Santos and Guarujá. They are urban beaches, with high rises right by the sand. The kind of beaches unlikely to make foreigners fall in love with.

Going north, as soon as we pass Bertioga, the first beautiful beaches appear: Juquehy, Barra do Saí, Camburí, Maresías. The jewels on the crown are found in the town of Ubatuba.

Going south, the beaches are not so interesting. Santos has a few interesting places, but its beaches do not feature among them. Further south, you will find long open beaches, some of them polluted. In the southermost point of the coast of the state there is an Atlantic Forest reserve: the Ilha do Cardoso, an eco paradise turned into State Park. It is quite far from São Paulo and access is done through a notorious road: the rodovia Régis Bittencourt.

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RELATED POSTS:
destination: Maresias
Hotels and pousadas in Ubatuba

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We have a new, expanded and updated entry on Alter do Chão: destination: Alter do Chão and the river Tapajós.

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Alter do Chão is a small town in the state of Pará, council of Santarém. It is located at the entrance of a lake formed on the right bank of the Tapajós river – one of the biggest tributaries of the Amazon and known for its greenish-blue waters. When the level of the Amazon river is low, from July to January, a beach of fine and clear sands appears at the entrance of the lake, the praia do Amor. Alter do Chão is known as the Caribbean Amazon for its combination of clear water and sand.

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1. WE LIKE THE MOST:

To spend the day at the Ilha do Amor (literally, “love island”) eating snacks and drinking beer; to watch the sunset from the new pier and end the night with a piracaia (barbeque fish) at the beach

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2. WE LIKE THE LEAST:

Noise pollution along the river front and the Praça Matriz; the Ilha do Amor vanishes for several month; mass tourism will eventually end up destroying the place.

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3. HOW TO GET THERE:

You can only reach Santarém by plane or by boat (from Manaos or Belem). From Santarém to Alter there’s a forty-minute drive by bus (hourly service, from 6:00 a 18:00, around R$2) or by taxi (R$50 aprox.)

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4. CAREFUL WITH:

Going there out of season, with the Ilha gone Alter do Chão looses part of its charm; trying to go attend the festa do Sairé at the beginning of September without booking your accomodation first: prices shoot up and hotels are booked months in advance.

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5. FAVOURITE PLACES:

Ilha do Amor, Ponta de Cururu.

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6. PIECE OF ADVICE:

• there are plenty of things to do in Alter do Chão’s surrounding area: a quiet walk along the flooded rainforest and virgin beaches, river-dolphin watching; trekking at the National Parks; getting to know the natives; and even discover a typically American village built by the Ford company during the rubber fever
• during the weekend Alter becomes the beach for the inhabitants of Santarem; the place is chock-a-block. During the week it is much quieter
• there is a supermarket and several shops where you will be able to obtain supplies; however, there are no ATM’s in Alter
• Alter is an exceptional place if you want to purchase authentic indigenous crafts; some of the shops are real museums
• don’t go from the airport to Santarem by taxi only to take the bus to Alter. The airport is half-way between Santarem and Alter
• there’s a great travel agency at the main square, run by Argentinians: Mãe Natureza. They offer good advice and excellent juices and sandwiches.

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7. LINKS:

Santarem City Council

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8. ACCOMMODATION:

Full listing of hotels and pousadas in Alter do Chão.

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9. WEATHER FORECAST:

The weather in Alter do Chão (Santarem) for the next 10 days

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10. GOOGLE MAPS:

Alter do Chão

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11. PHOTOS:

Alter do Chão

Our thanks to Daniel for this text.

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RELATED POSTS:
destination: Algodoal
destination: Belém

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