Wandering around the streets in the Historical Center of Paraty means you will surely find good restaurants with a colonial vibe. And so I did every day, I would go for a walk and stop somewhere that grabbed my attention. On the main avenue there are lots of more affordable restaurants, but I ended up being caught up by the vibe in the cobblestone streets with dimmed lights.
Whoever follows me knows I love trails, but since I came to São Paulo (5 years ago) I could not find people who enjoyed the pleasure of walking kilometres in the middle of the nature. One fine day I found a forum on the web, people looking for someone to go on adventures. Just perfect, we have already done some trails and started Nação Trilheira.
Home of a unique fauna, breathtaking sceneries and full of waterfalls with crystal clear waters describe this area located over a huge quartz crystal plate, crossed by the 14th parallel – just like the legendary city of Machu Picchu. All these characteristics make Chapada dos Veadeiros a mystical place, full of energy and surrounded by mysteries.
In southern Brazil, on the border with Uruguay, there is the largest lagoon in the country. A water mirror of over 2.000 km2, surrounded by wetlands and reeds, designated a world freshwater reservoir by Unesco; a place for those who like peace and quiet, fresh air, nature and sports.
Among the novelties in Foz do Iguaçu, finding out an area that is becoming the hub of adventure sports and tourism was a good surprise. Besides offering several options for the tourists, it is the home of the Falls Half Marathon and important international championships, and will hold the X-Games for the next three years.
In southern Rio de Janeiro there are lots of hidden beaches, which deserve all the effort to be discovered. Some have access by boat, others by easy/hard trails – breathtaking paths through the rainforest. Sometimes, you can see the ocean surrounded by the green vegetation or a dense forest leading you to pleasant waterfalls, where you can renew your energies.
Rio do Boi Trail is one of my favorites – I have done it three times and plan on doing it again. It is a hard 12-kilometer trekking inside Itaimbezinho canyon, rewarded with a swim in pools and waterfalls in the middle of the cliffs.
The nice thing about traveling to the border is to enjoy a varied and typical cuisine of each country. Even better if it is where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet.
If you are a fan of ecotourism and enjoy diving you cannot miss this incredible and one-of-a-kind place in Brazil. No sea or mountain compares to Bonito: lots of rivers, waterfalls and indescribable trails!
Villiers, my current place of residence, is a village in Val-de-Ruz. This valley is surrounded by the mountain range of Jura, the second highest range in Switzerland – after the Alps, of course.