Between the major hubs of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo there’s a green, lush coastline where tiny beach towns are only half an hours drive apart. Some are more touristic, some consisting of only a couple of houses, but they are surrounded by multiple islands and tiny bay beaches, all worthy of a postcard. In other words, Costa Verde has what most people are looking for when visiting Brazil. It’s also a typical stop on for travellers heading from Rio to Sao Paulo or the other way around.

After a few busy days in Rio I was longing for some laid back days on the beach again and headed for Paraty, described to me as a cultural pearl a few weeks earlier. Arriving in Paraty, it seemed more like a walk-around museum with souvenir shops than the genuine thriving cultural hub I expected. It might have been the rain and cold weather as well as the low season, but the town seemed very quiet and almost empty except for the elderly tourists obviously on a guided schedule and who were forced to defy the weather. But as the weather changed for the better, so did the life around town.

Paraty is an idyllic town of very well kept white colonial houses attracting a large number of tourists every year. That combined with the monthly festivals of movies, theatre, literature or music, has people recognising Paraty everywhere I go. This was probably why I had my first encounter with other Norwegians in South America here.  Checking the calendar there was a festival of some sort Brazilian Traditions festival while I was there, but as it didn’t present it self while I was walking through town I didn’t experience any of it.

Paraty is divided in two having one cultural heritage-part and one regular-town part where prices easily doubles once entering the old town. And be aware, though idyllic, in this part of town you need to watch your step. A cobble stone hell is putting it mildly. The paving is non-existing and the ground is basically covered with big rocks. Very charming indeed, but a guy in my hostel room managed to break his ankle while staying here. Though that is an extreme example.

Paraty it self doesn’t have any beaches worth visiting but a short boat trip or bus ride will take you to stunning sceneries along the coast. I did a daytrip to Paraty Mirim a white beach in a laguna with beautiful still water and the occasional seaturtle popping its head up. Getting there was quite easy with the public transportation system. There’s basically one bus for each destination so you can’t get the wrong stop. Also, the driver will stop anywhere you need.

As I had heard it was possible to surf in Trindade, a one-road beach town south of Paraty, I opted for an over night stay even though a day trip really would have been enough here as well. Even the though the place had some of the most beautiful beaches with clear blue water and natural pools framed by giant rocks, the low season had left the town way too quiet for my liking. The semi-dirty hostel I had chosen had only one other guest and the waves were not easy to find either so I returned to Paraty the next day just to see people again.

Traveling south, I had planned on staying 2-3 days in Ubatuba. I stayed a week. And would have stayed longer was it not for being on a tight schedule where I had to make Iguacu before arriving in Buenos Aires. This was the perfect town for me! Surf beaches in every direction, a bigger, more genuine town to balance out the tourist areas. I stayed in a hostel in the urban centre, EcoTrip Hostel, which was also almost empty during the weekdays but would fill up with Brazilian tourists from Sao Paulo during the weekends.

The manager of the hostel was probably what made this town for me though. As soon as I asked for a rental board he would offer to take me along surfing the different local spots. This made all the difference, as the surf spots in Ubatuba can be 15-20 mins drive away. You can easily get the bus to one of the main beaches like Praia Grande, which is a 10 min drive, but you might have to hang out at the terminal for a bit.

Ubatuba has a lot of restaurants and bars, but as usual I was way too tired to actually test any of them after being out in the water struggling the waves. The hostel had a great semi-outdoor kitchen with a big barbecue grill, which made the Saturday dinner. And that was usually how my days where spent there, getting up, surfing, eating, sorting stuff out/hanging around, resting and eating. Not necessarily in that order. But still, I loved it! I must admit though, there might have been a bit too much TV-time lately. Either because of bad weather, being tired or just a lack of travel-companions. On the upside, traveling during low season will allow you to get to know the locals better. I’ve found that some of the best friends I’ve made have been people working at the hostel, which also gives you the benefit of getting some inside info on the place.