Ubatuba

 

Ubatuba is located in the north of São Paulo state in an area called “Litoral Norte”. From the state capital (São Paulo) it’s a 220 km ride, while from Rio de Janeiro you need to count on about 320 km.

Façade of the Igreja Matriz in Ubatuba

The ride from Rio de Janeiro to Ubatuba in itself is also very enjoyable, because once you leave the metropolitan area behind you, the last 240 km to Ubatuba on the BR 101 is known as one of the most scenic stretches of highway of Brazil, with magnificent ocean views to your left and the green slopes of the Serra do mar to your right.

Other interesting places along the way are Mangaratiba, Angra dos Reis and of course the famous colonial port town Paraty (about 70km from Ubatuba).

Sunrise at Itamambuca Beach near Ubatuba

Ubatuba has options for every kind of visitor, whether it’s the extreme outdoors person or a family with kids, but thanks to the many beaches with perfect waves, it is especially famous as the Surf Capital of São Paulo. The beach of Itamambuca probably the most famous beach around Ubatuba, is host to international surf competitions.

 

Where to stay.

Ubatuba is the place where many citizens of São Paulo go to spend the weekend at the beach so there are many hotels and pousadas. I’m sure several of them are very nice, but whenever I go to Ubatuba, I end up booking a room at pousada “Todas as Luas”.

It is simply a gorgeous place to stay, surrounded by the Atlantic rainforest, and the famous beach of Itamambuca only a 10 minute walk away.

Entrance to Pousada "Todas as Luas. Itamambuca - Ubatuba

Ilha Anchieta

The schooner that took us to Anchieta Island. - Ubatuba - Brazil

One of the prime attractions of Ubatuba is a boat trip to Ilha Anchieta, a former prison island turned into a state park and nature reserve in 1977. The ruins of the prison, that once housed the most dangerous criminals of the State of São Paulo and was operational until 1955, can still be visited. Walking around on the former prison grounds, it is rather disturbing to realize that this place was the scene of the most bloody rebellion in Brasil’s history (1952).

Today, the island’s 825 hectares attract about 90.000 visitors each year, mainly during Carnaval and Easter. A typical tourist boat visit includes a lunch stopover at one of the hidden beaches near Ubatuba (Praia sete fontes), so the time you can spend on the island is only about two hours, during which you can visit the ruins, and take a walk to the two beaches nearest to the pier, where you can have a quick dip in the crystalline waters.

The prison blocks were built around a central square

If you want to have more than two hours to explore the island, it’s best to charter a non-touristic boat to take you straight to the island in the morning and pick you up in the afternoon. The three other hiking trails on the Island, can only be done in the company of a park monitor.

Beaches

Ubatuba has 36 beaches, spread out over a coastline that stretches out over about 75 km. Except the beaches in the city (praia grande, Toninhas, Enseada), almost all the other ones are pieces of paradise with the rain forest coming all the way to the beach and gorgeous views of the ocean and the small islands, littering the Ubatuba bay.

Our choice for the last day of the weekend was Praia do Felix, which is the first beach to the east of Itamambuca beach. It turned out to be a great choice. After leaving the BR 101 it’s a rather steep descent back to sea level. There are guarded places to leave your car and from there it’s only a 5 minute walk to the beach. I’ll let the picture speak for itself.

Praia do Felix - Ubatuba - Brazil