GUARAPARI – BRASILS’ BEST KEPT SECRET
It’s true to say that many tourists who come to Brasil automatically think of the beaches. For sure the most famous of these are to be found in Rio De Janeiro, and in the Northeast of the country, especially around Fortaleza and Recifé, but this works in the favour of lesser known resorts such as Guarapari. Guarapari takes its name from a type of “stork like” bird that is abundant in the area (Guara).
The symbol, if it can be called one, of Guarapari is the ESSO tiger, which was donated
to the city in the early-
The best beach however, without a shadow of a doubt, is Praia de Setiba (Beach of the abundant shells). From the centre of Guarapari you can take a ride on an ocean schooner which takes you to this beautiful and picturesque beach. When we visited it cost $R20,00 per person (the currency being the Brasilian Real).
The schooner passes many beaches on its way to its final destination, and before arriving passes in front of the curious Pedra do Jacaré (Rock of the Crocodile). According to Indian legend this rock (shaped like the head of a crocodile) turns into a giant crocodile on full moons & swims in the Baia de Guarapari, eating any unsuspecting, beautiful virgin girls he encounters. He supposedly gives ugly girls a miss though!
You can take a small boat to the beach, or if you are brave (like me) you can dive in & swim for it. It seems like a good idea for the first few moments until you realise that you cannot feel your feet, and of course that you are in tropical waters, indeed the ideal habitat for man eating sharks. I lived to tell the tale though, but after several Caipirinha’s to steady my nerves on the beach I made sure I went back by boat!
Like all of Brasils’ beach resorts the best time to visit is between September and March, as we had a nasty surprise trying to find some accommodation when we went to another beach resort in São Paulo called Mongagua in July, the height of the Brasilian winter.
Eating out can be relatively inexpensive, or slightly more so, depending on your taste. There are a lot of “Rodizio” (buffet) type restaurants where you can pay a fixed price, and then you can eat as much as you want. Many of these seem to serve “Comida Mineira” (Food of Minas Gerais) which is great if you like meat & beans.
If you want to try the traditional food of Espírito Santo then you need to ask for a “Moqueca”, especially “Moqueca Capixaba”. A Moqueca is like a sort of stew that is served with rice etc. The most traditional one is the Moqueca Capixaba, which is made from different seafood’s. They are usually sold in huge portions, so if you are used to smaller ones you may want to ask for a “Moquequinha”.
There are countless hotels in the vicinity. We stayed at Hotel Hotur near Praia da Areia Preta. The hotel looked pretty basic looking, and had a noisy air conditioning system, but then you aren’t really going to spend a long time inside when you could be out partying with the Guarapariense (citizens of Guarapari).
One thing that surprised me was the amount of really European features I saw there. I saw lots of blue eyes and blond hair, of course with heavy tans because of the sun.
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