Paraty Pit Stop

January 12, 2016 MovinnGrovin 11 comments

Just A Pit Stop IN Paraty...

 

relaxing on the beach in Paraty, Rio

Paraty is a small colonial town along Brazil’s Costa Verde.  It is situated between Rio (4 hours to its North) and São Paulo (4 hours to its South). As we finalized our plans for our trip from Rio to São Paulo we made the decision that we would do the 8 hour drive by bus... enjoy the ride.  To break up the drive we would spend two nights along the coast, our research pointed to an island visit but our gut told us the coastal colonial town of Paraty… plus, our new Brazilian friends Leonard and Nira informed us that Paraty was less touristy (more of a local go to) and the route to go… sold. Paraty it was!

 

 and it turned out to be an awesome decision.  The picturesque “historic center”...

Church in Paraty Rio

beautiful cobblestone streets filled with beautiful people...

energy in paraty rio

 and a harbor surrounded by mountains...

Paraty Harbor

After our evening stroll through town we grabbed a few drinks - the local Caipirinha,  rum/lime juice/sugar -  and checked in to our AirBnb.  

 

Side note: our AirBnB had two bars of packaged soap carefully placed on towels when we entered our room.  Unfortunately Sean thought it was a piece of candy the hosts left out…

soap candy

The next morning we woke up to an amazing view of town…

view from room at paraty rio

Our gracious hosts had breakfast waiting for us in the morning, thats when we started chatting with host Marcelo (and things took a turn for the much much better).  Marcelo is a rock star!  His energy is outrageously infectious and his positive outlook on life second to none. He asked what we had planned for the day… we responded with, “going to explore”.  In his broken english he responded with, “ok, give me 10 minutes and I show you everything”.  Just like that, our day roaming with Marcelo began... 

Marcelo The Great and the hidden waterfall he took us to for a swim...

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then a visit to "Toboggan Falls”...

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a trip to the local Cachaça distillery, of course we ripped shots! ...

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and finally a drop off at the local beach...

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Guidebooks are great, reviews are extremely beneficial but meeting and hanging with a local, nothing better.  We loved our two night stay in Paraty and would highly recommend it… of course make sure you book a room with Marcelo & Sol, it will make the trip!

A few other faves below from our stay in Paraty, which turned out to be much more than just a pit stop 🙂

city was, during the Brazilian colonial period (1530-1815)
Red Palulu Heliconia
Red Palulu is a brightly-colored flower endemic to South America.
Paraty, Rio de Janeiro, historic downtown
Paraty downtown is next to the ocean, between two rivers
boats in Paraty, Rio
Paraty Grafifiti
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lovin the color throughout the town
lovin the color throughout the town
downtown Paraty
sunrise bella vista paraty rio
sunrise bella vista
Sunrise at bella vista, Airbnb Paraty Rio
best Airbnb in Paraty, Brazil with the best host!

11 Comments on “Paraty Pit Stop

  1. Your updates and pictures are AMAZING!!! Can’t help smiling and so happy for you and Sean to experience this wonderful journey. Love you both so much, till we meet in Italy 🙂

  2. This looks like a distinctly memorable part of your journey through South America!
    So incredible, glad you have both found the local flavor you were hoping for.
    Love you both

    1. Yes, it was such a great time. There was a moment when we were at the waterfall and everything seemed to stop, we’re so thankful to have this experience – it’s really incredible! Love you!! xxo

  3. Having so much fun “traveling” with you. Your pictures are amazing and make me feel like I am there. I actually had a belly laugh looking at the picture of Sean’s bite of soap!
    Millie

    1. We love you! It’s been pretty amazing, can’t complain 🙂 Enjoying every moment. See you in Greece!!!

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