Day trips to make the most of Florianopolis

Most people come to Santa Catarina for the beaches or the parties and end up not seeing the diversity that the region has to offer in terms of nature, culture and gastronomy.

Brazil Ecojourneys offer trips that showcase this diversity: you can choose to visit an Old Azorean Villages or a German town, to taste oysters or drink a local Bier.On our trips you also get to know places in an active way: rafting, trekking, surfing or biking can be an enjoyable part of your holiday.


Azorean Villages & East Coast
Fish market, Lagoa da Conceição and East Coast

Immigrants from the Azores Archipelago settled along the Santa Catarina Coast during the 17th Century. In Florianopolis they founded small villages around the island where they survived from small-scale farming and cottage fishing. They left an important cultural inheritance in terms of architecture, culinary, folklore and a very particular accent that still keep alive expressions from Old Portuguese.

Some of the villages they founded, the “Freguesias”, still have examples of the simple but charming architecture they brought to the island. These communities, with their peaceful atmosphere, are also ideal places to try the delicious local seafood.


Naufragados Beach and Oyster farms of Ribeirão da Ilha

Florianópolis in recent years became the centre for oyster production in Brazil. The old Azorean fishing village of Ribeirão da Ilha is one of the main areas for oyster farming on the Island. We combine a trip to one of the local farms with a short trek to one of the most beautiful beaches on the Island to make a full day trip of light adventure and gastronomic experience.



Deutsch Santa Catarina

South Brazil, in special the northern part of Santa Catarina State, received a large influx of German immigrants in the middle of the 19th Century. In the region known as the European Valley, a number of small villages still retain the influence of its Germanic origins in the architecture, the local dialect and cuisine.


This full day tour -which can be done by bike-will take you to rural Pomerode, which preserves its immigrant culture on hundreds of timber-framed houses, surrounded by neat tropical gardens. Afterwards taste authentic German food and beer in one the regions breweries or kaffehaus.


Rafting in Santo Amaro da Imperatriz

Santo Amaro, only 40 km away from the island, is the closest rafting base to Florianópolis. Rafting in the River Cubatão, with rapids class II-III, is ideal for beginners.
The scenery along the river is beautiful: the right margin borders the Serra do Tabuleiro National Park, the biggest Atlantic Rainforest reserve in the vicinity of Florianopolis.



Day treks on Santa Catarina Island
The Island of Santa Catarina, part of the city of Florianopolis, has 45% of its area covered in Atlantic Rainforest, making it an ideal place for walks. Around the coast, paths with dramatic scenery lead to deserted beaches. Inland, some trails opened by the original Azorean settlers still are the only link to isolated communities. Other trails cross nature reserves with lagoons and waterfalls, allowing for wildlife spotting, specially bird life.

 
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