Morro de São Paulo

Part of Morro de Sao Paulo’s charm is its mix of upscale, new hotels and restaurants with older, shabbier pousadas and taverns. This car-free and carefree island has just one road and a handful of beaches… it’s a wonderful place to get away from it all.

Is one of the villages on Tinharé island, which together with Boipeba, Cairu and 23 other smaller islands make up the municipality of Cairu, the only one in Brazil which is spread over an archipelago. Cars are prohibited. Only some four wheel drives and tractors are used to access the more remote spots, and there are no streets, just alleys. The village of Morro de São Paulo is an excellent place for the study of contrasts - rustic and sophisticated, with simple restaurants and bars sharing space with boutiques selling top brand products. Tourism is cosmopolitan and egalitarian. One can come across top models, movie stars, hippies and backpackers. The inland of the island is taken by the Atlantic Rainforest, a natural protection to the southern part, where one can find many miles of sand, coastal lowlands, marshes and mangrove swamps. The region ca only be reached by four wheel vehicles, tractors or horses. The beaches are named in ordinal numbers, from North to South. The Primeira Praia (First Beach) is the smallest, 500 meters (1600 feet) long, with soft white sand. Segunda Praia (Second Beach) has natural pools at low tide; this beach is mostly seeked by young people from all over the over, who come for the luaus (parties under the moon light). Beyond the Terceira Praia (Third Beach), there is a sequence of calmer beaches. Terceira Praia is lined with hotels and inns; the beach nearly disappear at high tide. Quarta (Fourth) is also quiet, with natural pools, crystal clear water and sophisticated