Paraty, Brazil

Trindade’s three beaches

Changing chalet

Once again there was a forecast of rain, but the skies were blue and everything was tropical and beautiful. At breakfast we enjoyed coffee and scrambled egg (they wouldn’t do fried) but heard a mighty crash from one of the rooms, like a huge vase had broken. We didn’t think much of it until I returned to find the sink had fallen out and smashed on the floor. Concrete shards covered the floor.

We moved our stuff to the smaller chalet opposite (the one we were told wasn’t available). And that was the last we heard of ‘the sink incident’, it became a bit of an elephant in the room, even though it didn’t cause us any further hassle. Some guys checked in later in the week so we can only assume they fixed it swiftly.

Trindade’s three beaches trek

But we wouldn’t let this ruin our day. Out, along the beach and down into town, we were at the local bus station for the 11am bus to Trindade. The bus was heaving with school kids, and as it swerved and stopped suddenly we clung tightly to the loosened metal poles. Along route BR101, it took about an hour to reach Praia da Trindade, but only R$3 each (versus a guided tour for R$40 each).

Trindade was recommended by Rob in Rio as a quiet ‘less touristy’ place to stay. We considered finding a hostel here, but given the forecast we figured we’d want a little more than beaches and rain. But today it was gorgeous and we set about the ‘three beaches’ trek, starting off in the wrong direction and taking an unplanned hike into the hills.

Hiking in Trindade
Hiking in Trindade

A narrow wooden trail climbed upwards through the rainforest. Wary of snakes hidden in the undergrowth, we clambered onwards to find waterfalls and a large fresh water pool. At the back of the pool a smooth slanted rock had a trickle of water flowing over it, forming a perfect natural water slide.

Sam swum across, climbed up and shuffled towards the slide. Then before she was ready the trickle of water grabbed her and she slid downwards, sideways, doing a half turn and splashing into the pool below with a shout of excitement. Again, again!

Further up was another pool, deeper and with a raging waterfall. Sam stood beneath it and shrieked as it crashed over her.

Secret pools and waterfalls in Trindade
Secret pools and waterfalls in Trindade

Back at the beach, where large blue crabs scuttled passed us, we had lunch at a beachside hut and continued with the beach trek. Through a river we waded, and climbed up onto and over a jutting hill, the home of luminescent ladybirds. On the other side a long empty crescent beach stretched out in front of us. Huge waves crashed on the shore, and the sand was fine and soft.

Luminescent tortoise beetle
Luminescent tortoise beetle

Along the beach were a couple of secluded hostels. We stopped beneath a tree for a rest, Sam had a nap and I watched the leaf-cutter ants perform their arduous journey up and down the trunk, driving on the left. With my head down on the sand all I could hear were the sounds of the sea, the waves and the birds.

Secluded beach near Trindade
Secluded beach near Trindade

An hour or so later we carried on, climbing over some rocks to find the start of the final trail. Up another dirt path we walked, around to a large natural swimming pool in the sea. Huge rocks formed a circle around a small bay, protecting it from the sea and creating somewhere awesome to swim.

After a swim we headed back to Trindade to catch the 7pm bus home. Sam’s desire to see a hummingbird was growing, it seemed every time she turned away one popped up, hummed around a flower and disappeared again. She kept missing them. The first time you see one you can’t help but smile.

Samantha hiking back
Samantha hiking back

Before the bus, we coo’ed at the cutest of baby chicks. Their owner came out to say hello and we had a lovely evening chat. Surprisingly, based on the experiences we’d had so far, she had good English, and when we couldn’t understand she wrote numbers or symbols in the sand. We held the chicks and she pointed out that the boy chicks have much smaller wings.

We spent the rest of the bus waiting time finding somewhere to wash our hands. We went into a café separately, and independently asked the owner to use her sink, when I asked the second time she freaked out, but her cakes were yummy!

Banana Da Terra restaurant

Back in Paraty we searched for a restaurant, Banana Da Terra. It looked great, but we were cautious, the food was pricey. We skipped the couvert and shared a starter. Sam ordered prawns again, and I went for something completely different, ginger rice with duck. The food came out, and at last, we had gourmet dining in Brazil, it was delightful. After a passion fruit caipirinha and a long conversation explaining the named plates on the walls, we went home, via a night time stroll on the beach.

Money problems →