Brazil > Florianopolis
By Jessica Lloyd

Now here is a small slice of paradise, an island 51km long and 18km wide linked to the mainland by the longest suspension bridge in Brazil, the Hercilio Luz Bridge.

Florianopolis is the State Capital of Santa Catarina and a fantastic spot for enjoying the best of what Brazil has to offer. It is comparatively wealthy, and a noticeable feature of this place, believe it or not, is that the buildings are actually clean! The rest of Brazil seems to have a glaze of grey over most of its buildings and look like no one cares, but here they are clean and even shiny. Cleanliness demonstrates wealth here - it either means the building owners have enough money to get someone to clean them, or they are made out of a dirt resistant material, such as glass or tiles which are more expensive than traditional materials. It makes a pleasant change from the poverty of this nation, and there are fewer beggars here as well.

Florianopolis is famous for its beautiful beaches, and they certainly earn their reputation. If you grew up near beautiful beaches, say in Australia or New Zealand, they compare easily to Floripa, but if you are not used to it, the waters and sands will take your breath away and fill your photo album with hot and sparkling memories. You arrive in Florianopolis via a bridge which joins the Island of Florianopolis and the mainland of Santa Catarina. The state in Brazil is Santa Catarina, and as well as being home to Floripa, it has a huge range of outdoor activities within its borders.

Florianopolis is the the regional capital and the biggest island in Santa Catarina. Florianopolis has 42 beaches, an international airport, various hotel chains, many restaurants and bars and particularly a hospitable people. On the  asphalt roads, vegetation rich paths, dunes, rivers, streams, and more extend all over. In the heart of the island lies a large lake, Lagoa da Conceição. which is honored in song and poetry.

Despite the modern development, Florianopolis has preserved customs and a living culture. Old displays like "Boi-de Mamão" und "Pau-de-Fita" are to be seen on the island. Also the skilled crafts have a firm place especially baskets from straw and wicker, as well as ceramics. Sundays there is a craft market on the Praça XV de Novembro. Worth for a visit too the center of the city offers diverse tourist attractions like the Anhatomirim fortification built in 1739, Forte Sant´Ana (Now a weapons museum), built in 1761, The Metropolitana cathedral, the Hercilio Luz bridge, one of the biggest suspension-bridges in the world, museums, and much more.

The Beaches.
The water temperature varies incredibly around here, because of the different directions the sea hits the land at. At the North end of Floripa you will find colder water, and further south it gets warmer. After summer begins to fade it can get quite windy here as well, so choose your spot carefully, depending on the time of year you are visiting. On most beaches you will find bars and restaurants with chairs in the sand where you can enjoy an ice-cold Skol in a big plastic cooler - Brazilian beer at its weak finest. There are a couple of local beer brand available in Brazil, but you should find that they taste exactly alike, because in actual fact it is the same beer, just branded differently.

Each beach has a slightly different take on things, for example Praia de Juaquina has interesting rocks on the left hand side of the sand, with a small recess in the waves that allows for safe paddling without getting whisked away by the heavy seas. Praia Mole, by comparison, has no safety from the huge, crashing surf so if you don't like big waves that never stop hurling themselves at the shore, then just stop by Praia Mole for a look, and perhaps a meal at the restaurant. The sun never seems to stop shining here, every day is perfect with temperatures reaching high twenties and early thirties.

Want to visit a lagoon? Praia de Lagoinha, which literally translates to beach with lagoon, is a small trek over a medium sized mountain. The lagoon is supposed to be fresh water, but it is pretty brown and murky, but all sand on the bottom - you won't find sticks or creepy crawly plants to trigger your imagination. There is nothing growing in it, and it is remarkably ugly for something that sounds so nice. If you are barefoot, watch out for the tiny burrs all around in the sand - they hurt a lot and they don't stop further down the track!

If you decide to make the walk over to this beautiful, isolated beach, take food and water with you, because there is nothing here - no shop and no protection from the sun. There is a shelf in the water just off the sand, so the waves here break twice which is interesting to watch and really quite beautiful. There is strong surf, and it is fun to play in and very picturesque. It reminds of the movie, The Beach, except you don't have to swim anywhere to get to it. Ask locals how to get to it, you have to walk up a dry creek bed, and it is a reasonably hard walk and takes about 1 1/2 hours to get there, and an hour to get back.

Interesting Places.
There is a cafe a short walk from the Praia de Lagoinha track, at the end of the road. The beach here is called Praia do Pantana do Sul. This is the home of the Note Cafe - the entire cafe is covered from top to bottom, walls included in notes from its customers. On arrival, you will be seated and given a pen, paper and masking tape to write your own, and find a place to stick it.

Praia de Santinho has some interesting artwork atop its cliffs, with some local artwork displayed which actually looks surprisingly like Australian Aborigine artwork. Great views, green grass, nice restaurant. Praia de Canisveiras is packed almost to the sea with people, cafes and bars. It is a very busy little spot, if you can find spare space on the sand! The water here comes right up to the edge of the people at high tide and compacts the available area even more. It is a calm bay, so a popular place for families. No matter which beach you choose, you will find food and drink, and usually some music - Brazil relies heavily on the tourist dollar so the most is made from your presence.

Overall, definitely a hot spot and worth the travelling which if you go by bus, is a 12 hour ride from Sao Paulo to the south. Sao Paulo Accommodation