Santa Catarina: Brazil’s Best-Kept Secret
- Iri
- Mar 28, 2023
- 3 min read
When people think of Brazil, they usually picture Rio de Janeiro and its Copacabana beach, famous carnival, samba, maybe the Amazon. Same was with me and Santa Catarina wasn’t ever on my radar. In fact, my Brazilian adventure almost skipped it altogether.
When I landed in São Paulo, Marcus picked me and our dog Nalu, from the airport. The original plan was simple: drive straight to Porto Alegre and start our new life there. Instead, we added one small detour - a few days in a little surf village called Guarda do Embaú.
Those few days completely changed my first impression of Brazil. Instead of noisy cities and crowded beaches, I found sleepy (off season) coastal villages where everyone seemed to know each other, surfers walked barefoot to breakfast carrying their boards, and life moved at a pace I’d almost forgotten existed. I fell in love almost immediately.
Where is Santa Catarina?
Santa Catarina sits in southern Brazil, between Paraná to the north and Rio Grande do Sul to the south. To the east lies more than 500 kilometers of Atlantic coastline, while to the west the dramatic Serra Geral mountains rise above forests, waterfalls and deep canyons.
One of the things that surprised me most is how quickly the landscape changes. You can have breakfast by the ocean and a couple of hours later find yourself surrounded by pine forests, vineyards and mountain roads that look like they belong somewhere in the Alps.
A little piece of Europe in Brazil
Santa Catarina feels different from many other parts of the country.
Beginning in the 18th century, the region welcomed immigrants from the Azores, followed by Germans, Italians, Poles, Ukrainians, Austrians, Russians and Scandinavians.
More than two centuries later, their influence is still everywhere: German-style houses, Italian wineries, bakeries that smell suspiciously like Central Europe, festivals such as Oktoberfest in Blumenau or Fenarreco in Brusque. Even the people often look different from what many visitors expect when they imagine Brazil. It’s one of those places that makes you say, “Wait… this is still Brazil?”
A state made for people who love the outdoors
If you’re happiest outside, Santa Catarina is dangerously addictive. Get ready to wonder around all day long for as long as you are in the state.
One day you’re watching surfers catch waves. The next you’re hiking through cloud forests. The day after that you’re driving one of Brazil’s most spectacular mountain roads. The variety is honestly incredible.
Along the coast you’ll find
Guarda do Embaú – one of my favorite surf villages in Brazil.
Praia do Rosa – famous for surfing and southern right whale watching.
Florianópolis – an island city with more than forty beaches, sand dunes and beautiful hiking trails.
Laguna – a historic coastal town where local fishermen still work together with wild dolphins.
Mountains in tropical Brazil?
Later on this was probably my biggest surprise. I arrived expecting tropical beaches but instead, I discovered mountains, waterfalls, canyons, vineyards and forests full of Araucaria pine trees.
Adventures around every corner
Having/renting a car is almost essential. Some of the best experiences are found far away from the cities.
You can spend your days:
hiking through the spectacular Serra do Rio do Rastro,
riding horses across open highlands near Urubici,
rafting on the Rio Cubatão do Sul,
learning to surf on the Atlantic coast,
sandboarding on giant dunes,
or visiting wineries around São Joaquim, one of Brazil’s highest wine-producing regions.
More than beaches
SC consistently ranks among Brazil’s states with the highest quality of life. Cities like Florianópolis, Joinville, Blumenau and Chapecó are known for strong local economies, good infrastructure and a noticeably slower, more organized rhythm of life. Compared with some of Brazil’s larger cities, everything feels calmer.
Why I think Santa Catarina deserves more attention
Rio deserves every bit of its fame. So does the Amazon. But Santa Catarina shows a side of Brazil I didn’t even know existed. Brazil where German architecture meets tropical beaches, surfers drink coffee before sunrise, mountain roads lead to vineyards, fishing villages quietly sit between rainforest-covered hills and the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a place that doesn’t try to impress but yet your jaw constantly drops down. And maybe that’s exactly why I loved it so much.
Coming up next
Over the next few articles, I’ll take you to some of my favorite places in Santa Catarina — from the peaceful surf village of Guarda do Embaú to hidden beaches, mountain roads and little towns that completely changed the way I see Brazil.
Because if Rio is Brazil’s heartbeat… Santa Catarina is the country’s deep breath.
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