Into the Fjord: Saco do Mamangua

Although it was the shortest, our last day in Paraty may have been my favorite. Maybe because our little guy got to go with us! Any time we can experience a new place with our main man, it’s a thousand times more enjoyable. After a perfect day of island hopping, we knew we needed to get back on the water one more time. The day started out with another fairly questionable dirt road drive from our pousada to Paraty Mirim.

Andre, our guide from the previous day, had recommended Paraty Mirim as a starting point for finding a boat to take us to Saco do Mamangua, the only tropical fjord on the Brazilian coast. I knew the fjord would be gorgeous but Paraty Mirim’s views totally surprised me.

The waters were calm and clear and the sands basically deserted when we arrived at 10 a.m. I would have enjoyed simply spending time at this beach, had we not had other schemes in mind. I saw a lot of online reviews saying that the downfall of Paraty Mirim is the lack of facilities, but there was a quiosque open serving food that also offered bathrooms. Maybe it’s new.

Also, there are dogs everywhere in Brazil. I love it, but apparently we’re not allowed to take them all back to the States with us. I’m guessing that the guy above would probably rather stay in paradise anyway. Can you imagine a better place for a lab to live? I digress. If you’re in Paraty looking for a quiet beach with ample sand that you can reach by car, I would definitely suggest checking Paraty Mirim out.

Because it was a Monday in the offseason, there wasn’t a line of boats waiting to be hired as we had heard about. Instead, there was one fisherman who met us at the quiosque and offered his services. Good enough!

We probably didn’t get as good of a price as we could have, seeing as how we barely speak enough portuguese to survive on a given day let alone haggle prices, but for around $70 USD we had ourselves another private vessel and guide for a total of three hours. Originally, we had hoped to have lunch at Dadico’s restaurant in the fjord, but it turned out that pretty much everything was closed that day. No matter, we had plenty of views to keep us occupied.

While Sunday had been a relatively busy day on the water, Monday was completely calm and peaceful.

For the majority of the ride, we just kicked back with the dog (who surprisingly really enjoyed boating) and marveled at the beauty of the Saco do Mamangua. Of all the moments of the trip, this one resonated the most.

We did make one stop at a secluded beach somewhere along the fjord.

This beach won as the prettiest of the trip with the smoothest sand, clearest water and being just the epitome of what I picture when I think of paradise.

It was just me, Tom, Ashton and another new dog friend as we wandered the empty shore. Our guide disappeared for a while, which would have been slightly alarming had we not been able to see the boat the whole time.

We unfortunately didn’t have too much time to enjoy the beach, as the ride from Paraty Mirim to Saco do Mamangua took about 45 minutes and we had a seven hour drive to Bauru after that.

On the way back, we rode on the bow of the boat and discussed how fortunate we are that we had the opportunity to spend this time in Brazil.

Ever since I was young and we took a family vacation to Mexico, I’ve been chasing moments like this. Unlike the combined 21 mosquito bites Tom and I accumulated during the course of the boat ride, being bitten by the travel bug is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.