Paraty - Brazil: Old colonial city - Rio de Janeiro, Diving, beaches and green sea.

Paraty

Paraty is a small and charming old colonial town from 17th century, located 3 hours from Rio in a strategic area between a calm sea bay and the Bocaina Mountain Range.

During the colonial period, the Bocaina was a natural barrier between Europe and the gold mines in the interior of Brazil. Due to its strategic position, Paraty was one of the most important ports in the country in that period. The richness form that period can still be observed in the row of beautiful and well preserved colonial buildings, in the center of the city. After the gold cycle declining the city was almost abandoned…

Curiously, the heritage left for those people became the new source of development for the region. Now, more and more people go to Paraty to admire the old houses and visit one of the last reserves of untouched Atlantic Rain Forest that are still found at the Bocaina, due to the difficulty to explore the wood in the high picks of the range.

Paraty also offers innumerous untouched beaches and small bays with emerald green sea, calm waters and white sand, that are perfect for resting, snorkeling and diving.

ATTRACTIONS

See details and pictures of each attraction of this destination.

	Histrorical Quarter
	Boat Ride
	Trindade Beach
	Gold Trail

TRAVEL TIPS

The streets of the old district of Paraty still preserve the old coverage from the 17th century, made with rocks. This irregular paving make difficult to walk, specially using shoe heels. We recommend to bring a flat sandal or a comfortable tennis shoe.
Paraty has many small art galleries and stores with nice hand made products. Don’t let to spend a couple of hours visiting these places. You can find good bargains and buy nice peaces for a good price.
Don’t let to make the boat ride tour, through the island of Paraty Bay. The color and transparence of the water are just amazing!
Paraty has good points for diving. Please inform us if you want us to book dives for you.
Paraty offers good options for eating and drinking. Nice bars, good restaurants. We recommend the following restaurants and Bars:
Bartolomeu, modern cousine
Merlin o Mago – one of the most sophisticated in the city
Le Castellet – a nice crepe
Sabor do Mar – Sea Food
Café Margarita – mix of bar and restaurant

CLIMATE

The climate is tropical, hot and very humid. Average temperatures vary between 25oC e 30oC the whole year, but may rise up to 40oC in the summer (from December to March).
The sun shines all year long, but the topography of the region, with the mountains surrounding the bay, makes the rains very constant, specially in the end of summer (February and March).
The winter (from June to August) is just a little bit colder and drier.
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PEOPLE

Located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, less than 300km from the capital, it is easy to imagine that the population of Paraty suffers a big influence the culture of the city of Rio.
Most of Paraty inhabitants are people that moved from Rio looking for some peace and good life.
Recentely Paraty was invadad by many forigners that moved to the city after visiting the city. These people normally run small business like a bar, restaurant or inn and work, maintining the high level of this kind of service.

HOW TO GET THERE

	Diving in Brazil (Sun & Beach) More than 8000km great options for your best diving experience.
	Carnival in Rio de Janeiro 2010 (Sun & Beach) Considered world's most famous and magnificent festival, the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is an explosion of colors, sounds and joy. On this tour, we visit Rio's most famous attractions and admire the samba school parade, besides visiting the charming colonial village of Paraty.
	Wild Forests (Special Programs) This program allows you to have contact with three of the most important ecosystems of Brazil such as the Amazon Forest, the flooded areas of the Pantanal, the savannas of the Cerrado and the Atlantic Rainforest. It also includes visits to the magnificent nature of Bonito, the colonial arquitecture in Paraty and the unforgettable landscape of Rio de Janeiro.
	Classic South America (Special Programs) This package combine the highlights of 3 biggest South American countries, We begin our trip in Brazil where we visit Rio de Janeiro, Paraty and the Iguaçu Falls. Next we visit Buenos Aires, the Argentinean cosmopolitan capital. We end up the trip in Peru, where we visit Cuzco and Machu Picchu, the impressive Holy City of the Inca Empire.