Travel: Florianopolis

Adventure on a Brazilian island

Here are some words that you don’t want to read about your latest adventurous destination: “Jet-set”, “Champagne-fueled”, “Gucci”, “Stavros Niarchos” and “chi-chi”. But as I scramble through the rainforest, it is not Gucci that I’m pursuing, but Sagui. This peculiar looking Brazilian dwarf monkey, the size of a cat, is hurling itself through the trees. “Nothing chi-chi about this,” I say to the stray dog that is following me, obviously looking for a Sagui snack.

Florianópolis, a small island in the south of Brazil, 60km long and 20km wide, is coast-to-coast natural marvels:  Lagoons, sand dunes, rainforest, waterfalls, mountains, rivers and beaches. Fourty-two beaches, to be exact. The climate is similar to Sydney – long, hot summers and short mild winters. It’s no wonder, that Floripa (its nickname) is a popular destination for active travellers.

I fly into Florianópolis airport, just an hour from Sao Paulo and a more pleasant entry than crossing the bridge into the island’s city (of the same name) from the mainland. As I drive to Barra da Lagoa, I notice surfboards heading in every direction, strapped to cars, motorbikes, bicycles and under arms. Florianópolis is a mixture of paradise island and a place where people actually live, work, construct and therefore, perhaps, spoil. This isn’t a tourists’ island, but then Florianópolis has so much in its favour that it really doesn’t need to try too hard.

Go East

As I pass Lagoa da Conceição I see windsurfers and kitesurfers skimming the surface of the lagoon and enjoying the perfect conditions. Fishermen are untangling their nets on the shore, and the sun is just beginning to drop behind the mountains. That evening my Australian, but Floripa-dwelling friend, Daniel, advises me to stick to the east side of the island; the mainland-facing west side is home to the city, the industrial areas and the uglier beaches. The east and northern-facing beaches are the best, he tells me. And there’s good surf at about 20 of them. I don’t surf, but I’m guessing Florianópolis will change that.

I find local surf teacher and fisherman, Maurizio Pesce, a long-blond haired and blue-eyed Brazilian, on Praia Mole (pronounced Mole-ee). He seems to know almost everybody here, which gives me time to bask on this beautiful beach. Praia Mole (‘soft beach’) is one of the most popular beaches on the island. Clean white sands, mountains that taper into the sea giving the illusion of a sleeping dragon, and – boys – an abundance of pert bottoms. “The beach is soft but the law is hard”, is the local expression for Praia Mole.  And by law, they mean the law of the surf and the laws of surfing.

I watch the waves engulf the surfers, and I pale in colour, but Maurizio’s confidence in me is undiminished. I cannot learn here, so we drive to Barra da Lagoa which is the perfect place to start – a long stretch of beach, with small, regular waves. It’s not the most popular sunbathing beach, so an ideal spot to protect my dignity, as I have all the surfing grace of a drunk orang-utan. Maurizio and I communicate between English and Portuguese (speaking basic Portuguese is essential to get around this island) and his guidance is invaluable.  Eventually a small miracle gets me to my feet, for about three seconds. It’s a moment of beauty in an otherwise ungainly afternoon.

Hassle free

A Paulista (Sao Paulo) by birth, Maurizio has lived on the island for 10 years. He talks about the ‘simple life’ – fresh fish daily, passion-fruit in his garden, and good surf all year round. En-route back to Praia Mole, we swing by the sand-board hire at the foot of the best dunes on the island near Joaquina beach. This looks far too much fun to miss.  I hire a board and receive no instruction or safety tips.  And I love this about Florianópolis – you don’t need to pre-book, pre-plan and be guided from A to B. It’s fluid, hassle-free and spontaneous. Health and safety haven’t made it this far south. I get the feeling I could sand-board with a caipirinha in each hand and no-one would stop me. Sand-boarding is like snow-boarding, but with less layers and with sand, not snow, finding its way into almost every crevice.  It’s odd to have the sensation of being in a desert whilst on an island, but I love this sport for knocking 15 years off my mental age. For the rest of the day I leave a little trail of sand everywhere I go.

By evening, I am exhausted and starved, but the anticipation of dinner is making my mouth water. The food here is the perfect refuel: staples of rice and black beans, with fresh fish and prawns, washed down with juices made from sugar cane or acai. Over dinner the wife of my friend Daniel recommends the full moon horse-ride in the north of the island. I have timed it perfectly and when I phone Cabanha do Toque the next day I am able to join the ride that night. It doesn’t start until 8pm, so a small group of us decide to visit Lagoa do Peri for a swim.

Peri, near the south of the island, is smaller than Conceição, but completely unadulterated. We stop to pick up sandwiches from Nutri Lanches and by happy accident see kayaks for hire opposite. Within minutes the kayaks are loaded onto a truck and we are motoring down to the lagoon. As we arrange our collection time, the driver points to the far side of the water and tells us that’s where the best waterfall on the island is. The lagoon is empty, apart from us, the water is like glass and the sun is beating down. It is blissful. We explore the lagoon, stopping at tiny beaches on its shore. With a bit of rummaging around we eventually find the waterfall, and it’s absolutely worth the effort – a glimpse of Eden, completely secluded and impossibly beautiful.

Night rider

It is pitch black when I arrive at Cabanha do Toque that evening. I am quickly introduced to Zorro, who is black (I think – I am not sure that I would recognise any of the 7 horses, or riders, in daylight). As we ride in line onto the sand, the light of the moon on the dunes is surreal. Riding at night feels adventurous even at a walk. We go quietly over the undulating dunes until we meet the beach at Moçãmbique. It’s the perfect stretch to pick up speed, and Zorro is up for it. Cantering along a deserted beach at night, with the moon reflected in the sea, is an extraordinary experience.

After the ride, Cabanha do Toque put on a hearty barbeque and one of the riders, an American, begins to tell me about his paragliding trip here. I learn that the youngest known paraglider is a six-year-old boy from Florianópolis, who has been gliding solo since he was three. As I say goodnight to horses and riders, I know exactly what I’ll be doing next. But, as fear grows with age, I’m not leaping off a mountain alone. Luckily Parapente Sul do tandem dives, and I am more than happy to be strapped onto a professional and let them do all the hard work. It’s an experience that is blood-pumping and thrilling, and yet remarkably peaceful. It is the best way to see the island. And from this view I take in just how extraordinary Florianópolis is. As we gently ride the wind back to earth, I look hard for some signs of the “jet-set”.  Nothing.  No Ibiza in sight and no chi-chi to speak of. But, later that afternoon, as I cycle along Avenida das Rendeiras, I do pass a lone and incongruous Porsche. Perhaps that’s Stavros.

Activities in Florianópolis include: surfing, windsurfing, kite-surfing, paragliding, horse riding, cycling, sand-boarding, kayaking, paddle-boarding, fishing, sailing, snorkelling, diving and whale-watching (seasonal). For more information visit http://wikitravel.org/en/Florianopolis