The city of Paraty is one of the most popular attractions in the Southeast. There we have several options for tours: boat trips, museums, waterfalls. Both for those who love history or for those who love a place with beautiful beaches.
Currently, Paraty has more than 50 thousand inhabitants spread over several neighborhoods and all these people and traditional communities are organized in some specific regions. They can bring a completely different perspective on the city.
We already talked about Vila de Trindade and what to do there! Today we are going to talk about the village of Paraty-Mirim, one of my favorite places!
The Village of Paraty-Mirim
The village of Paraty-mirim is a lovely place! Its history is related with the city of Paraty during the Brazilian colonization.
The discovery of gold in the current state of Minas Gerais changed completely the Brazilian economy.
We enter through the territory in new trails and a lot of people moved from the Northeast to the Southeast. In that moment, we chaged our capital from Salvador, Bahia, to Rio de Janeiro.
To send all the gold from the mines to the port, we built two roads in these two important ports: Rio de Janeiro and Paraty.
Two paths officially were made recognized by the Crown, today we call this route the Royal Road. We have the Old Way and the New Way. The Caminho Velho (the old road) connected Ouro Preto, the old Vila Rica and the old capital of Minas Gerais, to Paraty.
From there, several ships were supplied and sent to the new capital, Rio de Janeiro.
Today, several agencies offer tours for you to walk a little along the Paraty Royal Road. To learn more, read our post!
We don’t have a lot of documents about Paraty-Mirim but we know that the beach of Paraty-Mirim was used in the Gold Cycle. In addition, a few decades later, the area served as a clandestine slave port to supply Southeast Brazil, mainly for coffee plantations.
Today, Paraty-mirim is at the Environmental Protection Area of Caiçaru where it also protects the neighborhood of Trindade and the famous Praia do Sono.
How to get there?
For those going from Paraty, we have two options and both by car or public transport it’s easy! By car, the access is the Rio-Santos Highway towards São Paulo. At km 154, there is an entrance where we have the beginning of Paraty-Mirim. The trip is normally 30 minutes without traffic.
Near the beach, we have a parking lot whose daily rate is around 20 reais.
By bus, we have a line Paraty> Paraty-Mirim and the final stop is close to the beach! Buses usually leave every 1 hour from the bus station on Avenida Roberto Silveira. The trip takes around 40 minutes.
At the Paraty bus station, we have a schedule with all the buses schedules. It’s affordable and you can take a picture to organize your stay better, if it depends on public transport. From there, we have buses to Trindade, waterfalls, Praia de São Gonçalo… Incredible places!
Quilombo Campinho da Independência
An amazing tip! Between Paraty and Paraty-mirim we have Quilombo do Campinho. From Paraty-Mirim to Quilombo it’s about 20 minutes, following the Rio-Santos Highway again towards São Paulo. The recommendation there is a lunch break and a tour to learn a little about the history of the place.
We have families living in Quilombo do Campinho. It’s said that 3 slaves women inherited the place after the abolition of slavery and then they start the community. It’s an amazing tour and experience.
Paraty-Mirim Indigenous Reserve
Close to Paraty-Mirim beach, we have an Guarani tribe indigenous settlement. This reserve is already recognized by the National Native Americans Foundation and live about 36 families producing handicrafts and agriculture. It’s quite common, during your walk at the historic center, to see the typical Guarani handicrafts: the colorful baskets. To visit the village, just have to call. It will be an unforgettable experience.
Beaches
One of my favorite beaches in the region, the beach in the village of Paraty-mirim offers a relaxing experience. The sand trip is long and the sea is very calm. Near the beach we have some kiosks offering drinks and some snacks.
Near the beach, we have the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, one of the oldest in the region! Unfortunately, the church is not well maintained, but despite this, the construction of 1720 still draws the attention of those who walk along the beach.
It’s a simple construction, very similar to the churches of the beginning of Brazilian colonization. The devotion of the church is of Nossa Senhora da Conceição and the image that it was on the altar, today it’s found in the Museum of Sacred Art of Paraty.
To learn more about the churches of Paraty, read our post!
From Paraty-Mirim, some people offer boat trips to nearby areas called Saco do Mamamguá. The tour is very similar to the boats that we can rent in the Historic Center of Paraty, you combine the itinerary and the price.
We can also access by trail, but this requires more physical preparation. Saco do Mamanguá has 33 beaches and it’s a unique place to visit. Many compare to a Norwegian fjord, a kind of gulf where we have a great sea entrance between the mountains.
Another option is Saco da Velha Beach. We already talked about this beach in our post about Paraty Beaches! Be sure to read and plan a Boat Trip around the region.
Costa Verde
The entire area from the coastal south of Rio de Janeiro to the north of São Paulo is called Costa Verde. When we travel the Highway BR-101, or the famous Rio-Santos, we already understand why we call it that way.
Some parts of the area are protected by the Instituto Chico Mendes (ICM-Bio) which manages the protection of the Atlantic Forest. The journey by itself is incredible, but in addition, we have cities with a lot of history (Angra dos Reis, Paraty, Ubatuba) and cultural importance for the country.
In the southern region of the Costa Verde extending to the state of Paraná, we have the caiçara community.
They are the traditional community of the area that even today they live in a simple way of life and that they enchant people who know a little more of their day life.
Throughout the year, caiçaras organize Fandango festivals, a typical music played by original instruments. The two most popular parties on the Fandango calendar are the Ubatuba and Paraty parties.
The Fandango Caiçara, since 2012, is Intangible Heritage of Brazil registered by the National Artistic Historical Heritage Institute. If you are in these cities during the festivals, be sure to check it out!
To know more about Paraty, be sure to join our Paraty Free Walking Tour!