A day trip to Guarda do Embaú

Recently a friend lent me his car and all I could think about was: I have to go to Garda do Embaú. Seriously, my heart was longing to go there. Only 60 km from Floripa, it is totally worth a day trip. For me, it is kind of a magic place. The village itself is super cute, offers small restaurants and cafés and a huuuuge beach. To get to the beach, you have to cross a river. Depending on the depth it is usually possible to do it on foot, but there are also little boats carrying people to the other side.

The waves are perfect for surfing. Especially for me, who is not a pro at all. The waves a forming beautifully and are gentle, different from Floripa.

Yet, the magic place is waiting around the rocks. Going north, there is a little path crossing the hill or another one passing a small beach and going on along the coast. In the end, Prainha is waiting. “Prainha” means ” small beach”, in this case, it is not accurate at all, though. Prainha is actually a very long sand stripe. When Guarda is crowded in the summer, on the “small beach” you can still find peace. And there is a guy selling fresh juice/smoothies, he is making with his manual mixer as there is no electricity. He will tell and show you what real happiness is!

The best thing is to camp on Prainha. You will be alone, alone under the starry sky. That is where the magic happens. Plus, you can go surfing in the sunrise and you will be alone in the water! Awesome!

Another famous spot where a lot of people go camping – well, actually not “another”, because Prainha is not specifically known for camping- is Vale da Utopia. You can access the valley from Pinheira, or, a longer walk would be just continuing from Prainha to the north. This place is absolutely worth getting to know, as well!

Leave a Reply
