The bay of Paraty is absolutely beautiful and can be easily enjoyed during an escuna tour on a traditional sailing boot. As Paraty is an important vacation destination for the cariocas (citizens of Rio de Janeiro) there is a big tourism industry and many ships look like party boats.
Fortunately I found an escuna that was less crowded, where you could lie down and relax, get to know nice people, enjoy some caipirinha (with cachaça from Paraty, a spirit made of sugar cane) – and of course to jump into the salt water of the atlantic ocean at one of the many stops, to snorkel and to swim with shoals (fish swarms or fish mobs 😉 ). They also served a good meal on board.
The touristic and crowded escuna tours are sold mostly at the main road leading to the old city center. You better avoid these – next to the river mouth and the Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios you’ll find a small agency offering more relaxed tours.
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