Between the old colonial port of Paraty and the border of São Paulo state, the mountains of the Serra do Mar come down to the sea in a jumble of forested peaks, rocky headlands and small, perfect bays, and the Cairuçu Environmental Protection Area covers much of this coast. It is part of the World Heritage site of Paraty and Ilha Grande, inscribed in 2019 for its combination of cultural and natural values. The forest here is the Mata Atlântica, the Atlantic rainforest, one of the richest and most threatened ecosystems on the planet, home to monkeys, toucans, hummingbirds and countless species of orchids and bromeliads. Within the area lie fishing villages of caiçaras, the traditional coastal people, and settlements of quilombolas, descendants of escaped slaves, as well as Guarani villages.
Paraty itself was built in the eighteenth century as the port through which gold from Minas Gerais was shipped to Portugal, and its old centre has hardly changed, with white houses, colourful doors and windows, and streets paved with large irregular stones. The streets are designed to flood at high tide, letting the sea wash them clean. The area around has long been known for its cachaça, the sugarcane spirit, and there are many small distilleries to visit.
The Rio-Santos highway, BR-101, runs along the coast through Paraty, one of the most beautiful roads in Brazil, winding between the mountains and the sea with views over the bays and islands. It is busy at weekends and holidays, and the surface can be broken in places, with landslides after heavy rain. The road to Trindade, a village of beaches and natural pools south of Paraty, is steep and twisty, and the road from Paraty up to Cunha, over the mountains, climbs very steeply through the forest, an old gold trail of the Estrada Real, now paved. Rain is frequent all year, and the roads become slippery.
Paraty has fuel, hotels, restaurants and shops, and it is the natural base for exploring the area. The historic centre is closed to vehicles, so park outside and walk, carefully, on the uneven stones. Try fresh fish, shrimp in coconut sauce and a caipirinha made with local cachaça. Take a boat trip to the bays and islands, where the water is warm and clear, a fitting end to a day's riding.