Ubatuba has more than eighty beaches, and surfers say the exact number depends on how much you walk. The name is from the Tupi language and is often said to mean place of canoe-trees, referring to the big trees the Tupinambá carved into boats. Beyond the beaches, the town sits between the sea and the Serra do Mar, a steep mountain wall covered in Atlantic forest, one of the richest and most threatened ecosystems in Brazil. The result is a coast where you can swim in the morning, walk to a waterfall in the afternoon and see toucans at dusk.
In the sixteenth century this was Tupinambá territory, and the Confederation of the Tamoios, an alliance of Tupinambá chiefs who fought against the Portuguese, was based here. The old centre has a small colonial church and a handful of low houses by the harbour, but the town is mainly a laid-back holiday place, with surf shops, pousadas and open-air restaurants. Fishing boats still unload on the quay in the morning, and the fish market is a lively place to buy shrimp and squid.
The riding is excellent. The Rio-Santos highway, BR-101, passes through Ubatuba, rolling over headlands and descending to beaches in a ribbon of curves, with views of islands, and the surface is generally good. Another favourite is the Oswaldo Cruz road, SP-125, which climbs the Serra do Mar from the coast toward Taubaté with dozens of bends, forest, mist and tight hairpins. Mist and rain can make the mountain stretch slippery, so check conditions and avoid it after dark. The summer holiday period and carnival bring heavy traffic on the coast road.
Ubatuba is a town of nearly eighty thousand and offers fuel stations, workshops, supermarkets and every kind of restaurant. Try a moqueca, the fish stew with coconut milk, or a grilled fish with banana. Secure parking is easy at most pousadas. Insect repellent is a good idea in the evenings, and sunscreen is essential at the beaches. The best weather is from April to October, when the humidity eases, though the sea is warmer in summer.