Saco do Mamanguá - Brazil's only fjord!

A true exclusive paradise

I'd always heard about this Saco do Mamanguá, 10 years ago my uncle had already been to this paradise.
The reports, photos and the happiness in my eyes when talking about this trip filled my chest with the desire to do it. I still don't know why I always put off Saco do Mamanguá until later.
I finally managed to book this trip and visited the only fjord in Brazil!!!

Saco do Mamanguá is one of those places where you go to relax and forget about your problems.
We had a real technology detox during our time there! Even today, electricity is a luxury item, it has only recently arrived and in some places the generator is the main source of power.
You really have to go with an open mind and be willing to interact with nature.

Family refuge

We stayed at the Mamanguá Eco Lodge, where the generator was only turned on at 6pm and off in the early hours of the morning, so there was no need to spend hours on your cell phone or rely on the air conditioning until the morning.

As the structure is very basic, don't forget to go prepared, including with cash in hand, as some places don't accept cards and ATMs are impossible. Also be prepared for the lack of cell phone signal and, consequently, even if the establishment accepts cards, you may still be left in the lurch. In one situation we had to make a bank transfer on the basis of trust.

Okay, Cris, but where is this Saco do Mamanguá and what is a fjord?

Saco do Mamanguá is located on the Costa Verde in the municipality of Paraty and is a jewel of our country, both in terms of culture, which is predominantly caiçara, and geography.
Most of Paraty is located in Nature Conservation Units and, as a result, it is in this region that we find the largest preserved Atlantic Forest conservation area in Brazil.

Fjord

Fjords are a large sea inlet between high mountains.
The word "fjord" has Norwegian origins and means "safe harbor" in Portuguese, since the waters of fjords are usually calm and great for fishing, as well as serving as a nursery for various marine species.

However, fjords are usually found in icy landscapes near the Earth's poles.
Perhaps this is due to the curious formation back in the ice age.

Ice Age

At this time the earth's temperature dropped and the glaciers expanded while the average level of the oceans dropped.
The ice advanced through the warmer regions, digging into the surfaces they passed, like water does when it passes through a valley.
However, the action of the ice is much more violent! Digging up and creating places where water will take over in the future.
This action of the ice from the glacial period is known as glacial erosion and the result is narrow valleys with very steep walls around them.

When the ice age ended, the ocean waters rose again and the valleys were flooded, forming the famous fjords.
As the action of the ice was essential for this formation, finding the fjords near the poles is much easier.
But it's not impossible to find one of these here in Brazil, we have the beautiful fjord of Saco do Mamanguá, the only fjord in Brazil!

Magic that enchants!

In Saco do Mamanguá, the sea glows in the dark! That's right, when you move through the water at night, you can see a fluorescent light.
Igor sat on the pier, flapped his legs and we went to see this magic. Emmanuel went crazy when he saw the light coming out of the water.
What a privilege to see this up close! Don't miss out on this experience, it's simply sensational.
Plankton bioluminescence happens in only a few places in the world and we were lucky enough to be able to see it up close.

This phenomenon is actually the result of a biological effect caused by aquatic creatures that release cold light energy due to a chemical reaction.
Another place we've been where it's also possible to see this is Thailand, and this trip reminded me a lot of the country in many ways.

How to get there

Trail

There is no option to reach Saco do Mamanguá by car, the best option is to go by boat. There are day trails that take you to the Saco.
I had the pleasure of seeing one of them up close, from Laranjeiras, near Trindade.

But don't go thinking it's easy, the trail takes a long time and leaves you at the end of Saco, where you still have a long way to go before you reach any inhabited places.

Car

The closest you can get to Saco do Mamanguá by car or bus is Paraty Mirim, from where the boats leave for Saco do Mamanguá.

In Paraty Mirim there are several parking options, we stopped near the port and paid 10 reais a day.

Rio x Paraty Mirim

It's 264km of road and takes about 4 hours, almost all of which is on the BR101 highway, but be warned when you pass Paraty, the entrance to Paraty Mirim is 10km after Paraty at an exit on the left-hand side

São Paulo - Paraty Mirim

It takes 291 km and about 4 hours to drive along BR459 and BR101, where you will reach KM 548 and then find the entrance to Paraty Mirim on your right.
There are tolls on this route

Calculated by the Em Sampa website

Buses

You should take the bus to Paraty and from there go to Paraty Mirim, it's very close and only takes 40 minutes.
There are daily departures with the Colitur bus line from the Paraty bus station, but on Sundays the timetables are reduced.

Colitur Transportes

Boat from Paraty Mirim to Saco do Mamanguá.

There are many options for boats to take you from Paraty Mirim to Saco do Mamanguá.
We booked ours by phone, with the boat that the pousada itself recommended, Mr. Josias (24 99930-9140).

The average cost of this trip is R$120, which can be as much as R$150 per leg! The key is to negotiate or find friends to share the boat with.

Where to stay

Saco do Mamanguá, as you have already noticed, is not a very populated place and the accommodation options are not vast either.

Mamanguá Eco Lodge

This is where we stayed and, according to our research and experience, it has the best external structure in Saco do Mamanguá.
Beach right in front with stand-up paddleboards and kayaks available for guests, as well as sun loungers.
A vast green area with a lawn for jogging and playing sports, there's even a natural swimming pool.

There is also a games room with pool and table football.
Breakfast and dinner are included in the daily rate and the restaurant is also open to the public for lunch.

Mamanguá Refuge.

We passed in front of the pousada and I found it very beautiful and relaxing, there is a deck right in front of the property that makes up for the lack of beach.
They also offer Canadian canoes for touring the area.
Breakfast and dinner are included in the daily rate.

Mamanguá Beche Hostel

The hostel is almost next door to the Mamanguá Eco Lodge and is a good option for those who want a bit of excitement.
This is usually where the younger crowd and those looking for a lower cost stay.
I didn't visit the hostel.

Camping

It's right at the foot of the Sugar Loaf trail, known as Camping do seu Orlando.
I haven't seen the facilities and can't tell you about the prices.

Renting houses

I looked on AirBnb and found some options for renting houses in Saco do Mamanguá.
This was one of the options we found https://www.airbnb.com.br/rooms/20802143, but we didn't stay in or go near this particular house.

Restaurants

Dadico's Restaurant

It's the most famous in the region, and we reached it via a trail that left from our hostel and lasted about an hour.
We saw many boats stopping there while we were eating, but we found it expensive and poorly served, and the food wasn't very tasty.
We ordered a fish and it came with two very small pieces of fillet with rice and a bit of cheesy shrimp farofa.

It's not worth the experience, so be extra patient, especially if you're full! It took a long time and it was difficult to order our dishes, and many of the options had run out.
The little fish cost a trifle of R$80.00 reais.

Mamanguá Eco Lodge

As well as being an accommodation option, they have a very nice restaurant.
We liked it much better than Dadico's Restaurant, which is the most famous in the area.

The prices were similar, but the dishes were very well served. We paid R$135.00 for the moqueca, which was plenty.

Mrs. Maria

It's very close to the Sugar Loaf trail, and according to our boatman, the food is typical caiçara and delicious.
We didn't get to see it, so we'll leave it for another time.

Don't miss

Saco do Mamanguá is full of surprises, the landscape is rich and beautiful!
There are several biomes to visit, with care you will discover magical places, take advantage of the canoes to be enchanted by the deserted little beaches along the Fjord.

Mangrove

Enjoy the walk that takes you to the bottom of Saco, where there is a beautiful mangrove swamp, full of life and color.
It reminded me too much of Thailand on this trip, the places and landscapes are very similar.
It's an incredible contrast between the emerald green and the mangroves.

The best way to do this is by kayak, but if you have a motorized boat, you'll have to turn off the engines and row depending on the tide.
The tide is very volatile and the landscape changes abruptly as the water level changes.

Rio Grande Waterfall

The surprises are endless, the Rio Grande waterfall is right at the end of the mangrove swamp, we disembark and pass through the plantations of an old indigenous village.

Further on, we found some fun for the Tarzans on duty! Igor didn't think twice, he grabbed onto the rope and swung himself into the water.
The waterfall is further on and beautiful, we played for a long time! It has a large pool, so you can swim and have fun.

Sugar Loaf Peak

It's the first place we see and think of when we talk about Saco do Mamanguá.
You know that postcard photo? That's right.
From up there you can understand the whole geography of a Fjord and see how beautiful it is.
The trail is steep and usually hot, so don't forget water, sunscreen and a hat.
It takes an average of 1 hour to go up and 1 hour to come down.
We were going with our little one on our lap, but we left the hike until the last day and the weather turned, covering the peak.

We could only get a real sense of the Fjord with the drone.
We had an absurd desire to return to paradise just to do this trail, everyone says it's very worthwhile.

Caiçaras

Caiçaras are the inhabitants of traditional communities that have lived on beaches and islands from the south coast of Rio de Janeiro to the north of Santa Catarina.
Today we find the caiçara population in 17 municipalities in the region. They were formed from a mixture of Portuguese, Indian and slave descendants.
These communities live between the Atlantic forest and the sea, on beaches, estuaries, mangroves, sandbanks and lagoons and use natural resources in their way of life.

The caiçaras have maintained a territory rich in biological and cultural diversity, occupying territories for centuries without depleting or degrading it.
They are true guardians of the land and their culture is constantly changing, but they retain their traditional knowledge of natural resources.
Their culture is passed down from generation to generation, making them masters of the seas. They are great at translating the signs of the tides, the type of wind, the sea currents, and so they predict the weather almost 100%.

Caiçaras of Saco do Mamanguá

The caiçaras of Saco do Mamanguá are the purest mix of Indians, Portuguese and descendants of slaves. However, in Mamanguá, the proportion of slaves ended up being a little higher than in other communities in the southeast.

The reason for this was the great influence of African slaves from the Paraty region who, with the abolition of slavery in 1888, ended up settling in places close to Saco do Mamanguá, or even marrying locals.

Paraty

The Costa Verde region is beautiful, culturally and historically rich.
The city of Paraty was a strategic point in colonial Brazil, where a lot of gold and coffee produced in the interior of the country passed through.

To this day, we can still travel this route and have a lot of fun along the Estrada Real. The first landmark of this adventure is in the center of Paraty.

Curiosities

The exact date of the discovery of the Paraty region is unknown, much less Saco do Mamanguá
However, historians believe that it was between the 16th and 17th centuries.
There's no doubt that because it's so far-flung, important events are happening all over the place.
The first church in Paraty dates back to 1646, while the first church in Paraty Mirim was only built in 1720.
Facts reported by the German adventurer Hans Stadem lead us to believe that Saco do Mamanguá was known a little before that.
In 1554, Hans Stadem spent nine and a half months imprisoned in the village of Cacique Cunhambebe. He was kidnapped in Bertioga (SP) and taken by canoe to Ubatuba, not the São Paulo Ubatuba we know today.

The village of Ubatuba would have existed in the region of Ilha Grande or Angra, but on the way from Bertioga to the village, they stopped twice at a place that speculators believe to be in Saco do Mamanguá.
The German adventurer Hans Stadem managed to return home in 1557 and published a book recounting his adventures, including some very sinister rituals he saw during his time in the hands of the Indians.
Hans Stadem's book in Portuguese is called "Two trips to Brazil".

More curiosities

The first inhabitants of the Saco do Mamanguá region were the fearsome Tupinambás Indians, also known as Tamoios.
They occupied the entire coast from Cabo Frio (RJ) to Ubatuba (SP).
They were feared for their cannibalism rituals! It's not known for sure whether the cannibalism was just for revenge against their enemies, or whether they believed they absorbed the abilities of the dead by eating human flesh.
I was amazed when I studied the region and learned this detail, but it seems that in the 17th century, with the colonizers catechizing the Indians, these rituals ended.
I found this fact so curious that I ended up discovering that in addition to the Tupinambás, the Caetés who inhabited the coast of the northeast also practiced cannibalism.
This story of history is pretty crazy, isn't it? As well as being beautiful, this region managed to surprise me with the richness of our past.

Don't forget.

• Money
• Repellent
• Lantern
• Protector
• Hat
• Take care of your waste
• Walk only on marked trails, taking shortcuts can be dangerous and you can get lost.
• Respect the fauna and flora, taking only souvenirs and photographs of Saco do Mamanguá

Be sure to follow us on Instagram and enjoy all our trips in real time.
Ahhh we also have lots of news every week this way!
Or travel with us in our videos on YouTube!