Morro De Sao Paulo.

I have been coming to Morro De Sao Paulo since 1993. And even if it has become more and more touristy over the years, it’s still my favourite spot in the world, for doing nothing but chilling out.

Low tide at Segunda Praia.

I have been to +85 countries in my life. And I travel more than 300 days a year, so I see a lot of beaches. I have come across a lot of beaches that I love, but Morro De Sao Paulo in Northeast Brazil is special to me.

Morro de Sao Paulo has no cars.

This is what a taxi look like at Morro De Sao Paulo.

The number one reason why Morro De Sao Paulo is just a little better than almost all other beach places is that the place has no cars. Many beach towns are destroyed by having busy highways right next to the beach. It’s noisy, you need to use land for parking lots and you just get all these annoying types who are not into the beach, but just want to drive their car up and down the street in the hope that someone will look at them and their car. I like to be in a place, where the only noise that wakes me up is the sound of the waves and the samba reggae from the nearest bar. And this is exactly what I get in this place.

The wheelbarrow capitol of the world.

Rush hour at Morro De Sao Paulo.

Because there are no cars on the island, due to the size of the place and the elevation, many tourists are not happy to carry their luggage from the pier, where the boats arrive, to the hotel where they are staying. That has created jobs for dozens of local guys, who transport luggage for the tourists in wheelbarrows to and from their hotel. It’s quite funny and quirky to watch all this constant wheelbarrow traffic coming through town and I just love it. More than 100 people get employment from something that creates no air pollution and no noise pollution.

Postcard like beaches.

Quarta Praia.

On Morro De Sao Paulo you have 4 main beaches and they are called number 1, 2, 3 and 4. Or in Brazilian Primeira Praia, Segunda Praia, Terceira Praia and Quarta Praia. The number 2 beach is especially pretty, as it curves just the way a real bounty beach should and has the palm trees put in a way that just makes it perfect. This has turned the place into a hotspot these days and some of my old friends from the early 1990’s will probably miss the days where we only had 3 little bars on the beach. But it’s still pretty, if you ask me.

And highrise construction has been kept away from the place. So I am not complaining. We still have the other beaches on the island, where you can escape the upper class crowd.

The main street on the island looks like this.

When I compare the place to some beach places like Patong in Phuket, Kuta in Bali and Surfers Paradise where the beaches don’t see sun for several hours a day because ugly highrise buildings block the sun. Then I am really happy that Morro has not gone down that alley.

I have also come across beaches in southern Brazil that has turned into condo nightmares. But because it is an island that has so much elevation that paved roads are quite hard to build, the place has stayed really nice.

Terceira Praia.

You also have the advantage that the island is mainly visited by Brazilians and other South Americans, giving it a Brazilian vibe. I’m not really into these islands where almost all the tourists are westerners and the people from the actual country you visit are only the people who serve you food and drink. Morro De Sao Paulo has more than 90% South American tourists and I love that. Brazilians and Argentinians are a great crowd to hang out with too.

The old town gate.

getting to Morro De Sao Paulo.

Morro De Sao Paulo is connected by boat with the big city Salvador. It’s a catamaran ferry that takes about two and a half hours. You can also go to the island from the smaller town Valenca, which is closer to the island.

There you can choose a fast boat or the slower boats that carry goods to the island. If you are prone to being seasick, then I would recommend taking the boat from Valenca as that is a fairly easy ride, while the catamaran ferry ride from Salvador can be quite bumpy.

This is the main square on the island.

So if you want a beach place, where you have tourist facilities like accommodation in all price ranges. A good choice of restaurants. A decent nightlife. But you prefer to avoid traffic noise, Mc Donald’s, highrise buildings and such. Then I would recommend this wonderful little place.

It’s touristy, but it’s touristy in a way that I don’t mind.

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Claus.

Shaking drinks in the street at night.

Laid back life in Northeast Brazil.

The local parking lot.

One of the many nice little Pousadas in Morro De Sao Paulo.