If you’re an attentive reader, you may have noticed that we’ve written a lot about beaches here on São Paulo Secreto. After all, with summer knocking on our door, all we want more than anything is a little getaway to cool off on the coast! To continue our beach tips, we now bring you a short guide to Peruíbe, in the Baixada Santista metropolitan region.
The city is easily accessible from São Paulo, being about 139 kilometers, or two hours, from the capital. As well as a paradise island considered to be the “Caribbean of the São Paulo coast”, the town has the ruins of the oldest church in Brazil and is known as the National Capital of Ufology. You can even find a “ufological” tourism itinerary there! Check it out below:
What to do in Peruíbe (SP)?
Beautiful beaches
Much is said about the north coast of São Paulo, but there are also beautiful cities to explore along the south coast! Peruíbe, for example, has more than 30 kilometers of beaches, from the trendiest to the quietest and most family-friendly.
Praia do Arpoador, for example, lies within an ecological reserve and is accessible via nature trails, making it the perfect destination for adventurers looking for tranquillity. Praia do Centro , on the other hand, offers a long stretch of sand with an infrastructure of kiosks, bars and the like.
Visit the Caribbean of São Paulo, right there in Peruíbe!
The highlight of the town is Guaraú Island. It is about 3 kilometers off the coast of Peruíbe and can be reached by boat. Located in an environmental protection area, it is surrounded by Atlantic Forest and therefore offers a walk in the middle of nature.
Its crystal-clear waters allow you to admire the natural landscape while relaxing by the sea. Or, if you prefer, the place is also perfect for practicing water sports such as kayaking, snorkeling and stand-up paddle boarding. From the most relaxed to the most adventurous, everyone has something to do there!
Because of its natural beauty, the place has become known as the “Caribbean of Baixada Santista”. In other words, if you’ve always dreamed of bathing in Caribbean waters, this is the perfect opportunity.
Oldest church in Brazil
The seaside town isn’t just full of natural beauty. After all, there are the Ruins of Abarebebê, the remains of the Church of São João Batista de Peruíbe.
Built around 1540, it is considered the oldest church in Brazil and allows you to travel back to the colonial era.
National Capital of Ufology
Peruíbe hosts the annual Ufological Encounter, which brings together mystics from all over Brazil. And it’s not for nothing: some say that the town on the south coast is one of the most mystical in the country, so that it has become known as the “UFO beach”.
Many locals claim to see unidentified lights or paranormal beings on the beaches of Peruíbe, making it the city with the highest number of ufological sightings in São Paulo and, perhaps, in the whole of Brazil.
There are so many occurrences that the city has become the first with “ufological tourism”, that is, to study the supposed apparitions of extraterrestrials in the area. Some of the places on the itinerary are Guaraú Beach and the aforementioned Abarebebê Ruins.