Cruising Hidden Brazil

Cruising the east coast of Brazil you’ll discover tropical anchorages, unique animals and extradentary cities. The ultra-green vegetation of the Fernando de Noronha is the perfect backdrop for you first morning swim after arriving on the coast. The lush green carpet extended from the top of the striking Morro do Pico peak to the golden beaches below.

You’ll be sure to see dolphins pirouetting out of the water while you’re diving to take a closer look at the volcanic archipelago’s residents. You’ll also see an abundance of turtles, elegant frigate birds and acrobatic gannets all feeding in these fertile waters.

Fernando de Noronha, about 217 miles off mainland Brazil, is ideally situated on your route to Salvador de Bahía and looks like an oasis in a blue desert. Hopefully you can communicate in Portuguese as you’ll have to check in with the harbourmaster before you enjoy the features and facilities of the island.  The beach is magical, and rarely will you see such an idyllic spot with coconut-laden palm trees completing the picture of a tropical paradise.

You may want to spend 2 – 3 days on the island enjoying some relaxation before you venture onto Salvador de Bahía, which will take a few days. The nice thing about the cruise from Fernando de Noronha to Salvador de Bahía is that you’ll be stocked with fresh fruit, vegetables and the fish practically jump into your yacht while the scenery will continue to amaze.

Salvador de Bahía is famous for whale watching so you may be lucky to see a whale breaching as you cruise into the harbour. You’ll come into a large bay lined by high-rise apartment buildings, which made the metropolis seem like a tropical version of Manhattan. There are some issues in this city but the historic centre boasts colourful colonial buildings, monumental churches, and museums, but heavily-armed military policemen are abundant. So stay in your car and have some security or just stick to exploring the bay on your yacht.

You can drop anchor at Ilha de Itaparica where there are usually a dozen other cruisers. It’s well sheltered and known to be safe. There is even a marina, which you can leave your tender. In the small village there are supermarkets, restaurants and even a public standpipe where locals and cruisers alike could fill their bottles and jerry cans. It was in stark contrast to the city on the other side of the bay.

Cruising further south we find the friendly hamlet of Gamboa where you’ll find the small village of Morro de São Paulo with its winding paths and tropical breeze. Even further south, in the bay of Camamu, you’ll find another idyllic anchorage at Ilha de Goio.

On your way to Rio de Janeiro you’ll cruise past the Abrolhos Islands and a few smaller uninhabited islands which are all very tropical and full of coconut trees so be sure to fill up on coconuts for the journey. As you approach Rio de Janeiro, the Sugarloaf Mountain will loom into view as will the large, iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer, brightly lit, looking down on you from afar as you cruise into Niteroi, just across the bay from Rio.

Here you can moor in the upmarket yacht club, Charitas, and after checking in you can take a nice dip in their huge pool. You can play all day and then take a ferry across the bay to the centre of Rio to visit the Capitania for the necessary paperwork or you can do that first but either way it must be done to remain legal while you travel. While in Rio you can stroll through the hip residential area of Santa Teresa, admire gigantic trees in the botanical garden and visit Christ the Redeemer to get a good view of the city, bay and beaches.

This is just the start of your Brazilian adventure where the sometimes wild, dangerous, epic and unique people, wildlife and scenery will amaze and delight the heart of the venturer. 

Article created by Torrens Luxury Collection, Gold Coast Australia. For more Luxury Yachting articles and blogs just go to www.torrens.yachts/blog or contact us on 1300 148 648. TORRENS LUXURY COLLECTION – Brokers of the World’s Finest Assets.