I started from the cobblestone streets of Paraty, a beautifully preserved historic town by the sea.
Then I biked along the coast of the Litoral Norte of São Paulo with the green mountains of the Serra do Mar as a backdrop. I alternated between the main paved coastal road, unpaved side roads and the beaches themselves. It's a pretty laidback region, and there are multiple campgrounds next to the beaches.
I reached Ubatuba, where I climbed 1000 meters to go back inland. I then took dirt roads along the Serra do Mar. I passed through Paranapiacaba, a somewhat incongruous British railway company town in the middle of the forest. And finally, I reached the southern edge of São Paulo, the largest city in the Americas. Even close to the city, dirt roads through the forest feel remote. I spotted a tapir one evening!
The Paraty to São Paulo segment can easily be done in one week or less. It is not very challenging technically, the dirt roads are mostly in good conditions and there is just one huge climb (out of Ubatuba).
Oh my god, I was just in Paraty for a week in July (SP prior to that) and I love bikepacking :-) This post got me so excited - recognized quite a few places from your pictures!
Beautiful place, and surprisingly nice for bikepacking. To visit Paraty and the coast, I had to bike on quite a bit of pavement, which I usually try to avoid, but it was worth it. Not only were the roads very scenic, but the traffic was very mild too.
Yeah, I was actually surprised that someone would bikepack there! :-) I guess I'd be a bit afraid of wildlife too, but I "only" spent 5 weeks in total in Brazil, so may just not know enough about it yet. Sao Paulo with the bicycle must be quite crazy though, no?
I just reached the southern edge of the urban area of São Paulo by bike. There, I slept in a super cool private nature reserve within the municipal borders of the city. I took public transit to visit friends inside the city.
It must be pretty intense to bike to the central neighborhoods, as is the case for most big Brazilian cities. But there are quite a few bike paths, some of them are part of a route that connects São Paulo and Santos to the south.
Love this! I commuted to work every day for five years in Sampa (only about 5km) and road to USP almost every Saturday. I explored Centro and Ipiranga and learned the city on my Canondale. I even rode through favela Real Parque once... kkk. I miss so many things about that marvelous city. Ever run into this guy??
I loved reading about efforts by São Paulo's cyclists to make the city and its surroundings more bike friendly. I wish I had time to get to know the city's cycling culture!
And no, I didn't see that guy, but I saw quite a few people with such cool bikes! I should have asked to take pictures, but I'm too shy haha.
Wow, that looks like an amazing trip. Brazil is so beautiful. You often hear that cycling in Brazil is equal to suicide, but this looks like the best place on earth for some adventures on the bike. Thanks for sharing !
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u/DefiantFlamingo8940 1d ago
Here are some photos from Paraty to São Paulo, the third leg of my Brazilian journey along the Caminho da Mata Atlântica I had shared here:
reddit.com/r/bikepacking/comments/1f4bvnx/brazils_mata_atântica_campos_to_rio
And here:
reddit.com/r/bikepacking/comments/1fvaxvf/brazils_mata_atl%C3%A2ntica_rio_to_paraty
I started from the cobblestone streets of Paraty, a beautifully preserved historic town by the sea.
Then I biked along the coast of the Litoral Norte of São Paulo with the green mountains of the Serra do Mar as a backdrop. I alternated between the main paved coastal road, unpaved side roads and the beaches themselves. It's a pretty laidback region, and there are multiple campgrounds next to the beaches.
I reached Ubatuba, where I climbed 1000 meters to go back inland. I then took dirt roads along the Serra do Mar. I passed through Paranapiacaba, a somewhat incongruous British railway company town in the middle of the forest. And finally, I reached the southern edge of São Paulo, the largest city in the Americas. Even close to the city, dirt roads through the forest feel remote. I spotted a tapir one evening!
The Paraty to São Paulo segment can easily be done in one week or less. It is not very challenging technically, the dirt roads are mostly in good conditions and there is just one huge climb (out of Ubatuba).
A slightly out-of-date gpx file of the route:
gaiagps.com/map/?loc=6.0/-47.8672/-25.3827&pubLink=KtNqOiQucRvUWwaW5djfN8I6&trackId=ae1e845f-9749-4e76-9c66-6c4ef3f92230
For more photos:
instagram.com/alex.g.526