The backyard of São Paulo 8 | Guarujá island adventure and three-beach trek
For those craving an exciting adventure, Guarujá island is a must-visit! Here you’ll find three beaches with different landscapes, an island accessible only at low tide around noon, and challenging jungle waterfall trails—perfect for adventure enthusiasts.
🚗 Transportation
· Self-drive/taxi: About 1.5 hours from the city center to Bertioga. Navigate to Balsa Bertioga-Guarujá pier
· Free ferry: Available for cars and pedestrians, runs about every half hour during the day, operates 24 hours, with fewer trips at night
· Timing: To see the waterfalls and reach the island, it’s best to arrive at the ferry point by 11 AM and get on the island before noon. Allow at least 5 hours for the round trip and exploration
📍 Route
🅿️ There is a paid parking lot after boarding the island. Next to it is the hiking trail start point, locate Trilha Praia Branca (White Beach Trail)
️ ⛱️1: city view
Start on a man-made stone path. At the fork, take the dirt path down to reach the first beach, Praia de Armação das Baleias. This is the closest small beach to the city, offering distant city views
🏖️ 2: wade to the island
Return to the fork and follow the stone path in the other direction to reach the second beach, Praia Branca. At low tide around noon, you can wade to the island:
· On the right side of the beach is an island you can wade to at noon, with water below knee level. When we reached the island at 2:30 PM, the water was just at knee height; by after 3 PM, it had risen to waist level; by 5 PM on the return, the water path had completely disappeared (likely over the head). Swimming nearby is not recommended because waves from two directions converge here, creating large, dangerous surf.
· It’s best to wear a swimsuit and go barefoot to the island, then put on quick-dry pants and creek shoes for climbing. The island requires climbing very wild terrain: first large boulders, then an almost 80-degree, 10-meter-high slope where you must climb using tree roots, vines, and branches; then a narrow trail only wide enough for one person, surrounded by many thorny plants, like a "special forces training" or "survival island" challenge; at the top, there are large boulders in different directions where you can sit and enjoy the view
️ 🏝️3: jungle beach waterfall loop
The trail entrance is at the far right of the second beach. Walk 20 minutes to a fork, first go down to the third beach; return to the fork and then go up to find the jungle waterfall, finally returning to the second beach. By then, the tide has risen, splitting the previously connected long beach in two. You need to take another roughly 300-meter jungle trail, then return the same way to the ferry point.
This is the wildest trail: many tree roots waist-high, oddly shaped trunks and branches, and moss-covered boulders several meters long blocking the narrow dirt path, requiring difficult maneuvers to cross; some sections are very slippery due to water flow and require great caution.
We encountered a highly venomous but shy coral snake on the trail (very thin, about the thickness of a bubble tea straw, less than half a meter long, but brightly colored)
🎒 Gear to bring
Creek shoes, quick-dry pants, swimsuit (for wading), insect repellent, trekking poles, sunscreen, water and snacks, waterproof phone case, waterproof bandages