Brazilian Road Trip to Ubatuba

Somehow I put my trust back in my Brazilian friend Alexandre for another road trip. Our last road trip

on his moto took us through Argentina like Che Guevara and similarly led to disaster.

Over four years later he picked me up in Sao Paulo and with a couple of his other friends he drove us five hours in an SUV to a beach town called Ubatuba.

Besides a few twisty roads and good conversation the ride was uneventful. The following morning we packed surfboards, chairs, and ourselves into the SUV to tour the different beaches in Ubatuba, a city of around 80,000 people.

I always enjoyed saying the name Ubatuba. The city feels more like a weekend getaway town for locals in the state of Sao Paulo to vacation in a relaxed beach town. You will find gelato shops, hotels, cafes, and many seafood restaurants. But outside of the city center are also many tropical beaches with soft sand, warm waters, and sometimes epic waves. You really need some kind of car to get around to all of the beaches and a boat to reach the nearby islands.

I don’t own a car at home but I would seriously consider looking at car loans

to find something reasonable for the many adventures that can be had in Brazil. You can drive to lookout points like this.

Or you can always swim across the ocean like we did.

Yes, three of us swam across the ocean to reach an island. As Alexandre is easily the craziest friend I know he suggested this and myself and other friend followed suit. It took us around an hour with lots of gulps of salt water. But the water was comfortable and we accomplished the possible!

As a reward we sat back and enjoyed the typical Brazilian treats like chile infused capirinas, acai na tigela, and fried seafood.

All the while we looked out at this view.

Or Alexandre and another friend climbing the boulders.

This was one of the fleeting moments of pure happiness. A small accomplishment, good company, tasty food and drinks, and a spectacular view.