Saco do Mamangua

Mamangua is an inlet about eight kilometres long and only a few hundred metres wide, running inland behind Paraty with steep forested slopes on both sides, and the fjord description is a loose one - it was not carved by ice but drowned by rising sea level in a valley between granite ridges, so it is a ria rather than a true fjord. The effect at water level is the same: still water, walls of Atlantic forest, and almost no development beyond small caicara fishing communities and a few pousadas reachable only by boat. Mangrove fills the head of the inlet and is a nursery for fish and oysters. The Pico do Mamangua, a pointed hill of about two hundred and sixty metres above the entrance, is climbed in about an hour for the view down the whole length.

The landscape

• An eight-kilometre inlet - narrow, still water between forested ridges.
• Pico do Mamangua - an hour's climb for the view along the whole channel.
• Mangrove at the head - the oyster and fish nursery inland.
• Caicara communities - small fishing settlements reachable only by boat.

When to go

April to October. Two days.

Good to know

There is no road in, so everything runs on boat schedules or your own kayaking. The Pico trail is short but steep and slippery, with a scramble at the top. Pousadas inside the inlet are simple and need booking. Sandflies at dusk in the mangrove are serious.

Nearby

Paraty is over the ridge; Trindade is south along the coast.

Key facts