Santa Catarina - Lonely Planet

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Santa Catarina
POP 6.25 MILLION
Why Go?
Ilha de
Santa Catarina........... 285
Florianópolis.............. 287
The Mainland.............. 295
Joinville...................... 295
Blumenau...................298
Best Places to
Eat
¨¨Bistrô Santa Marta (p293)
¨¨Urucum (p307)
¨¨Bar do Arante (p295)
¨¨Basement English Pub
Life’s a beach. At least in sunny Santa Catarina, which boasts
560km of spectacular coastline. If you like your beach deserted, there is a spot of sand for you in the south of Ilha
de Santa Catarina. If you prefer a party scene, head further
north on that same island. If you’re all about big surf, it’s
up in Guarda do Embaú and Praia do Rosa, two absolutely
stunning surf villages south of Florianópolis.
Sun and sand aside, the inland regions are also where
Santa Catarina exhibits the profound influence of its German ancestry, most evident during Oktoberfest, Blumenau’s
huge festival for folk dancing, accordion playing and beer
drinking (mostly beer drinking). But the Alpine architecture
and fresh-brewed beer are here to enjoy year-round.
Like the other southern states, Santa Catarina enjoys
some of Brazil’s highest standards of living, with sound infrastructure and a blonde-haired, blue-eyed population that
often feels more European than latin.
(p302)
Best Places to
Stay
¨¨Janela de Márcia (p293)
¨¨Pousada Natur Campeche
(p294)
¨¨Pousada La Roca (p306)
¨¨Quinta do Bucanero
(p307)
¨¨Tucano House (p293)
When to Go
Florianopolis
Rainfall inches/mm
°C/°F Temp
40/104
20/500
16/400
30/86
12/300
20/68
8/200
10/50
0/32
4/100
0
J
F
M
Jan, Feb &
Oct Whether
Sommerfest or
Oktoberfest, Blumenau is awash
in beer and brat.
A
M
J
J
A
Mar & Apr PostCarnaval, the
sun still shines in
Florianópolis.
S
O
N
D
Jun & Jul Join
the Brazilian
celebration of
winter kitsch in
Santa Catarina’s
Serra Geral.
Ilha de Santa Catarina has a vibrant and varied coastline, from the calm, crowded bays
of the north, to the wild, cliff-hugging beaches of the south. But it’s not just the beaches
that make this island so enchanting. A forest of protected pines shelters the east coast,
while the dunes near Praia da Joaquina create a lunar landscape. The spine of mountains, luxuriant with the Mata Atlântica (Atlantic rainforest), drops precipitously down
to the lovely Lagoa da Conceição.
Though technically speaking, the whole island is Florianópolis, it’s downtown Floripa,
known as Centro, that is the political capital of Santa Catarina, the cultural capital of
southern Brazil and the gateway to the rest of
the island. The island’s bairros (districts) can
feel like completely different towns with their
own distinct personalities and infrastructure.
88 Getting There & Around
Florianópolis is the state’s transportation hub,
with direct bus and air services to every major
city in Brazil. Joinville also has direct air services
to São Paulo, with connections to other major
cities. Most destinations within Santa Catarina
are accessible from Florianópolis by bus service,
which is extensive and dependable.
BR
Xanxerê
Frederico
Westphalen
Barragem do
Passo Fundo
Chapecó
rra
Se eral
G
282
27ºS
Joaçaba
Concórdia
Erechim
BR
BR
470
282
o
lo
153
Cruz Alta
Passo
Fundo
Rio Grande
do Sul
ta
s
Parque
Urubici Estadual da
Serra
do
Parque Nacional
de São Joaquim Tabuleiro
São Joaquim
BR
158
29ºS
0
0
53ºW
100 km
50 miles
Caxias
Bento do Sul
Gonçalves
51ºW
Tubarão
Vacaria
116
BR
São José
Lages
Pe
Carazinho
BR
Rio do Sul
Florianópolis
Ri
BR
285
Ilha de São
Francisco
Barra Velha
Piçarras
Armacão
Balneário 27ºS
Camboriú
Porto Belo
Ilha de
Santa Catarina
Rodeio
Cambará
do Sul
Tainhas
S
Ge erra
ra
l
São Miguel
D'Oeste
São Francisco
do Sul
BR
49ºW 376
Joinville
Serra do MarJaguará
BR
BR
153
Santa
101
do Sul
Catarina Vale Europeu
BR
Blumenau
Caçador
116
51ºW
Pato Branco
Ilha do
Campeche
Guarda
do Embaú
Garopaba
Praia da Rosa
Imbituba
Laguna
Criciúma
BR
101
Araranguá
Parque Nacional de
Aparados da Serra
Torres
49ºW
29ºS
Santa Catarina Highlights
1 Sun, surf and snorkel
around the wild sands of
beautiful Ilha de Santa
Catarina (p285).
culture in the Vale Europeu
(p304).
4 Join the parade of
6 Snorkel in the
crystalline waters off Ilha do
Campeche (p294).
7 Bounce about the lovely
sophisticated surfer
atmosphere in stunning
Praia do Rosa (p306).
surfers and sun worshipers
wading through the Rio
da Madre to the stunning
beach at Guarda do Embaú
(p305).
3 Drink your way through
5 Say Prost! to the world’s
packed Parque Unipraias
in Balneário Camboriú
(p302).
2 Suck up the
Santa Catarina’s rich beer
third-largest Oktoberfest in
Blumenau (p298).
beach trifecta of Porto Belo,
Bombas and Bombinhas
(p307).
8 Beach-hop via the fun-
Santa Catarina IGLletting
hA
H
a D
de
E STanta
AhNeTA
r eC&ata
ATA
A rR
roIina
und
NA
In the 1820s, an independent Brazil realized
the importance of this region on the frontier
between the Spanish and Portuguese Americas. The emperor invited German-speaking
immigrants to develop the land and serve
as a buffer against Spanish insurgency. The
German immigrants – and Italians who followed – never adopted the plantation culture of the Northeast. Instead, the economy
was based on family-owned farms, a legacy
that lives on in the region’s egalitarian politics and equitable distribution of income.
53ºW
28 5
ILHA DE SANTA
CATARINA
History