JUSTIN YOUNG

Our Brazilian friend Adnan who lives in San Francisco said Guarda do Embaú (map) is a must see place if you are in the Florianopolis area. It’s about 50km from the city centre and it takes 1-3 hours to get there. 3 hours in our case, because of course, they were setting dynamite charges in the hillsides along the highway. We spent two hours waiting around with 40 truckers, a few families, and a guy selling car phone chargers. Then finally, they let us pass! We made the turn onto an old cobblestone road and saw the sign for Guarda do Embaú!

Road to Guarda do Embau, Brazil

We drove into town and checked out the various pousadas for the best place to stay. We chose the Pousada Da Preta, which is right in the center, close to the beach and places to eat and drink. We got a two bedroom place for R$150, roughly $30 per person. All places in Brazil seem to charge you per person, most of them give you a seriously home cooked breakfast included in the price.

Pousada Da Preta - Guarda do Embau, Brazil

The town has a rustic, island style feel, all cobblestone and dirt roads, lots of oxidized painted wooden buildings. Everyone is very laid back in town, and there’s lots of beach goers, surfers, and nomads selling handmade jewelry. Here are some photos of the town:

Guarda do Embau, Brazil

Guarda do Embau, Brazil

Guarda do Embau, Brazil

Guarda do Embau, Brazil

Guarda do Embau, Brazil

Guarda do Embau, Brazil

GuardaMon - Guarda do Embau, Brazil

Little Buddy - Guarda do Embau, Brazil

You can’t walk to the beach in Guarda, you either have to swim or take a boat. A small lagoon separates the town and the ocean. Water taxis shuttle people back and forth for R$2.

Lagoa, Guarda do Embau, Brazil

Lagoa, Guarda do Embau, Brazil

Water Taxi, Guarda do Embau, Brazil

Main Beach, Guarda do Embau, Brazil

When you get out to the main part of the beach, there’s a few stands that sell food and drinks and rent things like chairs and umbrellas. The best surf is directly out front, and this is where i got the best surfing during the week. Local buses from Floripa drop people off here, so the main beach can get crowded during the day, but when you look down to the south, it’s completely pristine beach and sand dunes. Nothing but water, sand, and bird parties. We could have easily stayed here for a week.

Bird Party! - Guarda do Embau, Brazil

Guarda do Embau, Brazil

Guarda do Embau, Brazil

And finally here are the post cards:

Wish You Were Here! - Guarda do Embau, Brazil

Wish You Were Here! - Guarda do Embau, Brazil - Beach Panorama