A short blog for you on surfing in Itamambuca, Brazil.
Back in my days working at the Belgium-based NGO WeForest, one of the projects I was working on was the Mata Atlantica (the Atlantic Forest) in the state of Sao Paulo, in Brazil.
Brazil: despite having lived on and off in Latin America for 9 years, I never managed to visit Brazil. Such a big country, that I had no idea where to start. And though I had left WeForest already half a year ago, the friendship between my former work colleagues was still strong and thus, we decided to go visit this magical area with some surf and remote work in the small town of Itamambuca.
Of course, as we all know, this is where the world started to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic and country after country took regulations and put their citizens in lock-down. I still am not quite sure if this made my experience of Itamambuca better or worse, the thing is: it was quite a little Paradise to be locked up.
So, this blog dedicated to the best local guide Ricardo (who took the initiative of going to Itamambuca in the first place and helped me sort out all of my logistics when my flights were canceled and I had to find a way back to lockdown Spain), to Dave (he was supposed to join us, but his flight from South Africa had gotten canceled even before getting to Brazil), to Angel (because Spanish surf-buddies forever!) and to my wonderful little temporary lockdown family at Bamboo Groove hostel!
Itamambuca
Basically, paradise on earth, Itamambuca is (in my opinion) the most beautiful of the 70 beaches that make up the municipality of Ubatuba. The combination of a steady wave, warm water (at least in the summer), the laid back vibe, the river and the Atlantic forest and mountains surrounding the town, adding to this sea turtles swimming around as you sit on your board make this a popular destination for people from all over Brazil, and the world.
The town borders the Serra do Mar State Park, one of the most important Atlantic Forest areas of Brazil, providing a home for thousands of animal species (with already over 250 species of native birds, such as toucans and many varieties of hummingbirds) and has the largest plant biodiversity on the planet.
The combination of the river bank with the sea makes it a perfect place for mangroves, as well as a rich marine life.
Surf paradise
If you´re into surfing, this is the place, as the title of this blog says: this is Surfing in Itamambuca in Brazil.
I have seen some places in this world, but the evening I sat on a surfboard, watched the mountainous Atlantic Forest reach the bright blue ocean, a rainbow that made the curve over the ocean and ended somewhere in the jungle, perfect waves rolling in and topped up with some sea turtles around, I just could not imagine that there would ever be a more perfect place to be right now.
The first days I rented a surfboard from Morro Boy Surf, super friendly people that can always be found on the beach. They also teach surf classes for very reasonable prices.
If you are planning on staying here longer, your best bet is to find a second-hand surfboard on Facebook Marketplace (there is quite some on offer) or even better… have a personalized one made by the local shaper Alexander Moliterno and find a way to transport it back to your home country, or sell of course).
Where to stay
I ended up staying in between Surfbase hostel and Bamboo Groove. At the time owned by the same Brazilian local, but now with two different owners. Of course, the situation was different. Since we were already in official lockdown, all accommodation was closed and thus the 8 people we were in the hostel, is the 8 people we stayed. We quickly started to feel like a little family, taking cooking turns.
Your best bet (or bed) is the shared dorm room, as they are reasonably priced. The single rooms are a tat expensive for what it is. Of course, I was lucky as I only shared the dorm room with my Belgian roommate Kelly, so it was basically a shared room.
What else is there to do around
You can also go canoeing or take a Stand Up Paddle out to the river. There are also some spots where you can jump off rocks and swim in little sweet water pools.
Another option is to go tracking or just walking through the preserved Atlantic Forest. One of the most famous tracks of the region is the Pico do Corcovado, in the Serra do Mar State Park.
Are you going up to Ubatuba (the bigger city close to Itamambuca) do make sure you stop at the Padaria Integrale bakery. Do not leave until you´ve had their pao de queijo (cheese bread). Seriously, the best thing you´ll have that week.
So there you go, some insights on what to do in a little town I have gotten to love. Due to or despite the worldwide pandemic going on.
I hope this information will get you on your way to go surfing in Itamambuca in Brazil
Ah and yes. I did make it back to Spain in the end. Despite some canceled flights and general logistical issues, but I will be back. That´s for sure!
