Trindade: surf beaches and a natural pool
Trindade is a former fishing-and-hippie village about 25 km south of Paraty, tucked between rainforest mountains and a string of beaches that get progressively wilder and more beautiful as you walk south. At the end of the string is the Piscina Natural do Cachadaço — a giant rock-rimmed pool of calm, clear sea water that is many visitors' single favorite swim on the Costa Verde.
Getting there
It's about forty minutes from Paraty: south on the BR-101, then a steep, winding paved road down to the village. Local buses run regularly from Paraty's bus terminal and drop you in the village center. Driving, go early on summer weekends — parking fills, and the descent is slow behind buses. The village itself is simple: pousadas, beach-gear shops, açaí counters and barefoot restaurants.
The beaches, in walking order
Praia do Cepilho, first as you arrive, is the surf beach — boulders, breakers and board riders. Beautiful to watch, not the spot for a casual swim.
Praia de Trindade (Praia dos Ranchos) fronts the village: fishing boats, restaurants on the sand, moderate waves. This is where you'll eat lunch.
Praia do Meio, over a small headland, is calmer and prettier, with rock formations at each end and water that goes proper Caribbean-green on sunny days. Family favorite.
Praia do Cachadaço is the long wild one at the end — forest behind, surf in front, very few people midweek. The trail to the natural pool starts from its far end.
The natural pool (Piscina Natural do Cachadaço)
A ring of huge rounded boulders encloses a pool of sea water perhaps a hundred metres across, knee-to-shoulder deep, calm even when the ocean outside is rolling, and full of small fish — bring a mask. To reach it, walk the forest trail from the Cachadaço beach end (15–20 minutes, roots and rocks, fine in sturdy sandals) or take one of the small boats that shuttle from the village beach in season. Go in the morning: the light is on the water, the day-trip boats haven't arrived, and the pool is at its glassy best.
Practical notes
- Bring cash; cards work in restaurants but not everywhere, and signal is patchy.
- The surf beaches have real currents — respect the locals' advice about where to swim.
- Weekdays outside January are gloriously quiet; summer Sundays are not.
- Trindade sits inside the Serra da Bocaina National Park's coastal edge, so the forest is protected and the trails are maintained.
Make a day of it
From Château Portofino, Trindade is an easy day: down the hill, forty minutes south, beaches in walking order, lunch on the sand at the village, the natural pool after, and back over the hills before dusk. Pair it with the beach guide for the rest of the coast, or push further to waterfall country the next day. Trindade is pinned on the map.