About Us
Brazil Trails, your local connection in Florianópolis, the island paradise!
Brazil Trails is a local tour operator that offers an online accommodation booking service for beach and adventure holidays in Florianopolis, the island paradise off the southern Brazilian coast renowned for its vibrant culture, subtropical climate, beautiful beaches and festive nightlife.
The friendly English speaking staff are readily available to take you on kite surfing tours, yoga lessons, hikes through native Atlantic forests, surfing lessons, surf camps, snorkeling, scuba diving, paragliding, white-water rafting and other active pursuits as well as free time to relax on the beach.
Renata Asprino, the founder of Brazil Trails, arrived for the first time in Florianopolis in the late '80s and immediately fell in love with the exuberant nature of the island. But that was just the first of her many vacations on the island until she could finally afford her lifelong dream of living there and setting up a business. This allowed her to be in close contact with the scenic nature that today fascinates everyone who arrives in the capital of Santa Catarina State, and also to promote sustainable tourism on the island.
Brazil Trails officially started its services in 2005, and since then it has been developing a network of the best located and most sustainable Florianopolis hotels and lodgings, a staff of native English-speaking guide specializing in their own individual tours, a variety of tours that explore the best attractions that Floripa has to offer, and a locally based staff always ready to give advice on great places you shouldn't miss on the island.
One of our favorite activities in Florianópolis, is the Costa da Lagoa Hiking. Starting the trail at Lagoa da Conceição little centre, the tour will get you along the beautiful Lagoa da Conceição, one of the most famous places in Florianópolis. After about one and half hour you get to Costa da Lagoa, a beautiful fisherman village, which is acceddible only by boat or by trail. The village is located by the lake, where there is also a beautiful waterfall and many fresh seafood restaurants. Coming back by boat is a great option, with the chance to enjoy the beautiful landscape.
Lagoa da Conceição little centre is around 5 km from the Pousada Bangalôs da Mole, where we recommend you to stay. The pousada is situated at Praia Mole, another place you must know. It’s one of the best beaches in Floripa, with great waves for surfers, beautiful people and an incredible view.
With Brazil Trails team, you will experience the real Brazilian way of life, since we are passionate about nature and this island where we chose to live, and we would like to show it all to you. We want you to make the most of your vacation, so that you have the best time and keep the best memories of your holiday in Brazil.
The Brazil Trails and WHL connection
When Brazil Trails heard about how WHL conducted its business practices (focusing on sustainable tourism, independent travellers, developing small operators and locally-run hotels) it was obviously a perfect match.
Brazil Trails is very focused on promoting sustainable tourism practices on the island, because its main goal is preventing the damages that mass tourism, as well as the real estate business, is doing to the island.
The island's environment is extremely fragile and it is suffering already from being one of the most desired tourism destinations in Brazil, as well as one of the favorite places to live in the country. Brazil Trails is very active in trying to preserve natural areas from the ongoing unscrupulous real state business on the island.
About Florianopolis
Florianopolis is blessed with a spectacular combination of natural beauty, with 42 beaches surrounded by green mountains, world-class nightlife, sophisticated dining, exotic Brazilian culture, and a safe and charming ambiance that tends to enchant visitors from the moment they arrive on the island.
The island environment offers the visitor an incredible variety of things to do in Florianopolis. Activities include whale watching, hiking to wild beaches, old historical sights or waterfalls, bars on the beach where you can have the famous typical Brazilian açaí or a caipirinha, or simply enjoy some fresh seafood while relaxing.
Although the diverse scenery in Florianopolis is a good enough reason for you to come and visit us, the island has much more to offer. The little charming downtown called Lagoa da Conceição offers lively bars, shops selling everything from local crafts to international brands, a huge variety of restaurants, and world-class night clubs. An evening walk in the Lagoa area is a great option for relaxing while having a fresh juice or a Brazilian espresso and doing some people watching.
And at night don't miss the incredible Florianapolis restaurants that vary from the typical Brazilian barbecue (called churrasco) and typical seafood restaurants, to Thai, Japanese, Italian, and many others. Later on, we are sure you can gather enough energy to go to one of the great nightclubs in town. Be ready to dance to your favorite songs or to experience the famous samba!
Florianopolis has been awarded on many occasions for its role as the state capital with the best quality of life in Brazil. At the same time, the island has all the comfort of a lively and developed urban centre, the sea, mountains, lagoons and a large, well-preserved portion of the Atlantic Forest that make up the island's beautiful scenery. The island is about 90 km long and 18 km wide.
Surveys show that ten out of ten visitors leave the place very happy and pleased. In many cases, they become so fascinated by Florianopolis - land of the famous tennis player Gustavo Kuerten - that they justify the island's slogan: The Island of Magic. Its beauty really puts a spell on people.
