Florianopolis

After a 19 hour bus journey from Sao Paulo, I finally arrived to Florianopolis, or known as Floripa by the locals. It's an island with a huge lagoon in the centre so you're constantly surrounded by water.

Accommodation: Geckos Hostel. The hostel is social but it's not quite living up to Casa Viva. It's also the first time on the trip I've had to cook myself breakfast. Although it was originally opened by a Dubliner so I have to have a soft spot for it.

Day one, again I brought the rain. It was an excuse to have a lazy morning before heading to watch the Brazilian match. I went with the hostel to watch it at the Public Market which is a large indoor market in the city centre. It was incredibly atmospheric heightened by the fact Brazil beat South Korea 4-1. Who knew I could be such a soccer fan.
Day two, the weather finally improved. I walked an hour along the lagoon to get to one of the most popular beaches on the island, Praia Mole. It's also the first day of the trip that I've been a little sick, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.
Day three and four were spent with my Portuguese roommates Íris and Rita. We hiked, caught an evening swim, had fresh oysters for lunch and melted in the sun reaching a viewpoint. But the view was completely worth it.
You could spend an age in Floripa. There's plenty to do if you delve into all the hikes and watersports on offer. I feel like I've only scratched the surface on all there is to do but I'm satisfied with how I've spent four days to crack onto Iguazu.

Recommendations:
Hike- Trilha dos Naufragados. It takes you to a secluded beach and you hike back the same path.
Trilha da Lagoinha do Leste. Takes you to a beach where you can climb to a view point.
Beaches- Praia Mole and MatadouroLeia mais