A UNESCO-preserved fishing village between forest and sea.
In tupi-guarani, Picinguaba means “fish shelter” (“refúgio dos peixes”). Pousada Picinguaba is located in a tranquil bay at the heart of the Atlantic Forest Natural Park – a tropical seaside forest that extends from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo – within a small fisherman’s village in the Ubatuba region and a half hour away from Paraty. To the eyes, Picinguaba emerges as an entryway to a Brazil of decades past. At Picinguaba, everything appears to be in perfect harmony. The soft strength of the breeze moves boats that redesign the line of the ocean horizon with every sunset, and makes tree leaves flutter in the wind. People here are knowledgeable of the land and the sea, find nourishment in the nets of local fisherman, respect the desires of the earth.
Our
food
From the nets of the local fishermen to our table.
Fish still salty from the sea are only a short walk away from the kitchen. Every year and season comes with its own offerings: anchovies, baquara and carapeva; sororoca in the winter, mas pargo, vermelho, robalo (snook) and garopa year-round. They are grilled, baked, and boiled. Seu Cirilo, a Picinguaba resident, keeps our farm overflowing with bananas, cacao, manioc root, cambuci, hearts of palm and whatever else pops up in his backyard. Fresh organic vegetables and fruits are brought from Fazenda Catuçaba. Neighborhood fishermen, who are friends of the Pousada, bring us Picinguaba’s famous fresh scallops, and sometimes even stick around to open them for guests.
Guardians
The people who are the original heritage of the place.
Our guardians are our people — people who were born here or who made this place home. At the fishermen’s village, all embrace the riches kept by the Brazilian earth and sea. Guardians are those who cherish the desire to settle here, to protect and preserve the the traditions of simple living and warm welcomes.
Our Philosophy
To honor the philosophy of connecting guests to nature, local culture and history, our accommodation does not carry televisions, fridges, telephones or internet service. We believe in profound experiences that instead connect us to the natural world and our inner essence. We are non-smoking places and we do not serve industrialized food such as sodas and meat that are not locally produced at the farm.