São Francisco do Sul, Historical coastal municipality in Santa Catarina, Brazil
São Francisco do Sul sits on an island at the entrance of Babitonga Bay and connects to the mainland through a bridge. The municipality covers beaches, forested hills, and areas with dense construction around the old port.
Portuguese settlers founded the town in the mid-1600s and quickly turned it into an anchorage for ships sailing along the Brazilian coast. Over the centuries the municipality grew into a hub for trade in timber, mate, and other goods from the interior.
Residents move through the compact downtown for daily errands, while the houses with whitewashed walls and windows painted in bold colors recall the era when the port served as the only link to the outside world. On weekends the lanes fill with visitors who stroll through the shops and sample fresh seafood at the small restaurants.
Many streets in the historic center are narrow and paved with cobblestones, so walking is the easiest way to explore that area. Beyond the center paved roads lead to beaches and nature reserves accessible by car or bus.
The Acaraí reserve covers more than 6,600 hectares within the municipal boundaries and protects remnants of Atlantic rainforest along with mangrove forests. Trails cross parts of the park and allow encounters with birds, amphibians, and native plants that have become rare elsewhere.
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