The beach of Lagoinha do Leste is a hidden paradise only accessible by foot or boat. It is a remote natural place, with clean sparkling waters but even if you think you are alone, there might be someone suddenly walking out of the bushes …
It’s true, some people find the beach so fascinating that they decided to live there, in permanently set-up tents, catching drinking water from the nearby streams and most probably fishing their dinner.
But first things first. To get there, you can either start your hike from Praia do Matadeiro or from Praia do Pântano do Sul. That is the one we choose because it only takes and hour to cross the hill that surrounds the beach.
It was rather a muddy walk, full of small streams crossing the path, at times covering it completely. Perhaps because of the rainy weeks/months in the past that – hopefully – ended! What’s good is that if you feel tired from the mid-day sun, you can always refresh yourself at one of the small waterfalls and pools that can be found on the way.
After crossing over the top of the hill, we were granted a few peaks of the beach, just to keep us motivated on what was awaiting us. A river meandering lazily through the valley on the east side of the hill and slowly finding its way into the sea.
But we were motivated to climb some more, this mountain that could be found on the southern part of the beach. Its rugged rocks looked so tempting. 🙂
By trial and failure we struggled in the mud for a while, getting our feet and legs completely covered with it. Yet, instead of the trail up, we only found little tent-like homes of the local wild people. One last try was a traverse climb on the coastline rocks, both fun and challenging.
And up we were, suddenly free to climb towards the summit, this time with dry foot. And the view? Adorable! Though my hiking buddy rested just there, with no desire to climb higher (which he regretted later), I couldn’t leave this mountain unclimbed. The summit picture is a bit, well, windy: 🙂
And after climbing down, we could finally rest and enjoy the beach. Take a swim perhaps?
Practical info:
Difficulty level: Easy/medium, 3 – 4 hours walk from Matadeiro beach, 1 hour from Pântano do Sul.
To take with: Good hiking shoes make walking easier but the hike can be done in flip-flops. Swim suit, repellent perhaps. No white clothes, get ready to face some mud. If planning to stay over night, hammock or tent, sleeping bag, enough drinking water or water purification drops or pills and some food or fishing equipment.
How to get there: Any bus or a car lift (in Portuguese called “carona”) heading towards south-eastern part of the Santa Catarina island, you can start the hike either from Praia Armação or further south, from Pântano do Sul.
Other treks in the area: Barra da Lagoa – Praia da Galheta, Stormy night at Lagoinha do Leste, A natural massage under a waterfall at Lagoa do Peri, Trilha para Costa da Lagoa, From Santinho to Moçambique beach, The Trail of Three Secret Beaches, Barefoot walk to Naufragados.