Serra do Mar

Adventure Tours / Brazil – São Sebastião is a section of Serra do Mar State Park and part of the municiple of the same name, on São Paulo's north coast. It is dominated by the impressive Serra do Juqueriquerê, local name given to a portion of the Serra do Mar mountain chain in this region. The plateau of Juqueriquerê presents elevations between 600 and 750 m, standing out the Serra do Dom, with peaks above 800 m.

The important geografical feature in front of the coast, was denominated Ilha de São Sebastião (Ilhabela) by Américo Vespúcio, on January 20, 1502 (see history). According to the narrations of Hans Staden, Boiçucanga divided the Tupiniquim from the Tamoio / Tupinambá territories. During colonial Brazil, São Sebastião was part of the Santo Amaro captaincy, conceded to Pero Lopes, the younger brother of Martim Afonso de Sousa.

The ground of the captaincy was distributed in form of sesmarias, standing out the sesmaria of Diogo de Unhate and João de Abreu, conceded in 1603 and 1609. In it developed a little settlement which became a village in 1636 and which nowadays represents the historical center of the city of São Sebastião.

São Sebastião offers serveral historical trails for ecological hiking and mountain bike tours. They connect the coastal plains with the highland and were formerly used by Indians, colonists / bandeirantes, muleteers, hunters and pilgrims. One of the most important ones is the old Estrada Dória (nowadays Rio Pardo) which was opened in 1832 and connected São Sebastião with the church of São José do Paraitinga (actual Salesópolis) – Brazil Travel / Mata Atlântica.

See also: Trails & Tours