The beaches of Anchieta alone are plenty of reasons to visit this municipality on the south coast of Espírito Santo.
But in addition to the beaches, Anchieta has important historical and natural attractions, original crafts, rural tourism and great cuisine, allowing visitors to stay for days in the land where São José de Anchieta lived.
I’ve even written a 1-day itinerary suggestion here on the blog. But it’s only a short time in Anchieta.
I recently returned to Anchieta, at the invitation of the Municipal Tourism Secretariat, for Tourism Week. I was able to see beaches again, discover new attractions and tourist circuits, and see the restored National Sanctuary of São José de Anchieta.
Here on the blog there are already several tips for Anchieta, but now with new information, I’m writing this post about what to do in this town on the south coast of Espírito Santo.
Enjoy the beaches
There are 23 beaches in Anchieta with various possibilities, no matter your profile. It has an urban beach and a beach with a conservation area, a longer beach and a small beach, a beach for those who like to surf, fish, dive or simply stroll and contemplate.
They are distributed over 30km of coastline and to make the most of them, due to their proximity, take as a reference the resorts of Ubu, Castelhanos and Iriri, in addition to the city center.
In my post about the beaches of Anchieta, there are details about them. And there is also a post just about Ubu beach.
Take a boat trip to the Salinas River Ruins
On one of your days in Anchieta, reserve the end of the afternoon for this tour. So, in addition to walking along the river and seeing the ruins, you will be able to watch a beautiful sunset.
Navigating through the calm waters of the Benevente and Salinas rivers within a Permanent Preservation Area, you will admire the mangrove landscape and the flight of herons until you arrive at an archaeological site.
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Photo: Renato Alves – ADETURCI |
In it, walking along a wooden walkway, you arrive in the middle of the forest where there are stone columns from the ruins of an old salt mine or a Jesuit building, we don’t know for sure. A very curious scenario. And on the way back to the port in Anchieta, you will enjoy the sunset spectacle.
The tour takes place on fishermen’s boats and leaves from the port of the fishing colony in the center of Anchieta. I did it with fisherman Carlinhos (27) 99881-1252.
Walk through the Historic Center next to the port
Next to the port of Anchieta, there is an older part of the city that many people don’t know about, but it is worth walking through its narrow streets and among centuries-old houses and townhouses that are part of the Historical Heritage. He so many is the House of Culture.
And this is all in the port area with the fish market and where there are kiosks that serve as more economical food options.
You can plan this tour for when you take a boat trip along the river, or when you visit the Sanctuary of São José de Anchieta. In fact, behind the sanctuary there is a staircase that goes up there.
Visit the National Sanctuary of São José de Anchieta
The city of Anchieta was one of the villages founded by Father José de Anchieta. The most famous Jesuit who lived in Brazilian lands. Due to his work, he became an Apostle of Brazil, he was Beatified and in 2014 he was canonized by the Catholic Church.
He not only founded the village that was named Retibiba, but also lived the last 10 years of his life. Therefore, in honor of him, the city was named Anchieta.
As in many places founded by the Jesuits, in Anchieta a church and residence were built by them. This 11th century building, listed as a National Historic Site, is the National Sanctuary of São José de Anchieta.
The sanctuary has the church dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption and the Interpretation Center (Museum) that operates where the Jesuits lived.
Last November, after 3 years of works, the sanctuary was reopened to the public fully restored. And I’ll say one thing, it’s so beautiful! Modern and interactive, but it has not lost the originality of the centuries-old construction.
And now it has a café, store and miracle room that it didn’t have before.
See in this 2012 post what the Sanctuary of São José de Anchieta was like before restoration and what my first impression was. But I can tell you that it has improved a lot and there will already be a complete post here on the blog about how it is now.
VISITATION:
The church and room where São José de Anchieta lived and died can be visited every day from 8am to 7pm and there is no charge.
The Interpretation Center is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm and admission costs R$6.00.
Discover the RDS Papagaio Headquarters Park
Residents and visitors now have an urban park in Anchieta. It is the RDS do Papagaio Headquarters Park with an area of 14,000m².
The park was recently opened and is actually the headquarters of the long-standing Sustainable Development Reserve, created in 2011.
In the park, visitors can follow a walking circuit, enjoy the viewpoints and the common area with tables for a snack (there is no snack bar). Children will love the playground and the sculptures of the species that live in the reserve, such as the parrot that gives the park its name.
The park also has a seedling nursery, auditorium and parking lot. Visits can take place every day from 7am to 6pm, and are free. Telephone: 28 3236-3767. Location see here.
Take the Immigrant Circuit
It’s difficult to leave one of Anchieta’s beaches. But set aside a day to visit the Circuito dos Imigrantes in the interior of the municipality where some communities develop rural tourism.
Well, Anchieta, in addition to the wonderful coastline, has an interior with incredible landscapes, waterfall, immigrant culture and traditions, curiosities such as the church with two patron saints, cachaçaria, and good food both served in the restaurant and homemade products from the Delícias de associations. Joeba and the Women of Silver.
And the restaurant tip is Don Bernardo with homemade Italian food cooked on the wood stove. It is open on Saturdays for dinner and Sunday for lunch. Tel: 28 99907-4371.
The circuit is well signposted, but when you go, contact the tourism department (28 3536-3667) for more information. The Circuit must be done with a car or a tour guide with transport, as there are no buses.
The main portal of the circuit is between Km 367 and Km 368 on BR 101. Take the opportunity to take a photo.
Eat a lot and well
It’s no wonder that some gastronomic festivals take place in Anchieta. You can eat very well there, whether on the coast or inland.
If you go in September you will be able to enjoy the Castelhanos Moqueca Festival. And if you go in October you will enjoy the Seafood Festival in Iriritwo of the main gastronomic festivals here in Espírito Santo.
I didn’t go in September or October, I went in November during Tourism Week and I had the privilege of discovering the festival dishes and other delicacies.
At lunchtime in Iriri, the Iriri Vivo Association brought together some restaurants participating in the festival with dishes from the last Iriri festival. So many delicious things!
On the same day the Castilians in Action Association He offered a dinner with moqueca, the star of their festival, and other dishes served in the bathhouse. I committed the sin of gluttony.
But if you don’t go to Anchieta during the festivals, don’t worry as you can find festival dishes at other times of the year. So, I’m going to list here the restaurants I discovered during this flavor marathon.
I already knew about gastronomic festivals. But a good surprise for me was the Aryabe Cafeteria close to the center of Anchieta. A different atmosphere and special coffees on the menu. From Wednesday to Sunday.
In Iriri: Portuguese Restaurant – Cozinha do Pescador Restaurant – Gilson Bar and Restaurant – Delícia Mineira Restaurant – Muvuca do Macarrão – Spettus Express – Empório Rerigtiba.
In Castelhanos: Batelão Restaurant, where the festival’s giant moqueca is made – Moqueca do João – Beer burg Bar – Mercado do Tião – Taberna da Praia – Quiosque do Grandinho – Taiyo Sushi Bar.
Anchieta offers several accommodation options both in the center and in the resorts. But on this last visit I stayed at Balneário de Iriri and I really liked it.
Iriri has some beaches and is very popular during the summer and holidays, becoming very busy, offering a good commercial structure, service and perhaps it is where the most accommodation is available in Anchieta.
My trip took place on an off-season and rainy weekend, and even so there was a certain nightlife with a bar and restaurant open.
Photo from the Coqueiros Parque Hotel website. |
I stayed in Coqueiros Praia Hotel. It’s a good accommodation option, without luxury, but with good service, clean facilities, spacious environments, rooms with air, fan, TV, minibar and Wi-Fi, but it didn’t work (network problem). There are 3 floors in addition to the ground floor, but be careful, there is no elevator.
The breakfast is very tasty with fruits, natural juices, homemade products such as cakes, some coming from the immigrant circuit. And if you want a scrambled egg, they make it right away.
For leisure, you can enjoy a small swimming pool, balcony, sand court and space for a barbecue.
It has ample parking, which is very good because it is well located on the main avenue of Iriri (Av. Dom Helvécio Gomes de Oliveira) and just over 100m from the beaches of Padrão and Costa Azul. Just stop the car and enjoy. I would stay again at Coqueiros Praia Hotel.
Here are four more accommodation tips that were used by other guests at the Anchieta Tourism Secretariat’s Tourism Week.
Hotel Maringá, also on Av Dom Helvécio Gomes de Oliveira.
Hotel Espadarte, on Areia Preta Beach.
Hotel Pontal das Rochas, on Costa Azul Beach.
Pousada Barlavento, on Costa Azul Beach.
Anchieta, in the south of Espírito Santo, is 80km from Vitória where the nearest airport is.
The access highways are BR 101 and ES 060 (the Rodovia do Sol) along the coast, both of which have tolls. The trip is more pleasant along the coast (ES 060), passing through Vila Velha and Guarapari.
By bus the option is Planet Travel which leaves Vitória Bus Station daily.
There are no companies in the city that offer tours or City Tours. In this case, you will already leave Vitória with an agency or Tourist Guide.
Tour Guide: Discover Espírito Santo with a guide. Make contact with me.
Accommodation: Make your reservations on Booking.com and travel with peace of mind.
Car rental: Are you going to rent a car? Get quotes from several companies on rentcars.com.
Airline ticket: You can buy it at Passagens Promo.