Guarapari, ES - Brazil

The city of Guarapari is located on the coast of the state of Espírito Santo, at only 55km (34.18 mi.) from Vitória, the Capixaba* capital. It was founded in 1585, by Father José de Anchieta**. The self-called “Health City”, Guarapari has one beach of monazitic sands: the Beach of the Black Sand, the most famous and most visited beach of the city. It is believed that such sands offer medicinal qualities, with most notable effects in cases of rheumatism, arthritis and gout. To complete the feeling of well being of those who go to the beach, there are bars, kiosks and restaurants all over the border of the beach. Besides having beautiful beaches, such as the Castanheiras and Morro beaches, the city is greatly sought by the sportsmen who are into diving. The area offers great places for the practice of that activity. There are many accredited diving schools and professionals that offer tours and courses for the visitors who want to learn how to dive. * Adj. related to the state of Espírito Santo. **José de Anchieta (1534-1597) was a Spanish Jesuit missionary in Brazil, South America, in the second half of the 16th century. A highly influential figure in Brazil's history in the first century after its discovery on April 21, 1500 by a Portuguese fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral, Anchieta was one of the founders of São Paulo, in 1554, and Rio de Janeiro, in 1565. He was a writer and poet, and is considered the first Brazilian writer. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_de_An…).