Current Time in Guarujá, Brazil

Guarujá is a coastal city in the state of São Paulo in south-eastern Brazil, occupying most of the island of Santo Amaro on the central Paulista coast. It faces the open Atlantic on one side and is separated from the port city of Santos by a narrow channel on the other, with forested hills, granite headlands and a succession of sandy bays giving the island its shape. The nickname Pearl of the Atlantic has been attached to it for more than a century.

Around three hundred and twenty thousand people live in the city permanently, but the population swells enormously in summer and at holidays, when visitors arrive from São Paulo and the interior. Tourism is the main economic activity, supported by fishing, port-related services and a large construction sector, and Guarujá is one of the best-known beach destinations in the state.

The island was among the first parts of Brazil sighted by Portuguese navigators, and a fort was built at the entrance to the Santos channel to protect the harbour from pirates and rival powers. For centuries it remained a place of small fishing settlements and sugar estates. Modern Guarujá dates from the end of the nineteenth century, when a railway and a grand hotel opened the beaches to wealthy visitors from São Paulo, creating one of the earliest seaside resorts in Brazil. It became an independent municipality in 1934.

The city has more than twenty beaches, each with its own character. Pitangueiras is the busiest, lined with hotels and shops, Enseada is the longest and most popular with families, and Tombo is the surf beach, recognised as a World Surfing Reserve. Quieter coves such as Éden and Iporanga lie beyond the forest. The Fortaleza da Barra Grande, built in the sixteenth century and rebuilt later, guards the channel and is open to visitors, while the Morro do Maluf viewpoint gives a panorama over the whole coastline. The Serra do Guararu preserves a large area of Atlantic rainforest with trails and waterfalls.

Life in Guarujá is shaped by the sea. Fishing boats land their catch each morning, seafood restaurants line the promenades, and surfing, stand-up paddling and beach football are constants. Carnival, the Festa de São Pedro Pescador with its procession of decorated boats, and a busy summer calendar of concerts fill the year. The contrast between luxury condominiums and working-class neighbourhoods on the hillsides is a visible feature of the city.

Transport depends on the highways from São Paulo, which reach the coast in about ninety minutes, and on the ferry that crosses the channel from Santos, one of the busiest ferry services in Brazil. A bridge project to replace it has been under discussion for decades. Buses connect the districts, and the airport at Guarulhos is around two hours away.

Education includes technical colleges and campuses of private universities, with the major institutions of Santos and São Paulo nearby.

Guarujá is popular because it puts a long chain of Atlantic beaches, rainforest hills and colonial fortifications within easy reach of South America's largest city.