Gruta das Encantadas

Sea cave at the southern tip, source of the village's name

A short walk south of the village of Encantadas, a path leads through forest to a small sea cave hollowed out of the granite cliffs. The cave can only be entered at low tide and even then needs care over the wet rocks. Inside, the swell echoes through the chamber and the light through the entrance picks out the layers in the rock.

The walk to the cave is half the appeal — it passes through a shaded patch of Atlantic Forest and emerges onto a small viewpoint over the rocky southern coast. Allow two hours from Encantadas including a stop at the cave.

things to do sight
A story
The "Cave of the Enchanted Ones" is named for the legend that three siren-like women lived in the cave and lured sailors to wreck their boats on the rocks. The story gives the southern village of Encantadas its name. Local fishermen still tell it, half in jest.