MSP: the story from isolated island to tropical paradise

In 1531, Martin Afonso de Souza discovered Morro de São Paulo. However, the process of attracting tourists took more than 400 years! Therefore, today the Sailor will tell a little of this story and summarize this transformation: from an isolated island to a tropical paradise.

Firstly, another important character in our timeline is Francisco Romero, responsible for the colonization of the lands. The indigenous people, however, did not let it go easily and constantly attacked their troops. Thus, as an option for refuge and concentration, in 1535, the troops needed to found a village on a coastal point in the north of the island of Tinharé: Morro de São Paulo. Therefore, the wealth of historical monuments that we still find in Morro today is due to the fact that the region was the scene of many battles (access our post about the Tapirandú Fortress here).

From then on, the island's inhabitants supported themselves through fishing activities as their main source of income. Until the 60s, there were practically no tourists. In the 70s there was a ‘rediscovery’ and the doors to tourism were opened. In 1985, electricity arrived definitively, along with hippies and backpackers. Thus, Morro de São Paulo became a place where everyone feels at home.

“But how did the ‘revolution’ in infrastructure occur?”, you may ask. The houses of the fishermen who lived there were transformed into points of commerce and public administration, opening space for modernization and comfort.

Finally, I must highlight a curiosity: in MSP, there are no cars or motorcycles, only in the case of police, ambulance and garbage collection. The biggest sign of a big city you can find is an airstrip, for those traveling by plane.

If I could describe Morro de São Paulo in two words, I would use: rustic and cozy, how about you?

Learn More

• Buy your ticket on our virtual store and take the first step towards discovering this paradise!
• Want to know more about Morro de São Paulo? To get started, you can access our post A paradise to be visited and discover much more about the island.
• Furthermore, also access our Instagram and follow the news about tourism in Morro de São Paulo and our daily crossing schedule: @ilhabelatmssa

Illustrative images created with AI.