Every late afternoon, dozens of tourists climb the Caixa D’água hill, in Guarujá, on the south coast of São Paulo, in search of the newly opened summer scene tailored to post on social networks.
The main attraction of Mirante das Galhetas is the glass platform suspended 45 meters above the sea with a panoramic view of the beaches of Tombo and Asturias.
The most popular attraction, however, is the swing installed at the top of the hill, which forms a line of people waiting for their turn to take a selfie framed by plastic flowers and the sign “Eu amo Guarujá”.
The family of housewife Jaíde Farias, 32, did not bother to wait about half an hour under the sun to take the pictures. “It’s very beautiful, we can’t leave without registering it”, said she, who left Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo, to spend her holidays on the coast.
Most just sit on the swing and smile for the camera with the blue sea in the background, but there are some visitors who dare to push higher to give the effect of being floating in the photo.
The movement of cars, bicycles and residents with their dogs begins to increase as the sunset approaches, when a line is formed to take pictures at the right end of the viewpoint, which guarantees images with Tombo beach in the background.
The days in a row of bad weather on the coast at the beginning of the year frustrated tourists who went uphill for a photo with the orange sky in the late afternoon. Even so, cell phones are still in hand.
Guarujá’s instagrammable swing joins a series of tourist spots with the same proposal, such as the “Balanço nas Nuvens”, in Alto da Pedra park, in Rio Grande do Sul, and the one installed in Buraco Azul, in Jericoacoara (CE) . In Itapema, on the coast of Santa Catarina, the city hall created the “Rota dos Balanços” with seven giant structures to take pictures.
Before undergoing the renovation that included new paving and lighting, Morro da Caixa D’água was already among the most famous viewpoints in Guarujá. On the list are the Campina viewpoint, known as Morro do Maluf, and the Costão das Tartarugas.
Despite the guarantee of likes on social networks, the new tourist spot is the target of complaints among visitors due to the lack of available shadows.
In the hottest hours of the afternoon, people gather in the shelter from the sun formed by the container where the team from the municipal tourism department is. There are no restrooms or drinking fountains at the viewpoint.
Inaugurated in May of last year, Mirante das Galhetas cost R$ 2 million and received funds from the Union through an agreement between the Guarujá City Hall and the Ministry of Tourism. Paraglider flights also depart from the site.
To reach the glass platform, the visitor climbs the asphalt pavement to the top of the hill. Those who go by car receive a tag with the number of the 14 parking spaces available, but there is no inspection and the closest spaces are very popular.
Admission is free and the city encourages the donation of one kilo of non-perishable food per visitor. The viewpoint is open every day from 8 am to 8 pm. It is necessary to wear masks and maintain social distance at the gazebo.
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