The best hike in Florianopolis | Lagoinha do Leste Hike

Spending some time in Florianopolis and want to do more than just relax on the beach? I have a perfect hike for you - Lagoinha do Leste Hike that includes the fantastic Morro da Coroa viewpoint.

This will be an in-depth guide to the full Lagoinha do Leste route. I will share with you the exact route I took myself and the obstacles you should prepare yourself for.

Lagoinha do Leste Hike Route

So the full route from one end (Pantano do Sul town) to the end point (Matadeiro Beach) is around 10km. Let me tell you straight away - they are not normal 10km. How long does it usually take for you to do 10km, multiply that by 2! Most of the trail is very rocky, and a big part is through a rainforest, so you get all sorts of obstacles in your way. Sometimes I had to go on my all 4 to get through.

This is the route I took:

I started in Pantano do Sul town. You can put in navigation 'Trilha Lagoinha do Leste' and it will take you to the beginning of the trail. There are clear signs you won't miss it.

The first red part is through the rainforest. At one point, the trial will be divided into 2. In one direction is the Leste beach, and in the other, the Morro da Coroa viewpoint, which really is the most impressive and main viewpoint you want to get to.

Once you reach Morro da Coroa viewpoint, you have 2 options, take the shortcut down to the Lest beach, which I did and that cut my trip for atleast an hour or you need to actually walk back to the point where the trial cut in 2 and then take the second exit to the Leste beach. The shortcut is a little bit dangerous, but if you go down slowly and carefully, you should be fine.

Then, either way, you are going to reach the Leste beach. This beach can only be accessed via boat or via this trail, so it is a very special location. There is a cafe despite the few people, but the offerings are very limited. This is the point where, in case it is already late or you are tired, take the boat back!! The 2nd part is worse.

But if you have time and energy, you can continue like I did. At the other end of the beach, you will see the trail continuation. In general, the trails are not too obvious; look for the narrowest path. And pay attention to small signs. During the first part, there were a lot of yellow arrows to guide you, but the 2nd part is more remote. Way fewer people do the 2nd part.

A popular thing to do is to take a boat in the morning to the beach and then do the 1st part reverse. Or do the first part and then take the boat back.

Now, those who want to do it all will face a very beautiful but dangerous path. The first part in light blue is chill, and you get amazing views. Then the dark blue part is the most dangerous part of the whole hike. You literally walk on the edge of the cliff. No bars, no safety, the path is pure raw hiking on the edge of a cliff. Also, we saw a snake and a tarantula on our way.

If you survive that part, then you are back in the rainforest. Which is the last part. I absolutely overestimated this trail. I was way more exhausted and stressed than I thought I would be, so this leads me to my next point of all the important things you should know if you do decide to do the whole trail.

Things you should know about Lagoinha do Leste Hike and prepare for!

• Take as much water with you as possible. The weather, no matter the season, is extremely humid, and you will spend a lot of time in the rainforest, so you will need as much water as possible.

• Also, don't forget mosquito repellent, for that same exact reason - the rainforest.

• Don't underestimate this track - this is one of the hardest hikes I have ever done! Now looking back, maybe cutting the route in half and taking the boat would have been a smarter decision. But then I would have missed out on all the dangerous cliff fun.

• I would recommend allocating the whole day for this hike, having some snacks with you, and taking a big break in between on the beach. We had no food with us, so that kept us going so we could reach the restaurant at the end, but that wasn't smart.

• So I guess the main advice - whatever time you have planned for this hike, it will take you more! Calculate that in. At no point will you walk just straight. The whole trail is conctant obsticles. The easiest part is the beach.

• Although I don't think you can get lost, as long as you don't wander off the trail, ideally, you have a fully charged phone and data for navigation.

So all the above was for the full Lagoinha do Leste Hike. You can still enjoy the Morro da Coroa viewpoint and Leste Beach without all this struggle. You can always cut this trial in half and just do one or the other side. So you could do just the red part that includes the Morro da Coroa viewpoint, or do the blue and green part that is a bit more exciting trail and you get different but also very beautiful views. The choice is yours! Whatever you decide, I hope you found this guide useful!