Praia do Rosa and Its Ocean-View Trails

Praia do Rosa is located in the municipality of Imbituba, in southern Santa Catarina, in a region called Encantos do Sul, along with the coastal areas of Garopaba and Jaguaruna, and, further inland, Tubarão and Criciúma. See it on Google Maps.

This beach is genuinely sensational, known as a surfer’s paradise thanks to the sheer number of waves.

You can enjoy both the beaches and the trails, which are extremely well marked with arrows and clear paths — most of the route works great for running, with ocean views along the way.

There are trails of every length — we spent a November holiday weekend in the area and ran three different trails of ten, thirteen, and fifteen kilometers, adding up to nearly a marathon. More on each of those below.

One important tip: get up early, since the trails get busy, and you’ll sometimes have to wait to pass groups of people heading the other direction.

We stayed at Praia do Rosa but also explored nearby beaches like Garopaba and Imbituba.

Don’t be surprised if you pass farmland and cows along the way — this is a beach with genuinely rural surroundings.

Getting to Praia do Rosa

There are two airport options: Florianópolis, followed by a 90 km drive south on BR-101, or Jaguaruna, followed by 87.5 km north on the same BR-101.

We rented a car, since the roads are good and well marked, making the drive to our hotel quick and easy.

There’s also the usual option of a transfer offered by some hotels, as well as bus service.

Where to stay at Praia do Rosa

We stayed at Pousada Cacau, which pleasantly surprised us — first for its excellent location, just two blocks from downtown, and for the owners, who are wonderful, incredibly friendly, and gave us plenty of tips.

There’s a pool, though unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate for us to use it, and breakfast was really tasty.

The inn is named after the couple’s dog, who lived there with them.

Which trails to run at Praia do Rosa

Here’s a breakdown of the trails we ran, one per day, over our three-day holiday weekend. Though the elevation gain isn’t huge, they’re still great training routes.

First trail: Praia do Rosa Norte to Praia do Ouvidor (Trilha do Rosa Norte)

A beautiful trail, well marked with red arrows, clear signage and totems, and even handrails in a few spots. Including the stretch through the village from our inn, it comes to 13 km, with gorgeous photo spots along the way.

There are natural pools along the route, though we couldn’t get in ourselves — the water was too cold, and the sea was rough due to rainy weather.

We first passed Piscinas Naturais do Rosa, but it was crowded, so we stopped instead at Piscinas Naturais da Juliana, which was fantastic — we had the whole beach to ourselves, absolutely beautiful.

Midway through the trail, you’ll pass Praia Vermelha, and from its far end, another path continues on to Praia do Ouvidor.

The trail ends at Praia do Ouvidor, which is beautiful — though if you’d rather skip the trail, you can also drive there directly and just walk the final stretch to the beach.

You can head back either along the trail or via the road — we chose the road, to pick up some speed on the way back.

Download the GPX file for the Rosa Norte to Praia do Ouvidor trail.

Second trail: Praia do Ouvidor to Praia da Ferrugem (Trilha da Caranha)

This is the longest trail, at 15 km if you go all the way to Praia da Ferrugem, and in my opinion, probably the most beautiful.

The whole route runs along the trail, starting behind a sign we’ve pictured below.

Once the trail ends, you’ll reach Praia da Barra, right next to Praia da Ferrugem, separated only by a cold, deep stream. We took off our shoes to cross it.

After crossing, there’s a small hill to climb, and we decided to run to the far end of the beach, where Bar do Zado is located — a spot recommended across several blogs and sites.

We did the round trip entirely on the trail, since we couldn’t find an alternate route.

If you’re up for a long training day, you can also run from Praia do Rosa all the way to Praia da Ferrugem in a single day.

Download the GPX file for the Praia do Ouvidor to Praia da Ferrugem trail.

Third trail: Praia do Rosa to Praia da Luz (Trilha do Rosa Sul)

We found this trail a bit harder to locate — there’s a short stretch along the road, but we found the trailhead just past a gate.

Be careful not to head toward the rocks, since that’s the wrong way — there’s an entrance climbing the hill just before the rocks, and that’s the correct route.

Along the trail, you get views of the Imbituba Dunes and Porto Novo, genuinely beautiful from up on the hill.

We came back via the road, totaling almost 10 km — though again, if you’d rather skip the trail, you can drive there and park almost right on the beach.

Download the GPX file for the Rosa Sul to Praia da Luz trail.

Other tips for Praia do Rosa

Downtown

Beyond the beautiful beaches and trails, Rosa also has a charming little downtown with souvenir shops and restaurants for every taste and budget.

Downtown is small, just one street, but genuinely charming — if you want a bigger town center, head to Garopaba instead.

The most famous restaurants, Urucum and Tigre Asiático, only open for dinner, though there are other good options along the same street.

Garopaba

Well worth an afternoon exploring downtown Garopaba — it’s bigger than Rosa, and it also has a Mormaii store.

One heads-up: when you search for the store, Waze might route you to the factory instead — the actual store is a bit further ahead.

Restaurants on the Garopaba waterfront

Eating at the restaurants along Garopaba’s waterfront is also a great idea — we chose Restaurante Parador, and the food was delicious.

We ordered a steak with onions and sides, and enjoyed everything.

Historic Downtown Garopaba

Exploring historic downtown Garopaba is definitely worth it — home to the square with Igreja Matriz São Joaquim, built in 1846, surrounded by beautiful colonial homes, located at Praça 21 de Abril.

The town’s Azorean colonization, dating back to the 17th century, brought both religion and architecture that still shape it today.

Right nearby is the Gruta da Nossa Senhora de Lourdes, though since we visited at night, we decided to skip it.

Right Whale Watching

There’s also right whale watching, which happens during the winter months — we didn’t catch it ourselves. There are APA-regulated boat tours available, though we didn’t book one.

Beaches

Don’t forget the region’s other beautiful beaches: Silveira, Dunas do Siriú, Praia da Barra, and Praia da Ferrugem — the last two, as mentioned, we covered on foot via the trails.

Dunas de Imbituba

Located between Praia da Ribanceira and Barra de Ibiraquera, a great spot to explore, especially with kids.

You can sandboard down the dunes, though we didn’t try it ourselves.

Where to eat at Praia do Rosa

Unfortunately, we didn’t have many meals in Rosa itself, since we were constantly on the move between different spots.

We did try a self-service restaurant called Sila’s Restaurante, which we wouldn’t recommend — the meat was quite tough.

Sorveteria Frutos do Goiás is a genuinely nice spot, serving ice cream and açaí — great for spending a late afternoon.

Read more about travel in the region in Florianópolis.