Penha SC: Where is it and what to do in the city?

Penha, SC, is a relatively unknown municipality compared to the tourist and natural attractions that exist within its territory. Especially when compared to Beto Carrero World, the park that is much more famous than the city.

Therefore, to discover more of the attractions and activities that you can enjoy in this incredible place, continue reading until the end.

What is Penha SC and where is it?

Firstly, it is interesting to locate the city on a mental map – or even a physical one – and only then, later, develop the article as a whole, providing the expected information.

Therefore, Penha SC is a municipality on the north coast of the state of, clearly, Santa Catarina, located in the southern region of Brazil. The city is mainly known for the Beto Carrero World Park, the largest theme park in Latin America.

However, the city has much more to offer than just the park. With around 28 thousand inhabitants, Penha is an important fishing area, its beaches are famous – for their cold and clear water – in addition to the beautiful landscape that surrounds it.

When it comes to beaches, the most popular are: Armação beach, Grande beach, Quilombo beach and Trapiche beach (or Armação do Itapocorói beach).

In addition to Beto Carrero World, you will find other tourist attractions in Penha. Some of these, the most interesting are the Farol da Penha, known as Farol Pirata, the Univali Oceanographic Museum and Ilha Feia, located on the city's coast.

The local economy is mainly based on tourism. However, fishing and ceramics production play an important role in the municipality's annual revenue. You will find good infrastructure, with a wide variety of hotels, inns and restaurants.

Furthermore, the region is very beautiful, with areas of vegetation and nature alongside tourist attractions that make your visit very pleasant.

How to get to Penha SC?

To get to Penha, SC, you don't need as much effort as other Brazilian locations require. However, you still need to follow some instructions.

When you leave Porto Alegre, the most common route to get to the city is by car. You must take the BR-101 on a long trip, 7 hours, where you will cover around 600 km.

However, you can also go by plane. From Porto Alegre airport (POA) you must go to Navegantes international airport (NVT), in Navegantes, Santa Catarina. From there, taxi or rental car and a journey of around 2 hours to Penha.

Now, from São Paulo, the most common way is by plane. A process similar to the one mentioned above, disembarking at Navegantes international airport (NVT). The airport is about 15 km from the city, which takes around 2 hours to travel.

However, if you decide to go by car from São Paulo, be prepared for around 640 km of road. Approximately 9 hours long. Follow BR-116 to Joinville and, from there, take BR-101 to Penha.

Starting from Rio de Janeiro, the best route, without a shadow of a doubt, is by air, going to Penha by plane. This means that you will have the same itinerary as mentioned for the other two cities already mentioned.

Although you can drive from RJ to SC, the route is so long that it is not very recommended. Therefore, try to opt for the air option, which will give you a journey of around 2 hours from Navegantes airport (NVT) to Penha.

What are the most famous attractions in Penha SC?

Activities and tourist attractions in the municipality of Penha, SC are varied and allow you to enjoy the region in different ways. Therefore, expect more contemplative, lively or more fun options.

The region is famous for the presence of Beto Carrero World Park, the largest theme park in Latin America, and its beaches are also very popular. However, there is more, and the following list will show a combination of the popular and the intimate of Penha, SC:

• Beto Carrero World Park
• Penha SC beaches
• Ugly Island
• Univali Oceanographic Museum

In short, Penha is a complete tourist destination, offering attractions for all tastes and ages. However, even though it is famous for some attractions and tourist attractions in particular, it has all kinds of tourist attractions for you.

Beto Carrero World Park

The Beto Carrero World park, considered the largest theme park in Latin America, in 2014, was voted the 6th best amusement park in the world by users of the TripAdvisor website.

The attraction is located in Penha, SC, 35 kilometers from Balneário Camboriú, 60 from Blumenau and 66 from Joinville with close access to Navegantes Airport. Therefore, following BR-101, it is just over six kilometers to the park entrance, also on a double asphalt lane.

Its attractions are diverse: roller coasters, shows, a zoo as well as a large food area. Furthermore, the park is divided into themed areas, such as the Germanic Village, the Fantasy Land and the radical area.

Penha SC beaches

The beaches on the coast of Penha, SC are considered some of the most beautiful in the region. With a combination of waters at pleasant temperatures – although colder – and shades of crystal blue, some are always remembered by visitors: These are the beaches:

• Frame
• Big
• Trapiche
• Quilombo

These beaches are surrounded by robust and complete infrastructure to welcome tourists, offering services such as bars, restaurants, hotels and inns. Furthermore, there are many marine and non-marine sports services in each of these locations.

However, these four are just some of the very popular and beautiful beaches. They are examples of the best you can find in the region in terms of natural attractions.

Ugly Island

Ilha Feia is close to Quilombo beach, in the municipality of Penha, SC. Being a coastal island with vegetation characteristic of the Brazilian coast, it is an area dominated by the Atlantic Forest, which is the target of conservation policies at national and global level.

The place is an ecosystem with relatively difficult access – to get there you will need to travel 4 km and will have some difficulty disembarking, Feia Island maintains a considerable state of conservation.

Therefore, once you get there, you will have access to diving and sport fishing – thanks to its crystal clear waters and a wide variety of fish and corals. Once on the island, you can enjoy the incredible look of the island – which despite being called 'Ugly', it is not.

Univali Oceanographic Museum

The Univali Oceanographic Museum is the largest in this segment in all of Latin America, opened in 2015, with a collection of more than 7 thousand species of marine animals. 

Furthermore, you will find the second largest collection of sharks and rays in the world, as well as the largest collections of sea turtles and shells in South America.

Inside the museum, which is 6 km from the center of Penha, SC, you will also be able to see up close various animal bones from all corners of the world's oceans, as well as stuffed species on display.

Last but not least, the museum is maintained by the University of Vale do Itajaí (Univali) and offers exhibitions and educational activities about the oceans.

Conclusion

In short, Penha, SC, is a place with many faces, all ideas for you to enjoy at different times of your visit. So when visiting this city, be prepared to do a lot of different things.