Safety in Paraty area

I have been there 3 times. My wife and I stayed in pousadas near the center and pretty much stuck to that area. I have heard stories of people being robbed or car jacked, but I never saw or experienced any crime.

Just use common sense and don't make yourself a target. With all that being said I found it to be a nice place.

I came to Brazil the first time to do a "spiritual journey", rented a car for a month and drove it over 5,000 miles, while hiking extensively in the Chapada Diamantina, much of it alone.  I am accustomed to being alone and self-reliant, I've travelled all through Europe and Africa alone.  It was the hardest trip of my long life of traveling and it was successful.

Living here in Bom Jesus, however, I simply cannot get that experience  again to save my life.  Not too long ago, I was just feeling crushed by all the Portuguese being spoken around me and the people constantly insisting on my attention, so I set out just to walk in the town.  I bought some snacks for myself and found a quiet street where I could, I thought, sit down on the curb and be at peace with my thoughts for a few minutes.

Lo and behold, almost immediately, three different people, strangers to me, all stopped to tell me that it was not safe to be alone, to be in this neighborhood, or even just to be outside in the sunlight,  they knew who I was and who my wife was and where I lived and they all wanted me to go back home.  They were all very sweet about it, what could I say, what could I do?

This is Brazil.

@dianagrasselli

I have been to Brazil several times but always with my wife who is Brazilian and a very good guide. I think it really depends on where you are and who you are with. If you are talking specifically about Paraty, we went there last year and had no concerns about safety (although now with the rains and mudslides, I would go somewhere else😢). In my town of Campos do Jordão, I feel perfectly safe shopping and driving around by myself although my limited Portuguese constrains me considerably. The most difficult part for me is the language barrier. I have been trying really hard to learn Portuguese, but it's pretty hard for me and it appears that few people in Brazil speak English.