In the past years, adventure tourism has become the most dynamic segment of the tourist market in São Paulo. A complete circuit is available within a radius of 100 kilometers of the capital. The Billings and Guarapiranga dams, located in the metropolitan region,  are ideal spots for several activities such as kayaking, sailing, parasailing and windsurfing.  In Juquitiba, rappel and aqua-ride are the attractions; tree-climbing in Campinas; hang-gliding and paragliding, in Atibaia; and on the coast,  Bertioga offers interesting trails and canoeing. A little further on , the city of Brotas, located 200 kilometers from the capital, in the heart of the State,  offers a wealth of waterfalls, rapids and whitewaters  and has become a reference in extreme  aquatic sports, such as aqua-ride, hydro-speed , rafting, canoeing and others.
The municipality  was the first one to get involved  in this segment and is nowadays  considered one of the most important mainstays in the country.  It has been successful on account of large investments made in environmental protection. Located in the hydrographic basin of the Rio Jacaré-Pepira, it has been able to keep its waters pollution free.  Other cities of the interior have followed the example of Brotas and are now competitors in the adventure tourism segment. This is the case of Socorro, which also offers good options in tree-climbing and aqua-ride.

On the northern coast of the State of São Paulo, Ilhabela stands out for its vast state park, a protected area which covers 80% of the island. It offers dozens of itineraries and activities  such as scuba diving,  windsurfing, paragliding, rappel, Tyrolean traverse  and many others practiced in the dozens of waterfalls in  the tropical forest, beaches and wild rocky coasts. Other activities involving plenty adrenaline, such as caving and canyoning, can be practiced in the protected units of the Alto Vale do Ribeira, a region with vertical escarpments and more than 340 caverns, many of which are ideal for extreme sports.