Ilha Comprida, the long island, is exactly what its name promises: a narrow barrier island of sand, dunes and restinga scrub that runs for roughly seventy kilometres along the southern coast of São Paulo state, separating the Atlantic from the calm inland waters of the Mar Pequeno. Behind it lies the Lagamar, one of the largest estuarine complexes in Brazil, a maze of channels, mangroves and islands stretching south toward Cananéia and Paranaguá. This entire region, including the Ilha Comprida protected areas, forms part of the Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves, listed by UNESCO in 1999 for preserving one of the richest and most threatened ecosystems on Earth.
Nature is the star here. The mangroves are nurseries for fish, crabs and shrimp, and the channels are home to a resident population of Guiana dolphins, often seen near Cananéia. Scarlet ibises, herons and the endemic red-tailed parrot live in the forests and wetlands, and sea turtles feed along the coast. Inland, the Serra do Mar mountains rise steeply, covered in dense forest, with waterfalls and caves.
The history goes back a long way too. Cananéia claims to be one of the oldest settlements in Brazil, founded in the early sixteenth century, and Iguape, across the bridge from the northern tip of the island, has a beautiful colonial centre and the sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Iguape, which draws thousands of pilgrims every August. A canal dug in the nineteenth century to connect the Ribeira river to the port of Iguape grew far wider than intended and changed the salinity of the estuary, a cautionary tale still told by local fishermen.
The main access is the BR-116, the busy highway between São Paulo and Curitiba, followed by smaller roads through banana plantations and forest down to the coast. These roads are mostly flat and straight, with some curves near the hills. Rain is frequent and heavy, especially in summer, and the humidity is high. Iguape, about twenty-six kilometres away, and Pariquera-Açu have fuel and supermarkets. Try the local seafood, especially oysters from Cananéia, and a pastel de camarão, a fried pastry stuffed with shrimp.