You cannot ride into Superagui, and that is exactly why it is still here. The national park covers islands, mangroves, beaches and lowland Atlantic Forest on the northern coast of Paraná state in southern Brazil, and it belongs to the UNESCO-listed Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves. Access is by boat, mostly from Paranaguá or from the small town of Guaraqueçaba, and the reward is a stretch of coastline with no roads, few people and a very rare monkey: the black-faced lion tamarin, which scientists only described in 1990 and which lives in a tiny area of these forests.
So the ride is about getting to the edge. From Curitiba, the main highway drops steeply through the Serra do Mar toward the coast, but the far better choice for a rider is the Estrada da Graciosa, a historic road built in the nineteenth century that winds down the mountains through dense forest, much of it laid with old cobbles. It is narrow, twisty, often wet and slippery, with hydrangeas along the verges and lookout points over the green wall of the Serra. Take it slowly and enjoy it; it is one of the classic rides of southern Brazil.
At the bottom, Morretes is the place to eat barreado, a slow-cooked beef stew that is the regional dish, served with banana and manioc flour. Antonina, nearby, is a sleepy colonial port town, and Paranaguá, around thirty-seven kilometres from the park as the crow flies, is a busy port city with all the fuel, shops and services you could want. The road toward Guaraqueçaba is long, partly unpaved and can be muddy after rain, so check conditions before committing to it.
The Atlantic Forest is one of the most threatened forest systems on the planet, yet here it still runs unbroken from mountain to sea. Mangroves fringe the bays, dolphins swim in the estuary, and the air smells of salt, mud and flowering trees. Rain is frequent at any time of year, and summer brings heat, humidity and thunderstorms.
If you have time, park the bike in Paranaguá, take the boat across and spend a day walking the beaches of Superagui. If not, simply standing at the waterfront and looking across the bay at those dark green islands is enough to know you are at the edge of something rare.