Why this ride
From Iguape it runs 1151 km to Iguape; allow about 19 h 51 of riding. It goes by way of Serra do Itapitangui, Jacupiranga State Park, Salto Morato Private Reserve and Ilha do Mel Ecological Station. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Chauás Ecological Station and Ilha do Mel Ecological Station
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 1151 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 19 h 51
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Chauás Ecological Station
The south coast of São Paulo state is a world away from the megacity a few hours to the north. Here, around the old town of Iguape, the Ribeira de Iguape river reaches the sea through a maze of channels, mangroves, islands and lagoons, backed by the forested slopes of the Serra do Mar. The Chauás Ecological Station protects a piece of lowland Atlantic Forest and restinga, the sandy coastal vegetation, near Iguape, and it is part of the Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves, listed by UNESCO in 1999. The Atlantic Forest once covered much of the Brazilian coast; today only a fraction remains, and this region holds some of the largest continuous stretches.
Read the complete Chauas Ecological Station write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Chauás Ecological Station is where the day begins. Next is Serra do Itapitangui.
2. Serra do Itapitangui
The Serra do Itapitangui rises behind Cananéia, on the southern coast of São Paulo state, a modest coastal range covered in dense Atlantic Forest that looks down on one of the best-preserved estuaries in Brazil. The forest here is part of the Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, which protects a vast area of forest, mangroves and coastal islands stretching from São Paulo into Paraná. The Mata Atlântica once covered much of Brazil's coast; today, only a fraction remains, and this region holds some of the largest and best-preserved stretches.
Read the complete Serra do Itapitangui write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Serra do Itapitangui comes up about 154 km into the recorded legs. Next is Jacupiranga State Park.
3. Jacupiranga State Park
The Vale do Ribeira, in the far south of São Paulo state, holds the largest continuous remnant of Atlantic Forest left in Brazil, and the Jacupiranga area, near the border with Paraná, is part of that green expanse. The Atlantic Forest once covered much of Brazil's coast, but centuries of logging, farming and urban growth reduced it to a fraction of its former extent, and what remains here, together with neighbouring reserves, forms part of the UNESCO site of the Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves, inscribed in 1999. The forest is incredibly rich in species, with jaguars, pumas, monkeys, toucans and countless orchids and bromeliads.
Read the complete Jacupiranga State Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 291 km into the recorded legs you reach Jacupiranga State Park. Next is Salto Morato Private Reserve.
4. Salto Morato Private Reserve
On the Paraná coast of Brazil the Atlantic Forest comes down almost to the sea, and Salto Morato is a private reserve that protects a good piece of it. A few thousand hectares of dense, wet forest, ferns, palms, orchids and giant trees covered in moss, with a trail that leads to a waterfall of about a hundred metres plunging down a green cliff. The Atlantic Forest was once enormous, running along most of the Brazilian coast, but today only a small fraction survives, and this area, with its neighbours in the Serra do Mar, is one of the best-preserved parts, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage cluster.
Read the complete Salto Morato Private Reserve write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Salto Morato Private Reserve, about halfway. Next is Ilha do Mel Ecological Station.
5. Ilha do Mel Ecological Station
No cars are allowed on Ilha do Mel, the honey island, at the mouth of the bay of Paranaguá in southern Brazil, and that is a large part of its charm. The island is a mix of sandy beaches, rocky headlands, mangroves and Atlantic forest, and most of it is protected as an ecological station and a state park. Its forests, beaches and mangroves are part of the Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves listed by UNESCO, a string of protected areas along the coast of Paraná and São Paulo that preserve some of the best remaining stretches of the Mata Atlântica. The number of visitors is limited, which keeps the island quiet even in summer.
Read the complete Ilha do Mel Ecological Station write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ilha do Mel Ecological Station sits at 576 km, about halfway. Next is back through Salto Morato Private Reserve.
6. back through Salto Morato Private Reserve
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Salto Morato Private Reserve write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Salto Morato Private Reserve comes up about 721 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Jacupiranga State Park.
7. back through Jacupiranga State Park
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Jacupiranga State Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 860 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Jacupiranga State Park. Next is back through Serra do Itapitangui.
8. back through Serra do Itapitangui
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Serra do Itapitangui write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Serra do Itapitangui, late in the day. Next is Chauas Ecological Station.
9. Chauás Ecological Station
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Chauas Ecological Station write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 1151 km.
Leg by leg
Chauás Ecological Station to Serra do Itapitangui
Chauás Ecological Station → Serra do Itapitangui is 54 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Serra do Itapitangui to Jacupiranga State Park
Serra do Itapitangui → Jacupiranga State Park is 137 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Jacupiranga State Park to Salto Morato Private Reserve
Jacupiranga State Park → Salto Morato Private Reserve is 140 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Salto Morato Private Reserve to Ilha do Mel Ecological Station
Salto Morato Private Reserve → Ilha do Mel Ecological Station is 145 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ilha do Mel Ecological Station to back through Salto Morato Private Reserve
Ilha do Mel Ecological Station → back through Salto Morato Private Reserve is 145 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Salto Morato Private Reserve to back through Jacupiranga State Park
back through Salto Morato Private Reserve → back through Jacupiranga State Park is 140 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Jacupiranga State Park to back through Serra do Itapitangui
back through Jacupiranga State Park → back through Serra do Itapitangui is 137 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Serra do Itapitangui to Chauas Ecological Station
back through Serra do Itapitangui → Chauas Ecological Station is 154 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.