Why this ride
From Pontal do Paraná it runs 482 km to Pontal do Paraná; allow about 8 h 18 of riding. It goes by way of Ilha do Mel Ecological Station, Superagui National Park, Salto Morato Private Reserve and back through Superagui National Park.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Guaraguaçu Ecological Station and Salto Morato Private Reserve
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 482 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 18
- 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. Guaraguaçu Ecological Station
On the coast of Paraná, between the port city of Paranaguá and the beaches of Pontal do Paraná, the Guaraguaçu Ecological Station protects a stretch of lowland forest, mangrove and sandy restinga along the Guaraguaçu river. It belongs to the network of Atlantic Forest reserves that UNESCO lists for the south and southeast of Brazil, here around the Paranaguá bay, one of the best preserved estuaries on the Brazilian coast. Access to the station itself is restricted, as ecological stations are mainly for research, but the surrounding landscape gives a strong sense of what it protects.
Read the complete Guaraguacu Ecological Station write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Guaraguaçu Ecological Station is where the day begins. Next is Ilha do Mel Ecological Station.
2. 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 comes up about 73 km into the recorded legs. Next is Superagui National Park.
3. Superagui National Park
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.
Read the complete Superagui National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 152 km into the recorded legs you reach Superagui National 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 back through Superagui National Park.
5. back through Superagui National Park
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Superagui National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Superagui National Park sits at 322 km, about halfway. Next is back through Ilha do Mel Ecological Station.
6. back through Ilha do Mel Ecological Station
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Ilha do Mel Ecological Station comes up about 409 km into the recorded legs. Next is Guaraguacu Ecological Station.
7. Guaraguaçu Ecological Station
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Guaraguacu Ecological Station write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Guaraguaçu Ecological Station closes the day.
Leg by leg
Guaraguaçu Ecological Station to Ilha do Mel Ecological Station
Guaraguaçu Ecological Station → Ilha do Mel Ecological Station is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ilha do Mel Ecological Station to Superagui National Park
Ilha do Mel Ecological Station → Superagui National Park is 79 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Superagui National Park to Salto Morato Private Reserve
Superagui National Park → Salto Morato Private Reserve is 89 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Salto Morato Private Reserve to back through Superagui National Park
Salto Morato Private Reserve → back through Superagui National Park is 89 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Superagui National Park to back through Ilha do Mel Ecological Station
back through Superagui National Park → back through Ilha do Mel Ecological Station is 79 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Ilha do Mel Ecological Station to Guaraguacu Ecological Station
back through Ilha do Mel Ecological Station → Guaraguacu Ecological Station is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.