Why this ride
On the way it passes Salto Morato Private Reserve, Superagui National Park, Ilha do Mel Ecological Station and Guaraguacu Ecological Station.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Guaraquecaba Ecological Station and Guaraguacu Ecological Station
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 549 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 9 h 29
- 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. Guaraquecaba Ecological Station
Guaraqueçaba is one of those places in Brazil where the road gives up before the forest does. It lies on the northern shore of the great bay of Paranaguá, on the coast of Paraná state, surrounded by mangroves, islands, tidal channels and the steep, forested slopes of the Serra do Mar. The ecological station protects a large area of mangroves and coastal forest, and it is part of the Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves, a World Heritage Site that preserves some of the best remaining stretches of the Mata Atlântica, a forest that once covered much of Brazil's coast and has now been reduced to a fraction of its former extent.
Read the complete Guaraquecaba Ecological Station write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Guaraquecaba Ecological Station is where the day begins. Next is Salto Morato Private Reserve.
2. 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 comes up about 56 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 137 km into the recorded legs you reach Superagui National Park. Next is Ilha do Mel Ecological Station.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Guaraguacu Ecological Station.
5. 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 sits at 112 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 341 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Superagui National Park.
7. 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
about 412 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Superagui National Park. Next is back through Salto Morato Private Reserve.
8. 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, late in the day. Next is Guaraquecaba Ecological Station.
9. Guaraquecaba Ecological Station
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Guaraquecaba 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 549 km.
Leg by leg
Guaraquecaba Ecological Station to Salto Morato Private Reserve
Guaraquecaba Ecological Station → Salto Morato Private Reserve is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Salto Morato Private Reserve to Superagui National Park
Salto Morato Private Reserve → Superagui National Park is 81 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Superagui National Park to Ilha do Mel Ecological Station
Superagui National Park → Ilha do Mel Ecological Station is 71 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ilha do Mel Ecological Station to Guaraguacu Ecological Station
Ilha do Mel Ecological Station → Guaraguacu Ecological Station is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Guaraguaçu Ecological Station to back through Ilha do Mel Ecological Station
Guaraguaçu Ecological Station → back through Ilha do Mel Ecological Station is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Ilha do Mel Ecological Station to back through Superagui National Park
back through Ilha do Mel Ecological Station → back through Superagui National Park is 71 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Superagui National Park to back through Salto Morato Private Reserve
back through Superagui National Park → back through Salto Morato Private Reserve is 81 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Salto Morato Private Reserve to Guaraquecaba Ecological Station
back through Salto Morato Private Reserve → Guaraquecaba Ecological Station is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.