Jacupiranga State Park and Lauraceas State Park

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. 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

   Jacupiranga State Park is where the day begins. Next is Serra do Itapitangui.

2. 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 107 km into the recorded legs. Next is Ilha Comprida Wild Life Zone.

3. 3. Ilha Comprida Wild Life Zone

   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.

   Read the complete Ilha Comprida Wild Life Zone write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 232 km into the recorded legs you reach Ilha Comprida Wild Life Zone. Next is Lauraceas State Park.

4. 4. Lauraceas State Park

   The Vale do Ribeira is one of the least developed regions of São Paulo state, a long valley of banana plantations, tea fields, small towns and thick forest, with a river that runs unimpeded to the sea. Because it was never heavily built up, it holds the largest remaining block of Atlantic Forest in Brazil, and the state parks of the area, among them Lauráceas, protect it. The name refers to the laurel family, which includes trees such as canelas and sassafras that grow tall in the damp forest, and which give the park its scent of spice when the wind moves the leaves.

   Read the complete Lauraceas State Park write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Lauraceas State Park, about halfway. Next is back through Ilha Comprida Wild Life Zone.

5. 5. back through Ilha Comprida Wild Life Zone

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Ilha Comprida Wild Life Zone write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Ilha Comprida Wild Life Zone sits at 263 km, about halfway. Next is back through Serra do Itapitangui.

6. 6. 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 comes up about 721 km into the recorded legs. Next is Jacupiranga State Park.

7. 7. 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

   Jacupiranga State Park closes the day.