Why this ride
On the way it passes Morro da Vila Velha, Environmental Protection Area of Cairuçu and back through Morro da Vila Velha. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 800 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Serra da Bocaina National Park and Environmental Protection Area of Cairuçu
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 108 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 11
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Rio-Santos Highway
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 29 km this is Rio-Santos Highway, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 29 km
- Named road
- Rio-Santos Highway
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Serra da Bocaina National Park
The Serra da Bocaina is the green wall that rises behind the coast between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the high end of the Serra do Mar, and the national park that covers it protects one of the largest surviving patches of Atlantic forest. Rain from the ocean falls on the slopes almost daily, and the result is a dense, dripping jungle of tree ferns, bromeliads, orchids and enormous trees, with waterfalls and rivers running down to the sea. Clouds sit on the ridge, and the air smells of wet leaves and earth.
Read the complete Serra da Bocaina National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Serra da Bocaina National Park is where the day begins. Next is Morro da Vila Velha.
2. Morro da Vila Velha
Paraty sits between the mountains and the sea, and Morro da Vila Velha, a hill beside the old town, is a good vantage for seeing why. The mountains of the Serra do Mar rise steeply behind, covered in Atlantic forest, and the bay in front is dotted with islands. Portuguese settlers took the site in the sixteenth century, and in the eighteenth it became the port for gold from Minas Gerais, carried down the Caminho do Ouro on mule trains and loaded onto ships. UNESCO listed Paraty and Ilha Grande together in 2019, recognising both the culture and the nature.
Read the complete Morro da Vila Velha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Morro da Vila Velha comes up 25 km in. Next is Environmental Protection Area of Cairuçu.
3. Environmental Protection Area of Cairuçu
Between the old colonial port of Paraty and the border of São Paulo state, the mountains of the Serra do Mar come down to the sea in a jumble of forested peaks, rocky headlands and small, perfect bays, and the Cairuçu Environmental Protection Area covers much of this coast. It is part of the World Heritage site of Paraty and Ilha Grande, inscribed in 2019 for its combination of cultural and natural values. The forest here is the Mata Atlântica, the Atlantic rainforest, one of the richest and most threatened ecosystems on the planet, home to monkeys, toucans, hummingbirds and countless species of orchids and bromeliads. Within the area lie fishing villages of caiçaras, the traditional coastal people, and settlements of quilombolas, descendants of escaped slaves, as well as Guarani villages.
Read the complete Environmental Protection Area of Cairuçu write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
51 km in you reach Environmental Protection Area of Cairuçu. Next is back through Morro da Vila Velha.
4. back through Morro da Vila Velha
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Morro da Vila Velha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Morro da Vila Velha, late in the day. Next is Serra da Bocaina National Park.
5. Serra da Bocaina National Park
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Serra da Bocaina National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Serra da Bocaina National Park. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Serra da Bocaina National Park to Morro da Vila Velha
Serra da Bocaina National Park → Morro da Vila Velha is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Morro da Vila Velha to Environmental Protection Area of Cairuçu
Morro da Vila Velha → Environmental Protection Area of Cairuçu is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Environmental Protection Area of Cairuçu to back through Morro da Vila Velha
Environmental Protection Area of Cairuçu → back through Morro da Vila Velha is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Morro da Vila Velha to Serra da Bocaina National Park
back through Morro da Vila Velha → Serra da Bocaina National Park is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.