Serra do Itapitangui and Jacupiranga State Park

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Superagui National Park.

2. 2. 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

   Superagui National Park comes up about 262 km into the recorded legs. Next is Jacupiranga State Park.

3. 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 571 km into the recorded legs you reach Jacupiranga State Park. Next is back through Superagui National Park.

4. 4. 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, late in the day. Next is Serra do Itapitangui.

5. 5. 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 at Serra do Itapitangui. That is the ride.