Paranagua & Ilha do Mel Destination Guide

You will find beaches for every taste on the island! It is well known for the best surf areas in Paraná, especially the beaches Praia Fora, Grande and Paralela. Here surf competitions are held over the year.

Before swimming, ask locals and surfers about the security in the area. In some beaches tides and currents can make the difference quite fast. Be aware of your safety, as life guards are on the island only during summer holidays. Local surfers might help in case of emergency as well.

Grajagan Surf Resort is located just in front one of the most beautiful beaches on the island - Praia Grande. It is also the most confortable Ilha do Mel hotel.

A good option is to combine a boat tour around the island with Baía dos Golfinhos on Ilha das Peças. The inhabitants of Ilha das Peças are mostly fishermen and the infra-structure in the island is quite simple to spend the night. But just in front of the pier you will find "Baía dos Golfinos" - Dolphin Bay. It is impressive to see dolphin groups swimming few meters from the boat. Several families in the island work at their community kitchen. Here you will find good, simple local food, based on fish, prawns, rice, salad and beans. It is worth to help the locals by eating here!

This cave is located at Encantadas, in the south of Ilha do Mel. This stone cave is a place of legends, where beautiful mermaids attract men to the cave and they never return home.

In Encantadas area you will find some charming Ilha do Mel hotels, such as Pousada Fim da Trilha, Pousada Caraguatá and Pousada Estrela do Mar, besides Hostel Zorro.

This is the only fortress in the Paraná cost and was built from 1767 to 1769 by the Portuguese to protect the Paranaguá bay from invasions. Nowadays, you will get to see the good preserved outside area, canons and some rooms in the entrance area. It is open daily and no entrance fee is charged. From there you will have an impressive view over the bay!

The fortress was used for protection only once, in 1850. By that time Portugal and England had an agreement and the transportation of slaves from Africa was banished. The English boat "Cormorant" prisioned three Brazilian boats with slaves and the local population from Paranaguá had insisted that the captain in charge of the fortress should react. Some canon shots were fired and the boat "Cormorant" stayed in Paranaguá several months being repaired before returning to England.

The lighthouse was built 1872, ordered by the King Dom Pedro II and it was brought from England to Ilha do Mel. It is a working lighthouse used to orient boats entering in the Paranaguá Bay. From that spectacular height you get a lovely view of various beaches and also the point where the island separates. The lighthouse has featured in films due to its beauty.

It is worth to walk until the top of the hill to the base of the lighthouse, especially for sundown!

Close to the lighthouse you will find some lovely Ilha do Mel hotels, such as Pousada Enseada das Conchas, Pousada Treze Luas and Pousada Canto da Figueira.

"Belo" means beautiful. Aptly named, the Trilha do Belo is a path full of natural wonders. Starting next to the pier, it first leads you through a bushy resting to the Praia do Belo. One is greeted by a small beach, stones and mangroves all around. The sea runs shallow and calm and the waters soothe the senses. Returning, the path to Praia Grande presents starkly different vegetation in the form of a dense submontane ombrophilous forest.

The magic of Encantadas lies in myth and folklore. People say that the grotto there is known for a mermaid who enchanted sailors. To reach it one must take a three hour trip beginning at Praia do Farol, and then through the beaches, Praia do Miguel, Praia Grande, and Praia de Fora. You'll also cross the Morro de Sabão or Soap Hill, called so because the hill gets slippery when it rains. Tide and floods make it impossible to cross the stones, so once there, weary travellers can rent a boat and sail along, instead of walking.

Two scenic paths, a beach path and another through a verdant forest called the 'Caminho da Figueira', lead to the magnificent fort from Praia do Farol. Though both the paths take 2 ½ hours by foot, the forest path is used when the tide is high. To get a bird's eye view of Ilha do Mel and Ilha das Peças, one must first climb to an ancient military labyrinth called the ' Morro da Baleia'. The view is breathtaking.

The walk to the labyrinth is a difficult journey, where you must brave a small river and walk cautiously on an extremely steep path which leads to the cavern nestled at the foot of the hill. But it is a challenge tourists like to take up, and definately worth it.

Paranaguá is southern Brazil's largest port, used primarily for the exportation of grains, mainly for soy. In the past, the city was very important in Paraná but many of the city's famous, rich and political families moved to Curitiba, the capital. Consequently, the city gradually lost its position of importance and today is a true example of a decadent tropical city.

Paranaguá has great touristic potential, especially its historic churches, colonial houses and buildings. However, most locals don't seem to be interested in developing tourism in the city. The city has a revitalization plan that has yet to be implemented. Until August 2010 an aquarium should be opened and until 2014 a passenger pier should be built, so that the city could receive cruise ships.

There are numerous interesting attractions in Paranaguá like the "Fontinha", a Cathedral, the Colégio dos Jesuítas, the Baroque Museum of Archaeology and Popular Art, St. Benedictus Church and the port Dom Pedro II. The waterfront offers many options to travellers looking for scenic beauty and great sights, like the picture perfect boat trip to a place favoured by tourists, Honey Island or "Ilha do Mel".

One of the highlights of Paranaguá is the Serra Verde Express train journey which is truly a marvel. Running from an altitude of 900mt high in Curitiba down to the fluvial port of Paranaguá, through the Atlantic Forest and plain, it follows a bone chilling mountain path. On this 4 1/2 hour ride, the train tears for 110 km through canyons, ravines and a dense jungle that looks as if it is going to engulf you! You'll pass through 13 tunnels and over 67 bridges. The tour to Paranaguá operates only on Sunday.

You can also explore the magical colonial style houses and the archaeological museum. Next, a visit to the city's churches is a chance to marvel at the elegant simplicity of Portuguese design. Most visitors proceed to Morretes, a laidback colonial town by the Nhundiaquara River, to sample local favourites at a restaurant and to unwind.