Ilha do Mel

Paraná [1]’s beaches aren’t much to write home about, with the exception of Ilha do Mel, a 10-kilometer-long (6-mile-long) island that is the Baía de Paranaguá’s main attraction.

A 90-minute boat ride from Paranaguá [2], Ilha do Mel’s deserted beaches [3] and rugged landscapes are protected as part of an ecological reserve, which has kept development to a minimum. Consequently, the (well-marked) roads and walking trails that crisscross the island are all sand and no cars are allowed.

Accommodations [4], while comfortable, are fairly basic. Although during the summer months the island’s two villages of Encantadas and Nova Brasília [5] fill up with young surfistas and eco-hippies, a rule limiting the number of visitors to 5,000 a day ensures peace and tranquility.

Getting to Ilha do Mel

From Paranaguá [2], several boats make the 90-minute trip (R$21–24) from the Estaçao Nautica, stopping first at Nova Brasília [5] and then at Encantadas. Schedules can change according to tides and weather conditions (avoid making the trip in poor weather).

For more information contact Abaline (tel. 41/3455-2616), which offers three regular ferry trips a day to and from the island with departures from Paranaguá at 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. and return trips leaving Encantadas at 8 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4:30 p.m.