Ilhabela, Brazil

Officially named Ilha de São Sebastião (St. Sebastian Island), but commonly just called Ilhabela, the “Beautiful Island”, just outside the coast of São Paulo state. A short fifteen-minute boat or ferry trip brings you to the relatively small island with a population of about 32 000, witch during holiday season quadruples. For most people that comes to Ilhabela do it for the beaches, sailing and surfing, there is also a lot of hiking trails in the mountains where seven tops reaches above 1000 meters

Ilhabela also has a history of being a hiding place of pirates and privateers, and has the largest graveyard of shipwrecks in whole Brazil, making it a paradise for scuba divers. We visited the island about ten years ago.

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Curitiba to Paranaguá by train

One of the few scenic train routes in Brazil goes from Curitiba and winds its way trough the mountain range of Serra do Mar and down to the port city of  Paranaguá in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil.

We did the trip in 2007, but now it seems like the train stops at the historic city of Morretes, about two thirds on the way to Paranaguá. Highly recommended way to feel and smell the Atlantic Rainforest.