Baía de Paranaguá in Brazil

The Baía de Paranaguá is one of Latin America's biodiversity hotspots and the best place on the Brazilian coast to see rare rainforest flora and fauna. Mangrove and lowland subtropical forests, islands, rivers and rivulets combine to form the largest stretch of Atlantic coast rainforest in the country. The area protects critically endangered species like the black-faced lion tamarin, which was only discovered in 1990, and the red-tailed Amazon parrot (which despite its name is only found here), alongside a full gamut of South American spectaculars including jaguars. Most of the bay is protected by a series of national and state parks , but it is possible to visit on an organized tour from Paranaguá (or with more difficulty from

on the northern side of the bay). The

, offers a range of excellent trips in large and small vessels ranging from two hours to two days.

Ilha do Mel is a weekend escape and holiday island popular with Paraná and Paulista surfers, 20-something hippies and day-tripping families. There are no roads, no vehicles and limited electricity. Outside of Carnaval and New Year it is a laid-back little place. Bars pump out Bob Marley and

reggae; spaced-out surfers lounge around in hammocks; and bare- footed couples dance

on the wooden floors of simple beachside shacks. Much of the island is forested, its coastline is fringed with broad beaches and, in the south, broken by rocky headlands. Its location in the mouth of the Bahía de Paranaguá made it

strategically important to the Portuguese in the 18th century. The lighthouse,

, was built in 1872 to guide shipping into the bay. The cave of

is surrounded with myths and legends about mermaids, enchanting all who came near.

The island divides into two sections connected by a spit of sand at the Nova Brasília jetty, the principal port of arrival. The rugged eastern half, where most of the facilities are to be found, is fringed with curving beaches and capped with a lighthouse. The flat, scrub forest-covered and balloon-shaped western half is predominantly an ecological protection area. Its northern side is watched over by the Fortaleza Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres, a fort built in 1767 on the orders of King José I of Portugal, to defend what was one of the principal ports in the country. In 1850, a British warship captured three illegal slave-trading ships, giving rise to a battle known as Combate Cormorant. The view from the 20th-century gun emplacements on the hill above the fort is the best on the island.

The best surf beaches are

and

, both about 20 minutes' walk from the Nova Brasília jetty.

and

on the north shore are more tranquil and are safe for swimming; they are about 45 minutes' walk from the jetty or five minutes by boat.

and

are the liveliest and have the most accommodation, restaurants and nightlife. However, Encantadas has become somewhat polluted, with the cesspits overflowing into open sewers in the wet.

A series of well-signposted trails lead throughout Ilha do Mel and its coast. The most walked are as follows: the

(20 minutes), which is paved but steep; the views are wonderful. The

(three hours) offers a series of beautiful views, paths through the forest and stretches of semi-deserted beach. However, once you reach the end of the trail, you will either have to return the same way or take a boat taxi around the rocks back to Nova Brasília. This involves clambering over rocks at the end of Praia Grande; take appropriate footwear. The

takes 1½ hours. It is also possible to spend a full day walking around the entire island (apart from the stretch between Encantadas and Nova Brasília, which requires a boat taxi).

The island of

and its neighbour,

, lie at the heart of the largest single stretch of Atlantic Coast rainforest in the country and are the focus for the Guaraqueçaba Environmental Protection Area, which is part of the

, www.parksinperil.org. They also form a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many endangered endemic plants and animals live in the park, including hundreds of orchids, Atlantic rainforest-specific animals such as brown howler monkeys and large colonies of red-tailed Amazons (a parrot on the 'red list' of critically endangered species and

which can be seen nowhere else but here). There are also rare neotropical animals here like jaguarundi, puma and jaguar. There are several Guarani villages in the area; other inhabitants are mostly of European descent, making a living from fishing. There is superb swimming from deserted beaches, but watch out for stinging jellyfish.