Paranaguá and Parque Nacional Vila Velha in Brazil

After the endless lorry parks and the messy dual carriageway leading into the town, the centre of Paranaguá, 268 km south of Santos, comes as a pleasant surprise, especially around the waterfront. Colonial buildings decay quietly in the heat and humidity, some are just façades encrusted with bromeliads; and fishermen get quietly drunk in little

.

There's not much to do in the town but stroll along the cobbles and while away the time in the interesting city museum, housed in a formidable 18th-century Jesuit convent, www.proec.ufpr.br, which showcases aspects of the city's interesting past. Other attractions include a 17th- century fountain, the church of São Benedito, and the shrine of Nossa Senhora do Rocio, 2 km from town. The town is more remarkable for what lies on its doorstep: the Ilha do Mel and Baía do Paranaguá .

Before it became Paranaguá, the region was an important centre of indigenous life. Colossal shell middens, called

have been found on the surrounding estuaries, protecting regally adorned corpses. The mounds can be as high as a two-storey building and date from between 7000 and 2000 years ago. They were built by the ancestors of the

and

people who were here when the first Europeans arrived. The bay's outer islands were initially claimed and occupied by the Spanish (who thought they had reached the coast near Potosí in

Bolivia, thousands of miles inland, when they first saw the Serra da Graciosa). But in the late 16th century a

expedition under Heiliodoro Eobano found gold in Paranaguá.

When the Portuguese realized the importance of the area, they beat the Spanish off the land and fortified the southern end of Ilha do Mel, establishing a port at Paranaguá.

, 40 km south, is a medium-sized Mediterranean-style resort, invaded by surfers in October for the Paraná surf competition. About 8 km further south is

, at the mouth of a bay, the other side of which is

, which is less built up than Caiobá. The ferry between the two towns is frequent and is a beautiful crossing. Each of these towns has a few hotels but most close in winter; there is camping at Matinhos and Guaratuba.

On the road to Ponta Grossa is Vila Velha, now a state park, 97 km from Curitiba, 10 km from Ponta Grossa. The sandstone rocks have been weathered into fantastic shapes, although many have been defaced by thoughtless tourists. Nearby are the

, surrounded by forests, and the

: three waterholes, the deepest of which has a lift that descends almost to the level of the lake. The park office is 300 m from the highway and the park a further 1.5 km. You can camp in the church grounds or put your tent up in a disused campground, which is now overgrown and has no facilities. Allow all day if visiting all three sites.