There is a Brazil you can only reach by boat, where the streets are sand, electricity arrived just the other day and the soundtrack is caiçara fandango: Barra do Superagui, a fishing village inside Superagui National Park — 34,000 hectares of untouched Atlantic Forest on Paraná’s northern coast, recognized by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve. It is the destination for switching off the world and switching on your senses.
Getting there
From Paranaguá, wooden boats make the bay crossing in ~3 hours (private speedboats cut it to ~50 min; arrange through the guesthouses). No cars, no bank branches, no hurry: bring cash, a light backpack and an appetite for the essentials done well.
What to do
- Praia Deserta — 38 km of sand without a SINGLE building: walk or cycle as far as your courage takes you (dedicated article: the Deserted Beach and the parrots).
- The red-faced parrot fly-in — at dusk, hundreds of this endangered species (the park’s symbol) return to Ilha dos Pinheiros: an unmissable boat-side spectacle.
- Caiçara fandango — intangible heritage of Brazil: violas, fiddles and wooden clogs at the village dances (ask when the next one is!).
- Cataia — the “caiçara cachaça” of macerated leaves, the official liquid souvenir.
- Channels and islands — boat trips through the Lagamar labyrinth, among dolphins and scarlet ibises.
When to go
March-April is the peak of the parrot fly-in; summer brings a lively village and swimmable seas; winter, total contemplative solitude. In any season: simple, honest guesthouses, fresh fish daily and the best starry sky on the southern coast.
🥾 Who is it for?
Effort: easy in the village and on boat trips; the long walks on the Deserted Beach are optional. Children: a safe village and calm seas on the inner shore; the fly-in delights any age. Seniors and people with reduced mobility: the 3-hour boat ride and rustic landings call for assessment; in the flat village and on the boat outings the destination is contemplative and feasible — the isolation (no medical facilities nearby) is the factor to weigh. For those seeking coastal Brazil at its deepest: there is no better address.