Near Guarapuava, in the heart of Paraná, Turvo keeps a way of life that has become a reference for living alongside the forest: the faxinais — a traditional system in which families raise animals loose and harvest shade-grown yerba mate under centuries-old araucaria pines, keeping the forest standing for generations. For the ecotourist, it is the rare chance to see ancestral agroecology at work — with waterfalls as a bonus.
What to do
- Visit a faxinal — guided walks through communal grazing areas among araucarias, with the stories of the people who live the system (book through the tourism department or the local associations).
- Yerba mate route — shaded plantations, artisanal drying sheds and a tasting of the mate that specialists rank among the best in the world.
- Country waterfalls — falls and pools on inland properties, with simple access arranged with the owners.
- Tropeiro and Polish-Ukrainian culture — the local table mixes pierogi, cracked maize and pine nuts; church festivals punctuate the calendar.
- Combine it with Prudentópolis — the land of the giant waterfalls is next door, closing an itinerary of deep inland Paraná.
Why visiting matters
The faxinais have been under pressure from fences and monocultures for decades — and community-based tourism has become an ally of that resistance: every visit gives value to a system that produces WITH the araucaria forest (one of the most threatened in Brazil), not against it. Ecotourism here is a vote of confidence in a future that conserves.
Logistics
Turvo is around 40 km from Guarapuava (the region’s service base) and around 290 km from Curitiba. Simple facilities, great hospitality; the best time is between March and November, with winter bringing scenic frosts to the mate plantations.
🥾 Who is it for?
Effort: easy — gentle faxinal walks and farm visits. Children: loose animals, pine nuts on the griddle and tropeiro stories (all ages). Older travelers and people with reduced mobility: local rural tourism moves at a gentle pace and is mostly flat — tell the associations so they can adapt the routes. A destination with soul, for travelers who collect encounters, not selfies.