Vale do Gigante Portal

Vale do Gigante Portal

Cities: Antonina

Attractions and activities: At the foot of the imposing Paraná Peak (the highest point in southern Brazil), the Valley of the Giant is found. The name comes from the view from the plains, where the mountain chain looks like a reclining, sleeping, giant in profile. Antonina municipality provides the region with an ever-increasing variety of options for the tourist. Already they include B&Bs and hotels for all pocketbooks, along with restaurants, local city and nature guides, adventure sports (including rafting and canoeing), walks and hikes, observation of the local flora and fauna (especially challenging for bird watchers), arts and crafts, organic produce, honey from native bees, and of course, cultural activities. Many of the local communities work together , including Bairro Alto, Cachoeira de Cima, Cacatú (where Japanese colonization to Paraná began), Rio do Nunes, and Faisqueirinha. Two large privately protected areas are here – the Waters Nature Reserve (Reserva Natural das Águas) and Guaricica Nature Reserve, where some fantastic birding is easily accessible. The region can be reached by road following the paved state highway PR-340, and that continues on to the old Governador Pedro Viriato Parigot de Souza hydroelectric dam, where what was once the worker’s village is now available for tourists.

Fascinating fauna to see here: White-lipped Peccary (Tayassu terrestres), the South American Tapir (Tapirus terrestres), Buff-throated Purpletuft (Iodopleura pipra), the Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus), Paraná Antwren (Stymphalornis acutirostris), and the list goes on and on.

Photography by Reginaldo Ferreira, José João da Silva (Santuário Vitória Régia) & Luciano Breves