The South Mountain-Sea Sector (Setor Serra Mar Sul) is the Santa Catarina portion of the Great Atlantic Forest Reserve—a region of unique natural beauty that stretches along the coast, advancing through Babitonga Bay until it reaches the mountain and North Plateau municipalities of the state. The craggy vista of the Serra Dona Francisca range offers a combination of stunning landscapes and typical gastronomic attractions from the German communities that live there.

At the top of the mountains, you can find the unparalleled Campos do Quiriri, a unique region of high-altitude grasslands that can be visited by tourists seeking both adventure and beautiful scenery. Meanwhile, the bustling Babitonga Bay is home to an endemic population of the extremely rare Franciscana dolphin (toninha), which can be spotted sharing the waters with the acrobatic Guiana dolphins (botos-cinza).

The well-known coastal cities of São Francisco do Sul, Itapoá, Balneário Barra do Sul, and Araquari receive an intense flow of visitors looking for sun and beaches, yet they maintain extensive areas of coastal plains and well-protected restinga (sandbank) vegetation, such as in the Acaraí State Park, the Nascente do Saí Wildlife Refuge (REVIS), and the Volta Velha Private Reserve (RPPN).