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Why Go?Since its 1853 succession from São Paulo state, Paraná has been endlessly compared with its larger neighbor to the north. Indeed, the two share a slew of superlatives, rating among Bra-zil’s highest standards of living and best educated populations.
With its efficient public transportation, innovative archi-tecture and outstanding urban parks, the capital, Curitiba, exemplifies the state’s successes. Though no tourism mag-net, the city’s air of European culture and excellent restau-rants make for a nice dose of Brazil at its most developed. Sunbathers and surfers sigh for Ilha do Mel and Parque Nacional do Superagüi, where large swaths of unspoiled rainforest and pristine coastline make for some of the least developed and most idyllic beaches in southern Brazil.
But it’s Iguaçu Falls that has always earned the wonder and admiration of travelers, from indigenous tribes to Jesuit missionaries to modern-day tourists. The awe it inspires cannot be overstated.
ParanáPOP 10.4 MILLION
When to Go
May & Sep off peak prices and crowds coupled with tolerable weather at Iguaçu Falls.
Dec–Feb peak season brings the sunshine at Iguaçu Falls and Ilha do mel.
Aug retreating cold and muggi-ness in Curitiba makes for com-fortable days.
F DNOSAJJMAMJ
Foz do Iguaçu°C/°F Temp
0/32
10/50
20/68
30/86
40/104
Rainfall inches/mm
0
4/100
8/200
12/300
16/400
20/500
Best Places to Eat¨¨ Manu (p263)
¨¨ Barolo (p263)
¨¨ Fim da Trilha (p273)
¨¨ Mar e Sol (p272)
¨¨ Vó Bertila (p277)
Best Places to Sleep¨¨ Hotel das Cataratas (p276)
¨¨ Motter Home (p262)
¨¨ Hostel Natura (p274)
¨¨ Grajagan Surf Resort (p272)
¨¨ Curitiba Eco Hostel (p262)
Curitiba .......................261morretes ....................266paranaguá .................268Ilha do mel ................. 270Iguaçu Falls & Around ....................... 274
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
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AHistoryLike much of southern Brazil, Paraná was neglected by the Portuguese colonists; even a brief gold rush in the 17th century withered when bigger finds were discovered in Minas Gerais. When Paraná seceded from São Paulo in 1853, the economy was based on cattle and erva maté (tea), and the government en-couraged Italian immigration to develop the economy. Waves of Germans, Ukrainians and Poles followed. With immigration and rail-road construction, Curitiba developed into one of the country’s richest cities.
8Getting¨There¨&¨AroundCuritiba is the state’s transportation hub, with bus and air services to every major city in Brazil. A pas-senger train links Curitiba with the coastal town of paranaguá. Foz do Iguaçu also has a small interna-tional airport and direct bus service to São paulo, rio de Janeiro and every big city in the South.
CURITIBA%0XX41
While not necessarily sexy, Curitiba has long garnered praise for being one of the world’s best models of urban planning. If it weren’t for the bold initiatives of its three-term mayor, Jaime Lerner, whose daring moves in early 1970s – transforming a six-block length of the downtown into a pedestrian zone (done in secret under the cover of dark-ness), creating five express-bus avenues with futuristic tubular boarding platforms, en-couraging recycling and sustainable design long before it was fashionable and planting trees and creating parks on an enormous scale – Curitiba would probably resemble any other Brazilian city. Instead, it’s the envy of the urban planners the world over and Brazil’s most efficient city. Today, it’s easier to get around Curitiba than any other large city in Brazil. The city has also taken
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Rio Negro
Para
náRio
Piquiri
Rio
Rio Tibagi
Rio Ivai
Rio Itararé
Rio Iguaçu
São Paul
Santa Catarina
Mato
do SulGrosso
GrossaPonta
IguaçuFoz do
Itapetininga
Avaré
ItapevaCapãoBonito
Apiaí
Antonina
Londrina
Apucarana
Guarapuava
Ourinhos
Cananéia
Guaratuba
Joinville
Paranaguá
Mafra
Porto
Paranavaí
CampoMourão
d'Oeste
CianorteCruzeiro
Laranjeirasdo Sul
Cascavel
Guaíra
Umuarama
São José
BrancoPato
BeltrãoFrancisco
Bernardode Irigoyen
Maringá
MarumbiParque Estadual
do IguaçuNacionalParque Superagüi
Parque Nacional do
ParanapiacabaSerra de
50ºW
24ºS
26ºS
48ºW50ºW
52ºW54ºW
24ºS
52ºW
26ºS
54ºW
RepresaCapivara
Represade Foz
do Areia
de ItaipuLagoa
Ilha de SãoFrancisco
Tropic of Capricorn
ARGENTINA
PA
RA
GU
AY
RP
RNRN
BR
BR
BR
BR
BR
BR
BR
BR
BR
BR
BRBR
BR
17
10112
270
092
116
151
369
151
376
376476
369
277277
70
Curitiba
Vila VelhaDam
DiabloGarganta do
Itaipu
FallsIguaçu
Ilhado Mel
0 100 km0 50 miles
1 Experience mother Nature’s heart-stopping and thunderous roar from above and below Garganta do Diablo (p281) at Iguaçu Falls.
2 Drench yourself under one of world’s most magnificent waterfalls on an Iguaçu Falls (p281) riverboat trip.
3 ride the rails on the Serra Verde Express (p268) to morretes, one of Brazil’s last great train rides.
4 Laze about the wild beaches and sandy trails of car-free Ilha do Mel (p270).
5 marvel at the ancient ‘stone city’ of Vila Velha (p267).
6 Appreciate art and eye-popping architecture at Curitiba’s Museu Oscar Niemeyer (p262).
7 Indulge in a michelin-level meal for a fraction of the price at Curitiba’s Manu (p263), the South’s hottest new restaurant.
8 marvel at the jaw-dropping engneering feat of Itaipu Dam (p283).
Paraná Highlights