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

paRaná C

Ur

ITIB

ApaRan

á GE

TT

ING

Th

ErE &

Ar

oU

ND

paRaná C

Ur

ITIB

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

261

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