Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
BARREADO
In Paraná's coastal towns (in particular Morretes, Antonina and Paranaguá),
barreado
,
the region's equivalent of
feijoada
, appears on most restaurants' menus. This speciality, a
convenience dish that can provide food for several days and requires little attention while
cooking, used only to be eaten by the poor during Carnaval, but is now enjoyed throughout the
year. Traditionally,
barreado
is made of beef, bacon, tomatoes, onion, cumin and other spices,
placed in successive layers in a
large clay urn
, covered and then “
barreada
” (sealed) with a paste
of ash and
farinha
(manioc flour), and then slowly cooked in a wood-fired oven for twelve to
fifteen hours. Today pressure cookers are sometimes used (though not by the better restaurants),
and gas or electric ovens almost always substitute for wood-fired ones.
Barreado
is served with
farinha
, which you spread on a plate; place some meat and gravy on top and eat with banana
and orange slices. Though tasty enough,
barreado
is very heavy and a rather more appropriate
dish for a chilly winter evening than for summer and Carnaval, as originally intended.
Parque Estadual de Marumbi
Occupying one of the largest and least-spoilt stretches of Mata Atlântica in the country,
the
Parque Estadual de Marumbi
features a wealth of flora and fauna and a fine network
of trails that, on all too rare clear days, provide stunning views across Paranaguá Bay.
From the Vila Marumbi train station trails lead up to the highest peaks of the Serra
Marumbi (Olimpo, 1539m), with the
Trilha Noroeste
(marked with red ribbons and
arrows) taking at least three to four hours one-way - it's a steep climb with an elevation
gain of 1100m, so make sure you leave enough time to catch the 3.45pm train.
The enticing alternative is to hike across the park along the scenic
Caminho do
Itupava
, a clearly marked trail constructed between 1625 and 1654 by indigenous
peoples and miners. This starts in
Porto de Cima
, just 7km north of Morretes on
PR-411, and runs for around 22km through the forest (skirting the big peaks) to
Quatro Barras
(around 8-9hr), where there are buses to Curitiba. Though the path
is generally safe, note that a couple of armed robberies did take place on the trail in
2013 - try to walk in a group. Entrance to the park is free.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
PARQUE ESTADUAL DE MARUMBI
By train
From Curitiba, the Serra Verde Express (see box,
p.551) stops at Vila Marumbi at the foot of the park daily at
10.35am, returning at 3.45pm (giving you just 5 hours to
hike some of the trails - don't miss the train). Near the
station there's a small park o
ce (daily 8am-4pm;
T
41 3432 2072),
where you can pick up a trail map.
By bus
Most people hike the Caminho do Itupava
downhill, which means taking a city bus (#071) from
Curitiba's Terminal Guadalupe to the trailhead at Borda do
Campo (R$2.70). You can also take a more frequent bus to
Quatro Barras and switch there to a local bus for Borda. The
o
cial Centro de Visitantes de Prainhas lies at the other
end of the trail, around 1.5km from Porto de Cima; local
buses run from Cima to Morretes (7km).
Tourist information
There's a small information kiosk at
Borda (Thurs-Sun 8am-6pm), and the Centro de Visitantes
de Prainhas is near Cima (daily 8am-6pm).
ACCOMMODATION
Santuário Nhundiaquara
Estrada das Prainhas, Km 2
(Caminho do Itupava), Porto do Cima
T
41 3462 1938,
W
santuarionhundiaquara.com.
Conveniently located at
the eastern end of the Caminho do Itupava, these comfy
wooden cabins are set in park-li
ke grou
nds with a water
slide, pool and decent restaurant.
R$210
Antonina
An important town until the 1940s,
ANTONINA
has long been superseded as Paraná's main
port, though a happy consequence of this decline has been the preservation of many of its
eighteenth- and nineteenth-century buildings, leaving the place with a certain backwater
charm. The town is gradually attracting a weekend crowd from Curitiba, but during the
week Antonina makes for a pleasantly sleepy alternative to Paranaguá, only 55km away.
