WTM 2014 Caderno SC

Santa Catarina Adrenailha

Surfboards, bicycles and horses Choose and explore the state

With 560 km of coastline, the state has beautiful beaches and all of them are different from each other. Some are located in busy resorts; others are almost deserted and are only accessible by trails through the Atlantic Forest or by boat.

Surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing, stand up paddle and sailing are all in abundance and you will find good waves and perfect wind along the coast, in places like Ibiraquera Lagoon in Imbituba. For the more adventurous among us, the state has some of the best places in Brazil for rafting. A good example of this is the Itajaí-Açu River and its tributaries, in the Itajaí valley, where thrills are guaranteed. Canoeing is also a good on one of the many rivers, lakes and parks in the countryside of the state. If you prefer staying on dry land, then cycling is a good option to relax and discover a new kind of tourism - on two wheels. If you are looking for some natural beauty mixed with a bit of tradition, the diversity of the state will not disappoint. Santa Catarina’s canyons impress with their grandeur. In this case, rural tourism is especially good for horse riding and tours can last up to a week.

Abseiling in the Ingleses Mountains

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Juan Rivas Beasley

Paths of the Canyons

Sculptures of

Mother Nature

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Hiking in Espraiado Canyon in Urubici; and Moça Mountains, in Sombrio

>> The Paths of the Canyons attract mainly lovers of ecotourism. The expeditions explore the high mountains that were abruptly cut

by Mother Nature. The impressive canyons are located in the National Park of Aparados da Serra and Serra Geral in the south of the state. But the Paths of the Canyons also have attractions on the coast and in the inner cities.

In total, seven cities make up the region: Sombrio, Praia Grande, Jacinto Machado, Passo de Torres, Balneário Arroio da Silva, Araranguá and Balneário Gaivota. These destinations offer a variety of activities related to ecotourism and adventures like trekking, rappelling, tree walking, zip lining, fishing, boat rides, cascading, mountain biking, cycling and horseback riding tours. It also has a multitude of trails, waterfalls, lakes and other natural places that allow greater contact with its nature and animal/bird watching. The crafts and local culture are also attractions in the region.

Sombrio The natural attractions and shopping tourism are the main highlights of Sombrio. The Cultural Boardwalk and the Mother Church St. Anthony of Padua are must sees in the city 2 | FOLHA DO TURISMO BRASIL | WTM

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centre, where you will notice traces of the Azorean and Portuguese colonisation. Don’t miss as well, a boat ride on the Sombrio Lagoon: the largest freshwater lake in the state, spanning 54 square kilometres. It’s worth a visit as well as Morro da Moça, a 200m high mountain, with vertical walls that resemble the shape of ‘Sugar Loaf Mountain’, in Rio de Janeiro.

Praia Grande Settled in by descendants from the Azores, Portugal and Italy, Praia Grande is an ecotourism destination par excellence. Here Aparados da Serra National Park can be found.

The stunning landscape is characterised by vertical rock faces stretching upwards to 700m in height and then abruptly tail off into the gentle slopes of a plateau. Waterfalls make the scenery even more charming. The protected area is situated on the border between Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, and has three trails open to the public.

Jacinto Machado This is one of the best destinations in Santa Catarina for ecotourism. The city is the main access point to the Fortaleza Canyon, the

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Trail of Furnas, Macacos Mountains, in Passos de Torres, and Paragliding in Mole Beach, in Florianópolis

region’s largest and also one of the largest in Brazil, at 7.5km in length and up to 1,157 m in height. Century old trails used by drovers, waterfalls, rock pools, rocky rivers and lush vegetation make the ride up the canyon a real adventure, which must be done with accredited guides. Abseiling, canyoning, rafting and trekking are some of the most popular activities here.

Passo de Torres Located on the border with the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Passo de Torres is a very popular resort for surfers. The beaches of Molhes, Rosa do Mar and Bella Torres are the most famous.

Other attractions are boat trips to the Lobos Island, an environmental conservation unit

created to protect wolves and sea lions, and the Macacos Morro, park for the protection of monkeys, located 8 km from the centre.

Balneário Arroio da Silva The 22 km of beaches is the main attraction of Balneário Arroio da Silva. The City organizes most of the sports and recreational activities - especially in the summer – that all take place here. The highlight is the Truck Drag Race (Arrancada de Caminhões), one of the largest events of its kind in the world, attracting up to 100,000 people every year.

The Entremares Fishing Platform, another point of interest for tourists is 5 km from centre, in Meta Beach.

Balneário Gaivota With interconnected beaches, dunes, lagoons, salt marshes and remnants of the Atlantic Forest, Balneário Gaivota is a quiet destination most of the year. In the summer however, tourists come from all over and change the

dynamic of the city. Surfing, fishing and power boating take place along the 23km long coast.

The busy Balneário Gaivota, in the centre, and the quiet Cortada Lagoon, are a must do for walking, swimming and sport fishing.

Araranguá Ecotourism and shopping are the two main attractions of Araranguá, a city colonized by descendants of the Azores, Italy, Germany and some African-Brazilians. The central region of the city has wide avenues and many shops, bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

Going to the coast, the highlights are the beaches, lagoons, dunes, caves and the mouth of the Araranguá River. In several places, nature provides perfect places to go hang gliding, sand boarding and various off-road activities. You can also book horse rides to the Aparados da Serra Park. The main attractions of the town are the dunes of the Morro dos Conventos. They form a slope 30m in height, allowing for descents of up to 35kph.

Free to fly Santa Catarina offers many options for those who like throwing themselves in the air. You can go paragliding, parachuting or trips in a glider. In Balneário Camboriú, at Morro do Careca (Bald Hill), at only 80m high, so you can try it out to see if you like it. Paragliding flights last for about 15 minutes and are available with an experienced pilot (even for children 5 years an up) can be made here. Atalaia Beach has designated spots for free flight in an area owned by the Atalaia Club of Free Flight. Tangará, São Lourenço do Oeste, Gravatal, Garopaba, Santo Amaro da Imperatriz, Florianópolis, Itajaí, Camboriú and Penha are other destinations that also offer ramps for free flights and gliders.

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On the water: the state of water sports 4 | FOLHA DO TURISMO BRASIL | WTM

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>> Surfing and its variants - windsurfing and kite surfing - are popular in Santa Catarina, attracting legions of fans that have a different lifestyle. In total, the state has 560 km of coastline and around 130 beaches suitable for the sport. It’s hard to single out which is the best beach for surfing due to the amount of options. Among the best known and most popular are Joaquina, Mole, Moçambique, Morro das Pedras and Campeche in Florianópolis; Guarda do Embaú in Palhoça; Vila (the only Latin American beach that will host the World Championship Tour - WCT) and Rosa, in Imbituba; Silveira and Ferrugem, in Garopaba; Prainha, in São Francisco do Sul; Atalaia and Brava, in Itajaí; Estaleiro, in Balneário Camboriú; and Mariscal and Quatro Ilhas, in Bombinhas.

As for other sports, such as windsurfing and kite surfing, the most popular beach is Ibiraquera, especially the Ibiraquera Lagoon in Imbituba. With a backdrop of dunes, rivers, islands and lagoons, Ibiraquera houses a quiet fishing village. The area is very popular for its boutique B&Bs and for its good restaurants, with pink shrimp dishes that are traditionally fished, in the Ibiraquera Lagoon.

The waves of the region are considered one of the best for kite surfing and windsurfing in Brazil. Each year in October, the global elite of both sports gathers on the sands of Ibiraquera for the most awaited competition

Adrenailha

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Waterfall in Itoupava, rafting in Ingleses Beach, trekking and canoeing at the beautiful landscapes of Santa Catarina

in Latin America, the Ibiraquera Wave Contest. Competitors amaze with their manoeuvres cresting the waves of Ibiraquera.

You may even bump into the WIND 2005 world champion Kauli Seadi, who lives here.

The Ibiraquera Lagoon has excellent facilities for Slaloming (zigzaging), besides being great for stand-up paddle (a sport performed on top of a surfboard with long oars). There you will find equipment to rent to create your own adventure.

Rafting

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Going down rapids in inflatable rubber boats emotes much adrenaline and also puts you amongst nature. Rafting, a sport sought by adrenaline junkies, increasingly affects Ecotourism and Adventure Tourism in the region. Santa Catarina offers a variety of tours, with various levels of difficulty available by accredited companies, including all basic

training and all safety equipment needed.

The ducking (inflatable kayak for two people) and canoeing on rivers and lakes are also a good option for those who want to immerse themselves in the nature of Santa Catarina.

Rafting on the river Itajaí-Açu and its tributaries in the Upper Valley of Itajaí, in the touristic region of European Valley, is considered one of the best in Brazil. It’s a 7.5 km stretch with interspersing rapids, calm passages, waterfalls and spectacular scenery. There are easy routes for beginners and others for the more experienced, which should only be made by veterans of the sport. At the top of the 350m high starting point, you have different routes to choose from.

From the top, the view of the Canyon provides a beautiful sight of the Santa Luzia waterfall, which is 100m high and has several levels, which make it favourable for rappelling and cascading. At the bottom, there are natural pools that were formed by the waterfall.

Trekking, rappelling and a Zip line: adventure sport for all One of the main destinations for trekking and rappelling, Urubici has a wide variety of places, mountains and hills to explore. Thrills await you at Serra do Corvo Branco, which is located 30km from Urubici city centre.

It has stunning scenery that begins in the crevice that cuts two massive rock faces. The road that descends towards Grão Pará is dizzying, dazzling and reveals wild and varied landscapes.

The destination delights tourists, providing activities like trekking, rappelling and other extreme sports.

In Balneário Camboriú, the highlight is the Unipraias Park. It is possible to go tree climbing with canopies up to 130 meters and zip line called the ZipRider, a breakneck descent of 750 metres amidst the Atlantic Forest, where you are suspended by just a cable, sitting in a modern seat that reaches an average speed of 60 km/h and has the pleasure of enjoying the scenery and the feeling of freedom.

It also has suspended walkways for ecological walks through the Atlantic forest. Finally, at 998m, the Castle of the Bugres, in Joinville, has good facilities for climbing. There are two trails that lead to the top, passing through caves, rocky corridors and lookouts, like Pedra do Sofá. At the top, you can see the entire northern part of Santa Catarina and part of Paraná state.

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Explore the state by pedal power. Different routes are available for Cycle Tourism

Cycling! Discover a new and beautiful Santa Catarina >> Many natural wonders and thrills await tourists on Santa Catarina’s mountain bike trails. The coast and the countryside of the state have hundreds of places to be explored on a bike, true paradises at the seaside or on the slopes of mountains, canyons, valleys and fields. In most cities, there are tour operators who organize tours and expeditions and rent out bicycles and accessories. Santa Catarina is also a pioneer in Brazilian cycle tourism, consisting of short trips, usually accompanied by guides from specialised companies. The routes connect various cities, passing through trails and secondary roads that are quieter.

The best-known circuit is European Valley, which passes through Timbó (about 30 km from Blumenau), Pomerode, Indaial, Rio dos Cedros, Benedito Novo, Doutor Pedrinho, Rodeio, Apiúna and Ascurra.

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The Costa Verde & Mar Circuit gives the chance of exploring one of the most beautiful coastlines in the country, passing by quiet country towns, with preserved forests, rivers and waterfalls. It is the first cycle tourism route in Brazil to cover a coastline. And, when merging stretches of coastline with the interior, it offers great cultural diversity and landscapes. The route goes past prominent and local sights coupled with incomparable scenic beauty. Popular beaches alternate with other deserted ones and are surrounded by green rainforest. Between the beaches, there are challenging hills that also offer gorgeous views. With mostly Azorean Colonization, the coast safeguards strong Portuguese cultural traits, expressed mainly in the festivities and cuisine. In the countryside, the views are littered with rice fields and wooden houses set

the tone of the trip. Other cultural influences, notably German and Italian, can be seen here.

The cycle tour ‘cicloturista’ passes through 11 cities, eight on the coast: Balneário Camboriú, Balneário Piçarras, Bombinhas, Itapema, Itajaí, Navegantes, Penha and Porto Belo and three more in the countryside: Camboriú, Ilhota e Luís Alves. Totalling 270 km, the route uses dirt tracks and urban roads, to avoid busier paved roads. The tour was designed to take six days, to give enough time to enjoy the many attractions that the region has to offer. In each section there are numerous opportunities to enjoy other activities such as hiking, diving, kayaking, surfing, windsurfing, micro light flights, among others.

There are also cultural and ecological riches to be explored, such as archaeological sites, historic buildings and trails for bird watching.

Explore and venture >> For the adventurous ones, in the Schroeder region, Vale do Rio Braço do Sul is a place full of springs and streams between the Morro Agudo and Serra Feia. It is here that we find one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the city, the Wasserhoff, as well as the best downhill (a form of radical cycling consisting of riding down a hill as fast as possible along a specified route) course in Latin America.

There is also a cross-country course of 8.3 km that takes you through the woods and there is also a sports complex for championships.

In Rio Negrinho, on the tourist route of Príncipe Paths, there are natural hidden places and farms in the region that have nature trails for trekking, mountain biking, off-roading in a Jeep or ATV. Motocross and kart-cross tracks can be found in Estância Colonial for those seeking other challenges.

In Imbituba, a special route takes cyclists from the Itapirubá Beach to Sonho Beach in Palhoça to watch right whales, which mate in the region between June and November. The route passes by cliffs, dunes and several other beaches in Imbituba and Garopaba. The tour can also start at the Santa Marta Lighthouse, located

in Laguna, and lasts two to four days, with English, Spanish and German speaking guides.

On the other hand, the city of Itajaí offers a mixed destination, where tourists cycle through urban and rural areas, covering eight districts and nine out of the 17 rural communities that are in the area. Winding roads and new friendships complement the landscapes that are enjoyed by those who appreciate the calmness of a bike ride.

Finally, Porto Belo is a great option for offroad mountain bike tours. The site also offers 4x4 tours in cars, passing along rugged beaches, lookouts, trails and other nature conservation sites and there is also the possibility of rides on nights with a full moon. Stops along the route to cool off with a dip and hiking over the nearby hills can also be done. Another option is to explore this scenery riding in groups accompanied by expert guides.

Whale watching Recognized by UNESCO as one of the most beautiful bays in the world, Rosa Beach still looks like an old fishing village, with canoes, carts, artisanal fishing of mullet and rustic lodges, which add charm to the area. Located 22 km from Imbituba city centre and 18 km from Garopaba, Rosa borders the Vermelha Beach, in the north, and Portinho Beach, in the south. The destination was discovered by surfers in the 70’s and today is one of the main points for the sport, especially south of Rosa, in Vila Beach. From August to November you can see the Right whales, which migrate to Rosa Beach to feed their young in their first months of life. The area becomes a kind of natural nursery and attracts many curious people, increasing tourism in the region.

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Horse riding in the

silence and tradition of Lages >> In Santa Catarina there are lots of opportunities for horse riding, both on the coast and in the countryside. It was in Serra Catarinense that, in the 80s, the first Brazilian farm hotels emerged, paving the way for the development of rural tourism in the entire country. Some of the best rides start at these hotels and some even last up to seven days winding through totally wild fields. Others have shorter itineraries and are highlighted by visits to Coxilha Rural in Lages.

Two long horse rides are famous in the state. The first is the Aparados da Serra Horse Ride, in Araranguá, leaving Bom Jardim da Serra and heading towards Rio Grande do Sul. It happens in July and brings together hundreds of people. The route of almost 300km, includes old paths, passing through cities like São José dos Ausentes,

Cambará do Sul, and some of the most beautiful landscapes of Rio Grande do Sul and the Santa Catarina mountains.

The event lasts for a week and takes place annually in the winter. During the other months of the year, Aparados da Serra offers walks or adventure tours up to three days in duration. The tourists sleep on the farms of the Campos de Cima da Serra.

The second is the Tropeira Horse Ride, that goes from Lages to Tubarão and travels along the historic path of the drovers through Picadão da Serra. The arrival of the riders is just one of the many festivities, celebrating the anniversary of the city, which takes place in May. In Lages, it is very common for regional farm hotels to offer rural tourism that includes horse riding and fishing in lakes and rivers.

The region of Coxilha Rica, where Lages is

located, includes the historic path of Serras Catarinenses, which takes you up and down grassy hills, through forests, river crossings and waterfalls of crystal clear water. There are stops along the route for refreshments, to adjust the saddle, and to reach the next farm for a meal, picnic or to rest. At night, a guitar around a bonfire, the traditional mate drink, fresh milk and delicious typical food, made with fresh local produce, await for you on the last night of the tour.

In European Valley, rural inns offer lake and river fishing, horse riding and trekking in the surroundingareas.Don’tmissthetourthatleaves from the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Azambuja, in Brusque, and goes up to the Sanctuary of Saint Paulina, in Nova Trento (35 km). The horse ride attracts about eight thousand riders and takes place in the last weekend of August.

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Norberto Cidade