Ilha do Mel
06-02-2021
"Honey Island" is a Brazilian island with wonderful beaches located at the mouth of the Paranaguá Bay, in the municipality of Paranaguá in the state of Paraná. For the preservation of nature, the main attraction of the island, the Environmental Institute of Paraná (IAP) does not allow animal or motor traction. Of the 2700 hectares of extension (35 km of perimeter) only 200 hectares can be used, the rest is an ecological reserve. The island has five villages: Fortaleza, Nova Brasília, Farol das Conchas, Praia Grande and Encantadas, without streets or roads, only trails and with inns and small restaurants. The highest point on Ilha do Mel (151 meters), is the Morro do Miguel. The origin of the name, Ilha do Mel (Honey in Portuguese), may have been the practice of beekeeping by the Carijós Indians, former residents of the island. The crossing to Ilha do Mel, located 4 km from the mainland, is made by boats leaving from Pontal do Sul or Paranaguá. Located at the top of Morro das Conchas, the Farol das Conchas was commissioned by Emperor D. Pedro II in 1870 to modernize Brazilian commercial navigation and can be seen from almost all the points of the island. The fortress “Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres”, the only 18th century military monument in Paraná, erected with walls 1,5 meters thick in the foothills of Morro da Baleia (mount of the whale), was completed in 1769. At the top of the Morro da Baleia, next to the fortress are cannons and stone trenches. There is also a viewpoint, with a panoramic view that can be reached by a trail on the hill. Another point of tourist attraction, the “Gruta das Encantadas” (Enchanted Cave) is the most important natural heritage on the island. The “Morro da Gruta” (Hill of the cave), formed by a type of rock called migmatite is divided by a shaft of black rock, the diabase. The cave was formed by the action of the sea on the diabase, which is less resistant. The narrowest part of the island, only 30 meters wide, is the Isthmus, located in Nova Brasília. During the weekends of August, there is a Jazz Festival, which has a program filled with quality music and gastronomy, as well as other free entertainment on the beach.
Picture: Reprodução / Viagens e Caminhos
Picture: Maik Penner