Parque Nacional da Serra do Itajaí

Blumenau, Santa Catarina

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Description

Parque Nacional da Serra do Itajaí protects about 57,000 hectares of forest, most of it at an advanced stage of regeneration, preserving the largest continuous area of Atlantic Forest in the state. The region became known as the Vale Europeu (European Valley) and is famous for its traditional German and Italian festivals. In addition to its rich biodiversity, this protected area holds the headwaters of important watercourses, such as the Ribeirão Encano and the Warnow, which are part of the Itajaí River watershed. The park represents 0.05% of the original total area of the Atlantic Forest biome in Brazil and 0.55% of the remaining Atlantic Forest. It is one of the three large forest fragments still existing in Santa Catarina, lying geographically between Parque Estadual da Serra do Tabuleiro to the south and the São Bento do Sul – Serra da Dona Francisca region to the north. The park is the second-largest federal strictly protected area of the biome in southern Brazil. The park is known for adventure tourism activities (rafting, trekking, climbing, horseback riding, rappelling, running).