Tag 55: Ilha do Mel

We spent the last 3 days on the island 'Ilha do Mel', not far from Curitiba.

On day 53 of our trip, we packed our backpacks and took a bus to Pontal do Sul and from there, a small boat to the island. The island consists of a very flat northern part and a hilly southern part, which are connected by a sandbank at low tide. Our destination was the southern part. We arrived on the island around 6 pm. Since there are no roads or cars here, we only had our feet as a means of transportation. It was getting late and soon it was dark, so we hiked to the lighthouse to get an overview and then set up our tent on the beach.

Day 54 started very wet and windy. The rain woke us up and had fun turning our paradise trip into an adventure. Since it didn't stop raining, we had to think about how to proceed today. So we packed all our things in the tent into our backpacks, covered them with the provided rain capes, tied the wet and sandy tent tightly to the outside of the backpack, and set off. At the next beach, we actually found a little piece of paradise when we stopped at a beautiful surfer hotel for breakfast. Well nourished, highly motivated, and a little bit drier, we set off again. Our goal was to simply walk around the island. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a bit difficult. The only way led over several meters-long cliffs and rocks to the next beach. So we started climbing. Waves were crashing against the rocks from the left and a deluge of rain was coming down from above. This made it even more challenging for us to hike over the slippery rocks with our heavy backpacks. As if the situation wasn't difficult enough, Sabrina slipped halfway and cut her left hand on the sharp rocks. We didn't have much choice but to keep going, so I left the big backpack on a rock between the waves, brought Sabrina back to solid ground, and then went back to get the backpack. Unfortunately, the beach we were on now was completely deserted with only a small path at the other end. We hiked for about another hour until we reached a small village with a tiny 'hospital' where we had Sabrina's wound disinfected and bandaged. Take a deep breath. After that, only two things were important: food and a place to sleep. After checking off the first point, we walked back to a huge beach, set up our tent, went to sleep, and hoped that the next day would be better.

Day 55 didn't initially seem to offer more than the previous day when we were once again awakened by the rain, but it had more to offer. We waited for the rain to stop and the sun to come out. We packed up all our things and set off to visit a remarkable cave that was not far away. So we enjoyed a few more hours in the sun, swam in the sea, and then headed back to Curitiba.

All in all, the island is beautiful, 90% of it is protected, and it has some beautiful swimming beaches to offer. The number of visitors is limited to 5,000 per day, which means you can enjoy some peace and quiet on the island. Just make sure to check the weather forecast beforehand (even if it's not always reliable in Curitiba and the surrounding area).