Visconde de Mauá – Ilha Grande

With peaks up to 2.800 m, the Passa Quatro / Itatiaia - massifs represent the highest elevations in the Mantiqueira mountain range and on the Atlantic side of the South American Continent. They were formed about 80 million years ago, at the end of the Mesozoic, through alkaline magmatism, probably associated with the Trindade Mantle Plume. They represent the roots of very old extinct and eroded volcanoes. Itatiaia is considered the second largest alkaline intrusive complex in Brazil and one of the largest in the world.

Bocaina is the local name given to that portion of the Serra do Mar, which is located along the state border of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Its altitude ranges from sea level to 2.100 m and it connects the Paraíba valley (800 m) with the coastal lowlands. The national park contains several trails which prior to colonization, were used by the Tamoio Indians, during the XVIII century for transporting gold and diamonds and later coffee out of the Paraíba valley. There are many colonial coffee fazendas in the area.

Ilha Grande is the largest of the more than 300 islands situated in the bay of the same name approximately 5 km offshore from the coast. Its mountainous relief with altitudes up to 1.000 m is composed of calc - alcaline granites that were formed about 500 - 600 million years ago, during the late Neoproterozoic fusion of West Gondwana. The island, which in the past served as a shelter for pirates and corsairs, as a port for slave traders, as a quarantine station for european immigrants and as a prison for criminals and political offenders has become today a fascinating eco tour destination in Southeast Brazil.

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