Journey to Ilha do Mel

Our journey to Ilha do Mel, also known as Honey Island, took about 9.5 hours and involved four modes of transportation: the heel-toe express, a train, a bus and a ferry. This eco-friendly island is located about two miles off the coast of Brasil. We started with a brisk walk to the train station. We decided to take the scenic Serra Verda Express train to Morretes. The train ride took about 3 hours and was about 100 kms in distance. The route is extremely scenic as it winds through Parana Atlantic forest. This forest is lush with many types of fauna. The railway winds through the mountainous ranges and you get to see some beautiful waterfalls along the way. At times when looking out the window you were literally staring down a cliff into the valley below. It was truely spectactular and breathtaking all at the same time. Construction of the railway started in February 1880 and was inaugurated 5 years later. Given the terrain, building this railway was a very difficult task and more than 50% of the construction workers lost their lives during the process. There are about 14 tunnels, and 30 bridges along the way. While you can probably get to Morretes faster by bus, this train ride is definitely a must.

Upon arriving at Morretes, we made our way to the bus station to catch the public bus to Paranagua. This part of the journey was not that eventful. The bus ride is on a public bus, so there are a few stops along the way and it takes about an hour. They do really crowd you onto this bus, and unfortunately we had to stand the entire way.

Once in Paranagua we walked about 500 metres to the ferry pier to catch the ferry. Now, ferry in Brasil has a very different meaning than we are used to. The reality was this was really just a wooden boat, with wooden benches and a canopy protecting you from the elements. The ferry took just over 1.5 hours to reach the island. With about .5 hours left, we hit some really choppy water and the ferry really rocked back and forth. Thankfully no one got sick and we made it safely to shore. I was a little tense during this time not knowing what to expect.