The summit
Southern Brazil's highest point.
Vonoserbizky Spartacus — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Vonoserbizky Spartacus — CC BY-SA 3.0 · MarceloHCF01 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MarceloHCF01 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MarceloHCF01 — CC BY-SA 4.0
Pico Paraná, at 1,877 metres, is the highest point in Paraná and in all of southern Brazil, a granite and gneiss massif in the Ibitiraquire range, «green mountains» in Tupi. The German researcher Reinhard Maack explored it in the 1940s and made the first ascent with two companions, and its official height was measured by GPS in 1992. Pico Paraná State Park protects it, and the massif feeds rivers that supply the Curitiba region. The massif has five summits, and its neighbour Ibitirati holds Brazil's highest granite wall at about 1,050 metres. The climb to Pico Paraná is a serious mountain trip: a long, rough trail with rocky sections climbed on chains, which most people split over two days with a night at a camp on the mountain, and cloud often covers the top. Registration at the state environment institute's base at the trailhead is compulsory, with online camp booking and a risk declaration, and hikers who skipped it have been fined R$2,000. Go with a guide if you lack mountain experience.
Southern Brazil's highest point.
A night above the clouds.
The highest granite wall.
IAT base past Fazenda Pico Paraná, Campina Grande do Sul, Paraná
Yes; registration at the environment institute's base at the trailhead is compulsory, with camp booking, and offenders have been fined R$2,000.