Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Caraguatatuba

To arrive at Caraguatatuba, the road is Via Dutra (BR116) up to São José dos Campos, and then Rodovia dos Tamoios (SP 99). There are signs showing a dirt road on the left to get to the Núcleo's headquarters. This Núcleo has another base, under construction, in São Sebastião, next to Polícia Florestal de Juquehy (Juquehy Forest Policy).

The state's north coast is full of beautiful views. Serra do Mar's coasts, covered by the Atlantic Forest, the extensive lowlands and the blue sea form part of its beauty: the panoramic view at the top of the hill on the way to Caraguatatuba. Most of the area that forms this scenario belongs to Núcleo Caraguatatuba of Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar (Serra do Mar State Park). With almost 315,000 hectares, going from the border of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro up to the city of Itariri in the state's south region, the park is the more extensive continuous preserved area of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Núcleo Caraguatatuba is part of Rede de Unidades de Conservação (Network of Preservation Units) managed by Secretaria do Meio Ambiente de São Paulo (State Department of the Environment), by means of Instituto Florestal (Forest Institute). After being officially named Reserva Florestal of Caraguatatuba (Forest Reserve of Caraguatatuba), the area became, in August, 1977, part of Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, a historic landmark on the preservation of the Atlantic Forest in the region. It stretches over 88,000 hectares, including the cities of São Sebastião, Paraibuna, Salesópolis and Natividade da Serra. Timber trees, cinnamon trees, cedars, courbaril trees, ipês (a typical Brazilian tree), guapuruvus and colorful manaca raintrees are some of the trees that comprise the richness of the wet perennial forest, a synonym of Atlantic Forest. The forest that covers Serra do Mar and reaches the highest hills is home to several springs that form streams of pure water and which are part of important river basins, such as those of the rivers Pardo, Guaxinduba and Claro.

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