Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Núcleo Santa Virgínia

Núcleo Santa Virgínia (Santa Virgína Nucleus)

Extending over an area of 9,000 hectares, Núcleo Santa Virginia occupies four cities of Vale do Paraíba do Sul: São Luís do Paraitinga, Cunha, Ubatuba and Natividade da Serra. From the city of São Paulo, the road to get there is Presidente Dutra or Ayrton Senna and then Carvalho Pinto, up to the city of Taubaté, from where one should take Rodovia Oswaldo Cruz (BR 125) up to km 78. Then the traveler should take a left and ride for 3,5 kilometers, on a dirt road, to reach the Núcleo's management base. The park 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). In the forest, on the mountains, in narrow valleys surrounded by many plants, crystal-clear water rises from the ground and searches its way through the stones. The springs form streams, brooks, and rivers. Going down the hill towards the seashore to reach the sea, the water sculpts the rocks, forms waterfalls and reaches the valleys, making up beautiful landscapes of the Atlantic Forest, with its natural pools. Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, considered a Natural World Heritage by Unesco, extends over an area of approximately 315,000 hectares, from the border of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to the city of Itariri, in the southern region of the state, covering the entire seaside coast. This stretch comprises the more extensive continuous preserved portion of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Núcleo Santa Virgínia has 17 waterfalls spread throughout the rivers Ipiranga, Ribeirão Grande, and Paraíbuna. Protected by the forest, these rivers are the source of pure water that supplies thousands of people living in Vale do Paraíba do Sul and more than 80% of Rio de Janeiro's population.