ESCADARIA SELARÓN
215-step staircase, a tribute to the Brazilian people, decorated with ...Read more
ARCOS DA LAPA
Aqueduct with white arches, 1.7 km long, where the tramway runs from the ...Read more
ELEVADOR LACERDA
Salvador's first public elevator, part of the city's architectural ...Read more
BUNG OF SANTA TERESA - BONDINHO
The little yellow funicular has been connecting the centro to the bohemian ...Read more
PLANO INCLINADO GONÇALVES
Funicular railway linking the upper and lower towns, thanks to a small ...Read more
ITAIPU DAM AND HYDROELECTRIC PLANT
Read moreYou can visit the Itaipu complex by bus, to be coupled with the falls on the Brazilian side. The Conjunto C or Itaipu Dam buses go there from the bus terminal in the center (R$ 3.20, 30 min). Installed on the Rio Paraná which separates Brazil from Paraguay, the Itaipu Dam is gigantic. It is 7.7 km long and stands 196 m high. It has 20 turbines. The last two turbines went into operation in 2007.
A bi-national project, the plant produces 91% of the electrical energy consumed in Paraguay and meets 25% of the demand of the entire Brazilian market.
In May 1974, the Itaipu Treaty led to the creation of the binational Itaipu entity, whose purpose is to build and manage the plant. The first Itaipu generating unit began producing electricity in May 1984. Thus, 10 turbines were assigned to Brazil and 10 others to Paraguay.
Today, Itaipu is the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world (even if it is no longer the largest dam since the Three Gorges Dam in China), which is why it was included in the ranking of the seven wonders of the technological world by the American magazine Popular Mechanics. The classic tour (2 hours) consists of the viewing of a documentary film in Portuguese or English. The special tour (over 14 years old, in small groups) includes a visit of the turbines with a technician, in the heart of the dam, but also the panoramic visit.
The eco-museum traces the history of the dam, from the first populations who lived there in prehistoric times to the arrival of the Guarani Indians in the region. We learn a lot about the natural ecosystems that live here and the different animal species.
The biological sanctuary shelters some animals saved before the flooding of the region when the dam was created. You can see the famous jaguar, if you are lucky! Count 2 hours for 2 km of walking in a beautiful nature, in company of the animals displaced following the construction of the dam which are in semi-liberty. It is not always easy to see them, and when it rains or is too windy the sanctuary is closed, as the animals are protecting themselves.
Tip : if you only plan to visit the panoramic tour and the eco-museum, you should know that on the Paraguay side the visit is free! It's a bit of an adventure to get there, but the experience is nice. On the other hand, if you want to visit the biological sanctuary, you will have to go to the visitors center of Foz de Iguaçu, on the Brazilian side.
FAROL DE MORRO DE SÃO PAULO
Viewpoint with a 360° view of the village and surrounding area, offering ...Read more
PONTE JUSCELINO KUBITSCHEK
The 1,200 m-long J.K. Bridge, with its three white arches, is an emblematic ...Read more
FAROL DE PORTO DE PEDRAS
Read moreThis large building seems to observe the coast of Alagoas. Built in the 20th century, and located on the Nossa Senhora da Piedade hill in the town of Porto de Pedras, this lighthouse offers a beautiful view of the Coral Coast, especially at sunset. The structure of the Porto de Pedras lighthouse is a truncated reinforced concrete tower, with white and black horizontal stripes, 90 meters high and 36 meters in focal height. It was inaugurated in 1933. It was the first lighthouse to operate with an acetylene gas system. It was electrified in 1973.
NAIL-BITING
Wrought-iron bridge built to improve the city's port structure, now a major ...Read more