ECOPARK OF A

Located 45 km south of Ilhéus, the Una Biological Reserve is a conservation and environmental protection unit, one of the Costa do Descobrimento reserves listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Adjacent to the reserve, the Ecoparque de Una is a privately-owned structure whose main attraction is a treetop adventure course that lets you discover, at a height of 30 m, the many species of trees (456 per hectare). You may also be lucky enough to spot some of the animals for which the reserve is one of the last refuges. These include the mico leão de cara dourada, the golden lion tamarin(Leontopithecus chrysomelas), a magnificent little monkey with tawny fur and a golden mane, and the macaco prego-de-peito-amarelo, a black and yellow monkey(Cebus xanthosternos).

How to get there: as a day trip, round-trip transportation, snacks and entrance fees included. You can also get there on your own. Take a bus to Canavieiras from Terminal Urbano, every 2 hours, and get off at the park entrance. You'll need to book your visit in advance.

For nature and environment enthusiasts, or travellers with an inquisitive mind, a visit to these places, which (still) appear to be sanctuaries of biodiversity, particularly under attack in Brazil by ruralist lobbies, is an opportunity to see very rare species "in situ", and thus to help save them. By learning from nature, we learn how to protect it.