Adventure & Meditation Jungle Home

Complete isolation, adventure, meditation, charm, beauty, comfort, nature at its best with a tweak of adrenaline (this is the rainforest!) at an elegant rustic home in a 15 hectare property located 6 kilometers up the mountain foothills from the historic colonial city of Morretes, in Parana, south Brazil. Our property, called Sitio da Vida (Oasis of Life), is in an ecological reserve, with nature, nature and more nature, trails, streams, waterfalls, springs, a pond, all sorts of native trees, plants and canopy, heart of palm preservation and a breathtaking view of the beautiful Marumbi mountain complex. Perfect, but only for those with a true spirit for total connectivity with nature, ecological adventure or meditation. For some it's a spa, for others it's a "getting into the wild" experience. The property is in the largest stretch of rainforest in the famous 'mata atlantica' in Brazil, a rainforest with the richest fauna & flora diversity per square meter in the country. Yet, despite its absolute remoteness in the southern Brazilian Atlantic Mountainous Rainforest, it is only 6kms from the must-visit colonial and touristic coastal city of Morretes with restaurants, markets, artifacts, as well as the basic infrastructure that might be needed in case of an emergency. The property entrance consists of an 800 meter isolated earth road winding up a hill in the middle of the jungle which ends at the main house. The rich vegetation attracts toucans, woodpeckers, hundreds of beautiful birds, reptiles and amphibians. Though difficult to see due to the immense surrounding rainforest, monkeys, small wild cats (jaguatiricas), armadillos, ant eaters, otters, foxes and other mammals are occasionally encountered. Large cats like jaguars and cougars do not roam the area, though they are seldom spotted further up the mountain (several kilometers from our property). Mosquitos are abundant, so citronella is a must. The main house, called Toucan Chalet, is entirely wood & glass structured, has a spacious living room (7meters high) with an open kitchen, living space, dining space, classic wood snooker table, three spacious bedrooms and one large mezzanine that is often used as the main bedroom (a large open upstairs lookout area furnished with a meditative living room and a queen size chaise), a big bathroom with a large triangular jacuzzi and two huge windows to connect with nature, a spacious mountain view deck with a wood stove and BBQ pit. Midsize relax pool, with steps and a shallow child-safe playing area. Our property also has 3 other chales: Monkey Chalet, made of wood and used for pool hanging-out (including a bathroom), games and extra sleeping space if needed (very rustic). The ground floor is of free access for guests; Jaguar Chalet, an adobe hut 200 meters uphill from main house, made of earth extracted from the property, with windows containing mosquito netting but no glass, and an almost primitive-feeling bathroom with an outdoor river-water shower for those who want the wildest of experiences; and... Frog Chalet, a pre-fabricated wooden chalet at the property entrance where the lovely small family of our gardener resides. Across from this chalet there is a pond that orchestrates melodies from hundreds of frogs at night time. For those who want to take the adventure beyond the destination, the journey is magnificent from Curitiba: There is an absolutely beautiful (and creepy) 3 hour train ride from the Curitiba down the atlantic rainforest mountain range to Morretes. By car, the journey is also astonishingly scenic as you drive 1 hour down the cobblestone Serra da Graciosa road, built by Jesuit settlers, which curves across the mountain range. A third and easiest access is via the BR 277 highway, which although more modern and busy, also offers some breathtaking views. Our guests will have have access to everything in the main house and first floor of the pool house; such as the pool (cleaned daily by gardener), deck, woodstove, snooker table, etc. Guest can freely explore the entire 15 hectares of property and the neighboring reserve, though it requires some hardcore 'walk thru jungle' skills and a good sense of direction in order not to get lost! There are nice routes, trails, streams and waterfalls to explore, and we can also provide some tips for hiking, climbing, bike riding and kayaking outside the property. Our guest will be greeted and introduced to the amenities by our gardener, who is oriented to stay away from guest area for total privacy at all times, except for mornings when he vacumes the pool. Our guest can reach out to our gardener to help light the fire or for support with any contingencies. Guest can call property owner via phone at any time. Guest can also e-mail, although e-mail access is very difficult within the property. It is highly recommended that our guest rents a car for easy getting around. If desired we can also arrange help in supermarket shopping. As an area in a reserve and close to a colonial city famous for eco-tourism, there are loads of entertaining attractions: - Hiking up a stream and set of small waterfalls leading up the mountain foothills to the traintrack is fun adventure that can be done from within our property. You can continue carefully to walk up the traintrack to catch some breath taking views. Be cautious doing this! - Several day-long hikes (climbs) up the Marumbi Complex. This is the main set of mountains in the region. Go up on a dry day as it can be dangerous, and make sure that you leave early in the morning. Climbing these mountains requires fitness. There are several peaks, the highest is Olimpo at 1,539 meters above sea level. Our property is 70 meters above sea level, so this is a climb! - Lovely nature walks along the Itupava Trail, a trail created by the Jesuits linking Morretes and Curitiba - Kayaking or Tubing down the Nhundiaquara River to Morretes. You are welcome to use our kayaks, they are old but work ok. We have two of them. - Biking. There are loads of trails on both flatlands and mountains. You are welcome to use our two bikes, though you can also rent some in Morretes. - Exploring Morretes, Antonina and Guaraquecaba, 3 colonial cities around the Paranagua Bay. Eat the famous local dish (Barreado) in one of the many restaurants. - If you have a jeep, there are loads of trails to explore. Though all above attractions are great, and there are many, many more, most people just enjoy hanging out within our property due to the rare opportunity of complete insertion into nature and total isolation from civilization. Ps - on a clear night, the night sky is breathtaking It is not absolutely necessary, but we recommended that our guest has access to a car to drive around (supermarket, touristic locations, neighboring cities, etc.). Getting around by bike is great, but the car will really help with supermarket shopping. Electricity works fine and is 110volts, but as there are many tropical storms it is not rare to have blackouts. Water is not treated, as it is pumped up from a spring within our property. Though it is very clean, we recommend boiling it or adding purifying tablets prior to consumption (or just buy bottled water). Water may come out of the faucets with sediments, especially after rain. This will be noticed in the white jacuzzi (consider it part of the adventure!). Our spring water tends to keep our pool nice and cool, even on the hottest of days. There is intentionally no TV. Our TV is our panoramic set of windows. We do have a amp/speaker set with good quality sound, and it works by plugging in your smartphone or laptop. Feel free to use it, but expect to see less birds as a result ;)