What to see in the southwest of São Paulo for 2 weeks?

Hi there, We’re spending 3 weeks in Brazil, arriving in São Paulo—a couple plus a teen—and we’ll have a rental car. We especially love nature: hiking, wildlife watching, birds, etc. We’re planning to wrap up with a week around Paraty and Ilha Grande. We’re not really into visiting big cities like São Paulo or Rio unless you think we’d be missing out big time.

So we’ve got 2 weeks to explore the south/southwest region of São Paulo. What do you recommend? National parks? Off-the-beaten-path nature spots? Iguazu Falls?

Thanks in advance for all your tips!

Hi there, With 3 weeks, you could head to the Pantanal—Campo Grande, for example. Iguaçu is also an option, but there isn’t much else in that area, whereas the Pantanal is huge.

Hello, if you love nature, you should really take a flight to the Pantanal or Chapada Diamantina.

If you keep the car the whole time, you can head south to Curitiba and Florianópolis, but that’s more of a beach vibe.

Not far from SP, heading toward Paraty, the Costa Verde is gorgeous with its stunning Atlantic tropical forest.

Thanks for your replies! Yeah, I’ve heard about the Pantanal, but the prices put me off. If you’ve got any ideas for a week-long itinerary—accommodations and activities at reasonable prices—I’m all ears. With or without jaguars, what matters most is nature, wildlife, and hikes. Thanks in advance! 😊

Is there a way to visit the Pantanal on a budget? In Campo Grande, near the bus station, there are several agencies offering stays (3 to 5 days) at a "Finca" on Estrada Parque with full board. Once there, you get around on foot, by shared vehicle, and even by boat. Different excursions are available. I went with my family—my wife and daughter—and it was very affordable and, in my opinion, really worthwhile.

We also went to another place, but I’ve forgotten the name. Before Corumbá, at a Swiss woman’s place married to a Brazilian, and during a boat trip, we actually saw a jaguar!

That was all back in 2009—I think it can still be done the same way.

Hello, Thanks for your replies. I’m giving up on the Pantanal—maybe next time. This is our first trip to Brazil. If we like it, we’ll be back! I’m making progress on my research for nature spots. I’ve spotted the Cananeia area and the PETAR region. I’ll start a new thread to get some opinions. Thanks again, Best, Olivier 🌴

I don’t know, but maybe it’s not a bad idea! :)