Ekôa Park

Almost at the bottom of the descent down the Estrada da Graciosa is Ekôa Park (website and Instagram), whose name means “dwelling” in Tupi-Guarani. It’s a park set right in the middle of nature, where you can spend the whole day with family and friends, since there’s fun for everyone.

Spanning 238 hectares, with 6 km of trails and plenty of activities, like hiking trails, a zipline, a playground, riding inside an inflatable ball, plus a restaurant. If you’re worn out, there’s even a hammock area to recharge. There are also drinking fountains scattered throughout the park.

Right at the entrance, you’ll notice the carved wood signage spelling out the park’s name — the same style of woodwork appears throughout the park.

Park entrance

Right after entering and validating your ticket, which can be bought online, there’s a shop selling souvenirs, like t-shirts, stuffed animals, and other park merchandise. Take the chance to use the restroom there too. Right after, an instructor briefs you on your route through the park, pointing out the trails, itinerary, and attractions.

Park merchandise

The first stop is a 180° projection room, where a roughly 5-minute video takes you back in time to learn a bit about the history of Morretes and the park.

Trails at Ekôa Park

Next, after passing through the Corredor dos Sentidos (Corridor of the Senses), you’ll reach a small main path where three trails start and end: the Trilha do Peabiru, the Trilha da Mata, and the Trilha das Aves. All three are easy-level, though the first has a stretch of about 4 or 5 meters with loose stones that can be tricky without the right shoes. All trails are optional.

The first is the Trilha do Peabiru, 1,190 meters long, telling the story of Aleixo, a Portuguese explorer, and his journey along the Peabiru. If you’re not familiar with it, this was the route used during the 16th century to cross South America, from Brazil to Peru. There are several signs and illustrations recounting this journey.

Trilha do Peabiru

The second is the Trilha da Mata, 553 meters, sharing fun facts about nature. This trail is where you’ll find the beautiful giant rings made of tree roots, along with other curiosities that engage your senses, like sounds, smells, and imagery.

Trilha da Mata

And the third and final trail is the Trilha das Aves, 925 meters, ending at an observation platform, standing about 15 meters tall. Honestly, though, you can’t see much from it, since the surrounding trees are taller, and on the day we visited it was raining, so we could hear birds but couldn’t spot any.

Lookout on the Trilha das Aves

Right after finishing the three trails and returning to the main path, you’ll pass several sculptures. Our favorite was one shaped like a tree that looks like it’s running, which is why it’s the cover photo for this post, though there are several other interesting ones too.

Ekôa Park statues

Leisure Areas

Right after this stretch, we reached a large area with a restaurant, a playground, and more extreme attractions, like the zipline, the human hamster ball, and treetop climbing. Some of these attractions come at an extra cost, so check the website for details.

Human hamster ball

There are other, free activities too, like hopscotch, a slackline, a kids’ playground, and a rest area.

The restaurant is beautiful, offering lunch and snacks, both self-service and à la carte, but since we were planning to have lunch in Antonina, we just had some water and coffee and continued our visit.

Restaurant

In the final stretch of our visit, we went to the hot-air balloon launch site, next to the Centro de Eventos. The balloon ride is only available twice a month, on Saturdays, and of course, it’s subject to weather conditions and advance booking through the website. We didn’t do it ourselves, but we know rappelling is also an option.

Visits to Ekôa Park run on a day-use basis and must be booked in advance, Friday through Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM. Only 150 visitors are accepted per day, to help keep the site preserved.

Beautiful, well-maintained, and spacious, this is without question a great spot to escape the city for a bit and get close to nature. So we’re confident you’ll love the park.

After visiting there, how about checking out Antonina or Morretes?