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Amusement parks -
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Zoos & Wildlife -
Trails & Lookout points -
Events & Cinema -
Gastronomy
Zoos & Wildlife
While in Florianópolis, enjoy its rich nature in parks, protected areas, and around lakes. This city boasts of having 400 bird and 100 mammal species. There are also friendly yellow caymans in specific wetland areas, such as the Parque Ecológico do Córrego Grande, where you can also see little monkeys called ‘saguis’. Florianópolis does not have a zoo, but it has some nice projects where you can closely and safely watch wild local animals. In Pomerode, less than a 2-hour drive, you can find a complete zoo and have a great falconry experience too.
Falconry with Michel Velem
In Pomerode, about a 2-hour drive from Florianópolis, you can have a close experience with raptors and feel their power and energy when they fly back toward you. The millennial activity of falconry is recognised by UNESCO as a World Intangible Heritage. It has gained more adepts all over the world aiming at conservation and environmental education. In Pomerode, you can have a great experience closely interacting with the raptors and getting to know more about the history of falconry. Michel Velem is an expert that will make sure you have the best moments with hawks, eagles and owls. This activity must be previously booked with Michel on Facebook or Tripadvisor.
Pomerode Zoo
The Pomerode Zoo is located downtown in the Pomerode city and surrounded by restaurants and stores. With more than 1,300 animals of 225 species, the Pomerode Zoo is surely a great experience for all ages. The zoo has an area of 46,000 m² . It shelters animals from all over the world, including the African big five and endemic Brazilian species. One of the main attractions is an enclosure in which you enter and interact with many birds. The zoo has a photography shop, a souvenir shop, a snack bar, a parking lot, and a visitor center with a great lookout point and environmental educational activities. They have a captivity breeding program, and they also rescue, rehabilitate and release animals that are victims of illegal wildlife trade. The zoo is open everyday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Schools can have guided visits.
Rio Vermelho Rescue Center
The Rio Vermelho Rescue Center is located inside the Rio Vermelho State Park and on the border of Lagoa da Conceição. This center receives about 3,000 animals (mostly birds) that are victims of illegal wildlife trade every year. Their work is to rehabilitate and release these birds back to nature. The birds that cannot be released stay in captivity and you can visit them. The animals kept at the center stay in proper enclosures spread out along a handicapped-accessible trail. Visitors can enter one enclosure and interact with many birds. The visits are free and guided by professionals. You can visit the center from 10 am to 5 pm and from Tuesday to Sunday. Each group with a maximum of 30 people leaves every 30 minutes. This center has a picnic site. There is a camping site nearby.
Lontra Project
Located in the heart of Lagoa do Peri Park, the Lontra Project focus on the conservation, scientific research, rehabilitation and reintroduction of Neotropical and giant otters (Lontra longicaudisand Pteronura brasiliensis). In2013, the Lontra Project also opened a research center at Aquidauana in the Brazilian Pantanal. In 2017, the project had the first ever Neotropical otter babies born in captivity, which was a great step for the conservation of this species. The Lontra Project has a visitor center and a volunteer program that is open 8 am to 6 pm from Monday to Friday. On weekends it’s open only for those who book a visit.
Tamar Turtle Project
A trip to the fishing village of Barra da Lagoa offers you the opportunity to learn about the most successful conservation project in Brazil: the Tamar Project (Projeto Tamar). You get to know the turtle species that inhabit the Brazilian coast and to watch their behavior in the pools. Every week during the summer, the Tamar Project releases a rescued turtle to the sea and you can participate in the rescue. Tamar is an abbreviation for ‘Tartaruga Marinha,’ translated as ‘sea turtle’. The successful project was launched in 1980 by IBAMA, the Brazilian Environmental Protection agency, and it is now supported by an NGO. The aim is to ensure the existence of five endangered sea turtle species by rescuing and recovering individual turtles, establishing protected breeding sites, promoting a broad-based environmental education campaign, and developing alternative income sources for locals. This center has a souvenir shop.