It does not lie in the tropics and the European influence sets it apart from the rest of the country. Curitiba is the most environmentally conscious city of Brazil. The beaches of this region are popular vacation destinations for Brazilians, Argentines and Uruguayans. The entire tour lies south of Capricorn and thus is technically not tropical. January rain is common on Florianopolis island.
Modern buses go everywhere and have large undercarriages that can carry unboxed bikes.
There are also overnight sleeper bus connections to Sao Paulo, Rio de Janerio, Montivideo, Buenos Aires, etc. Hotel prices usually include a large breakfast. These costs are prior to the devaluation of the Real in mid January 1999 and could have gone down. On this route, there is a steep 900 meter drop from Curitiba to Morretes. Most of the rest is more or less level.