Down the hills of Serra da Canastra

São Roque de Minas is a small city in Minas Gerais that stands out for sheltering most of the Serra da Canastra Park and its main attractions. There are several options of hiking trails, waterfalls, observatories, springs and caves, plus a good tourist service structure, with lodging options and restaurants with local cuisine. The receptivity of the people from Minas Gerais is an attraction in itself, allowing you to experience the customs and the tranquillity of a typical and quiet city in the interior of Brazil.

After arriving in Sao Roque, the Serra da Canastra Park will be your destination. From far, you’ll see the mountains and peaks that seem to form a large chest (or canasta, a kind of basket), origin of the name of the mountain. In fact, the area brings together two major mountain ranges: the Canastra and the Sete Voltas, with the Vale dos Cândidos in the middle. For being a sort of river cradle for two Brazilian river basins (the Paraná River and the São Francisco River), the Park was born to be a Environmental Preservation area. A paradise with native vegetation, wild animals and clear waters in Minas Gerais.

If you don’t know the Cerrado (predominant vegetation), you will be impressed with the trees of twisted stems and other quirky forms of native vegetation, characteristics which make it survive the heat of certain times of the year. Some say that the Cerrado is the brazilian savanna. The mountains also keep parts of the Atlantic forest vegetation, giving a unique look to the location. Here animals such as the giant anteater, the maned wolf and the pampas deer appear. With luck (and aided by the low grass and high hills) you will see some of these animals during your visit to the Park.

You can spend a whole week in the Serra da Canastra, and you probably will have to. Hiking trails, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, jeep tours, sports like motocross, kayaking, buoy-cross and rappelling, experimenting with cheeses, anyway, a multitude of activities in nature. There are several options available. But, basically, you can make two types of tours: the adventure tourism or the cheese tourism (the most typical and famous gastronomic product of Canastra). The canastra cheese is considered a Cultural Heritage in Brazil since 2008.

Since all routes within the Park are made by dirt roads, from November to March (rainy season) it is better to enter only with a 4×4 vehicle. If you don’t have one, inform yourself at the inn where you are staying, and hire a tour in this vehicle. The trip will be easier and safer, and also with a full air of adventure. Inside the Park, the best way of visiting the location is by walking. So, let’s go?