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| Brazil (Belo Horizonte [Minas Gerais]) |
| Around Belo Horizonte |
| The most popular trips out from the capital are to the cidades históricas, but there are a couple of other less-frequented sites that also warrant a visit: to the north, the Gruta Rei do Mato are a convenient stop if you are heading for Brasília or Diamantina; to the east, lying beyond the nearest of the cidades históricas, Sabará, is the beautiful Parque do Caraça. | |
| Gruta Rei do Mato | |
| One
of the most astonishing underground attractions of Minas Gerais lies 60km
northwest of Belo Horizonte on BR-040, opposite the junction for Sete
Lagoas, and makes an excellent day out from the capital. Legend has it
that a mysterious fugitive originally discovered this enormous cave and
used it as a home. He became known as “Rei do Mato” (King of the Bush)
and the name has stuck to the cave itself.
The series of caverns (guided tours daily in summer, 8am–5pm; tel 031/3773-0888; $1) extends for over 2000m and is 300m deep in some parts, and includes some prehistoric cave art. The third room is particularly impressive, with two parallel columns formed by interlocking stalactites and stalagmites, and is regarded as the only equal in the world to the formations in the famous caves at Altamira in Spain. Buses from Belo Horizonte to Sete Lagoas (run by Setelagoano; every 30min from 6.30am to 1pm), Diamantina or Brasília pass the cave; the journey takes about an hour. There is a bar open for refreshments at the site. Parque do Caraça |
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hundred and thirty kilometres east of Belo Horizonte lies the impressive Parque
do Caraça (daily 7am–5pm, 9pm if you’re staying in the park),
named after the impression of a gigantic face in the surrounding
mountains. The park is situated at 2400m above sea level; temperatures
drop sharply on summer evenings and it can get very cold in winter. There
are plenty of signed walks of varying difficulty on the tracks through the
mountains – information is available from the hotel at the park
entrance. The park’s imposing lake provides a good opportunity for
swimming from its small beaches, and there are also several natural pools
by the waterfalls within the park. Buses from Belo Horizonte to
Santa Bárbara (about 4 daily, run by Viação Pássaro Verde) will drop
you at the entrance to the park, and a trip here makes an excellent
weekend break from the city.
Santuário do Caraça |
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at the only entrance to the park is the Santuário do Caraça,
formerly a seminary and school, and now converted into a hotel. The school,
famous in Brazil, was founded on the site of a hermitage and seminary in
1774, and for 150 years educated the upper classes of Minas Gerais,
including generations of Brazilian politicians. In 1965 a fire destroyed
much of the building, the theatre was burnt to the ground and the library
lost two-thirds of its thirty thousand books.
The building was restored in 1991 and transformed into a hotel, the Hospedaria do Caraça (tel 031/3837-2698, reservations essential; $50–70), managed by the remaining members of the order. It’s a comfortable, low-key place to spend a few relaxing days. Some parts still remain from the original religious life of the building, including rooms for private prayer, a few bedrooms and the cellar. The neo-Gothic church of Nossa Senhora Mãe Dos Homens, added in 1883, was also spared by the fire, and has beautiful French stained-glass windows, marble and soapstone carvings and a seven-hundred-pipe organ built in the seminary itself. There is a small museum attached to the church with exhibits rescued from the fire, including English and Chinese porcelain, furniture and a sundial. One of the greatest attractions of the place are the wolves (lobo-guará) which live in the surrounding woods. One of them comes near the church almost every day to be fed by the monks. Countryside fazenda hotels |
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In
recent years, with agriculture in Brazil increasingly dominated by
large-scale agribusiness, small and medium-sized farms in Minas Gerais
have had to look for new opportunities, and many of those set in
particularly attractive countryside, or retaining a grand old fazenda
house, have turned to tourism for an alternative source of income. Within
just an hour or so of Belo Horizonte there are several superb country
hotels, full of character and with great facilities. You will generally
need your own transport, though arrangements can sometimes be made to be
picked up locally – phone ahead. Reservations are essential,
particularly during summer, July and holiday weekends.
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