Living abroad without a car makes finding and exploring off-the-beaten-path locales difficult. Fortunately, that's what friends with vehicles are for!
Just across the boarder into the state of Minas Gerais from São Paulo is a region of small towns scattered amongst the rolling hills and farms. Situated around the town of Gonçalves, there are a number of great hikes to various mountain tops, rock outcroppings, and waterfalls. After navigating the winding, dusty roads of this region, one also finds a surprising numbers of
pousadas and restaurants essentially in the middle of nowhere to accommodate visitors once in the area.
As it was a short - read "regular" - weekend, we had basically one day to explore. Hikes of choice:
Pedra Chanfrada (Chanfrada Rock) and
Cachoeira do Cruzeiro (Cruzeiro Waterfall). Both were easy with proper attire and afforded great views and refreshing breezes or water, respectively.
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| Starting the ascent to the top of the Pedra Chanfrada in the background. |
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| Paul and Raquel catch their breath at the top of the Pedra Chanfrada. |
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| Taking it all in! |
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The water temperature at the Cachoeira do Cruzeiro was so cold it hurt,
but well-worth the dip. |
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| Relaxing after a long day of hiking at our pousada, Serra Vista. |
As has been said many times in varying forms, "the greater the challenge/struggle/risk, the greater the reward." Getting to Gonçalves isn't necessarily convenient, however, it is worth every bit of effort. I hope to be back to climb more rocks and find more waterfalls...
