Minas Gerais Circuit Travel

Minas Gerais Circuit

5-11 Nights

Tour Overview │ Itinerary │ Prices

This circuit of Minas Gerais takes you to the interesting parts of the state that are all within a couple of hours drive from Belo Horizonte. National parks, gold-rush towns and mountain hideaways all make part of a fascinating 12 days.

The Serra do Cipo National Park is the first stop, a tablelands full of hills, waterfalls and trails through the Atlantic Rainforest. Sabara is the first of the Minas mountain towns, dating from the colonial era. Santuario do Caraça is a religious sanctuary hidden amongst the hills, with hiking trails to the top of the peaks or to waterfalls. Wildlife observation also includes the local maned wolf, who comes to feed on the church steps at night.

Ouro Preto and Tiradentes are the finest of Brazil's interior towns, well-preserved cobbled streets lined with baroque churches, colonial mansions and museums that showcase the opulence and hardships of the gold-rush era. Towns such as Congonhas and Sao Joao del Rei are also full of sacred art, as well as the history of the early Brazilian independence movements. The precious metals and minerals that originally attracted people to the area are still in abundance.

Combines With: Iguazu Falls; Buenos Aires; Buzios; Paraty & Ilha Grande; Sao Paulo; Amazon; Pantanal & Bonito; Salvador, Lençois & Praia do Forte; just about anywhere in South America.

Best Time to Visit: This circuit of Minas Gerais can be done at any time of year, and shortened to appropriate lengths. The months from April to August may be the best though, with endless clear blue Minas skies backing the colourful trees of the cerrado which bloom in winter. 

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Minas Gerais Circuit

5-11 Nights

Destinations Visited

  • Ouro Preto
  • Tiradentes
  • Belo Horizonte & Minas Gerais

Trip Style

Traditional

Activities Included

  • Hiking & Trekking
  • Wildlife Observation
  • Ecotourism

Tailor Made Tours

All our Brazil and South America Tours, are completely flexible with regards to dates, duration or the tours, activities and accommodation that we can include. All the tours featured on our website are our recommendations based on our experience of how to make the very best of your time in South America. We can adjust these details in any way that you wish. We are here to organise a tour that suits you after all!

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrive in Minas Gerais

Destination: Belo Horizonte

On arrival in Belo Horizonte, the purpose-built capital city of the interior state of Minas Gerais, you will be welcomed at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, a tour of the city may be possible in the afternoon, taking you through the vibrant Mercado Central with an incredible array of Brazilian produce being sold by friendly vendors. The administrative buildings of the downtown areas are being converted into museums as the state and city government move to a purpose-built area out of town, and a look at these is possible before heading out to Pampulhas, the district designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer.
Day 2
The Serra do Cipo National Park

Destination: Belo Horizonte to Serra do Cipo

An early start has you heading north of Belo Horizonte to the Serra do Cipo National Park, part of the Espinhaço Range which cuts right across Minas Gerais. This park was first explored by miners seeking gold, jewels and precious stones in the 17 & 18 Centuries. Traces of their work and even their tools can still be found. The park lies in the Brazilian Cerrado bushlands, 100km from the city, with tablelands full of waterfalls and trails taking visitors to them. The park is home to endemic species of birds and plants, with varied wildlife too. After spending your day on the trails of the park, you stop for the night in the town of Cardeal Mota.
Day 3
Serra do Cipo Activities

Destination: Serra do Cipo National Park

A day in the Serra do Cipo National Park has many options depending on your preference for time in the Brazilian Cerrado. There are many trails to hike through the hills and to see the waterfalls of the area such as Farofa and Taioba, with natural pools for a very fresh swim! Mountain biking is also a possibility, with many single track options around the park, using the trails made by prospecting miners. Wildlife observation for cerrado species can also be the focus of your day, with many avians, mammals and reptiles making their home in the park. Consultation with your guide will give you the best options for your time in Serra do Cipo.
Day 4
Into the Mountains

Destination: Serra do Cipo to Santuario do Caraça

After time to enjoy breakfast and the morning cerrado birdsong, you leave Serra do Cipo for Sabara, only 25km from Belo Horizonte. The first of the historical towns of Minas Gerais that you will visit has well preserved baroque churches such as NS (Nossa Senhora) do Rosario dos Pretos; do Carmo; and do Ó! There is also a Gold Museum in the town. After learning more about the historical side of Minas, you can enjoy its fine cuisine before journeying on to the hidden Santuario do Caraça. Here you stop for the night and can enjoy a warm meal in the cool hills. The stars on clear nights in the mountains are a spectacular sight.
Day 5
Cerrado Trails & Wildlife

Destination: Santuario do Caraça

Your day at Santuario do Caraça is free to explore the area. We can also include a local guide to take you up the more difficult trails to be rewarded with stunning panoramic views from the surrounding peaks. Otherwise, trails lead in either direction away from the Sanctuary that take you through a mix of vegetation - Atlantic Rainforest close to the rivers, and Cerrado bush vegetation - to waterfalls such as the large Cascatona and the smaller Cascatinha. A morning and an afternoon trail are recommended with lunch included back at base. After dinner and mass, every night the priest calls the local maned wolf to come and eat on the church steps...
Day 6
The Old Gold Trail to Ouro Preto

Destination: Santuario do Caraça to Ouro Preto

After breakfast you leave the sanctuary of the hills for Ouro Preto, the most spectacular of the gold-rush towns of Minas Gerais. The journey passes some of the huge mines that gave the state its name and fame, and the works can even be heard echoing around the hills. The enormous pipeline works that take iron ore to the coast can also be seen. Ouro Preto clings to the hillsides, with views of surrounding mountains over red-tiled roofs and baroque church towers. Colourful houses climb up the cobbled streets to Praça Tiradentes with its grand government buildings at the top of town. Ouro Preto is a tiring pleasure to wander day and night.
Day 7
Gold-Rush Fever

Destination: Ouro Preto

The day can be spent exploring Ouro Preto, walking up and down cobbled streets as breathtaking as the town itself. Visits to colonial churches such as Sao Francisco de Assis, NS do Carmo, NS do Pilar and many others are essential for an idea of the opulence of the era, and to see the work of sculptor Aleijadinho. The Museu da Inconfidencia tells the story of the first Brazil Independence movement which began in the town. The minerals display in the museum housed in the old Palace of the Governor is fabulous, as are the views across the rooftops of the town spreading through the valley. There are also mines to visit in and around town.
Day 8
Ouro Preto & Around

Destination: Ouro Preto

The gold-rush history of the Minas Gerais hills is not confined to Ouro Preto, although this is the most spectacular of them, surrounding towns have points of interest and sacred art. Closest to town are the Minas da Passagem, an old gold mine with the same rickety cable car that takes tourists below ground for a feel of harsh mining conditions. Mariana has its colonial square and churches, Lavras Novas is a pretty smaller town. Pico do Itacolomi looms over Ouro Preto and the park has trails leading up to the scenic peak. A quick taxi ride will take you to the trailhead with the hike to the top taking a couple of easy hours.
Day 9
Statues & Sculptures

Destination: Ouro Preto to Tiradentes

If Ouro Preto is the most spectacular of the mountain towns of Minas Gerais, Tiradentes is possibly the most beautiful. The journey between them takes two hours by road across Minas. The journey is made a little longer with a stop in Congonhas to see the Prophets sculptures by Aleijadinho, the most famous sacred art in Brazil. The soapstone sculptures adorn the walls outside the Santuario de Bom Jesus Matinhos Church. The sculptor was renowned for his wonderful work despite the fact that he lost both arms to disease. On arrival in Tiradentes, you have the late afternoon and evening free to explore the streets of the small town.
Day 10
Tiradentes Tales

Destination: Tiradentes

The original name of Tiradentes was Arraial da Ponta do Morro (Hamlet at the Point of the Hill) and was changed in homage to the ring-leader of Brazil\\\'s first attempt at breaking free from its colonial shackles. You can explore the town during the morning, perhaps by horse and carriage, with two churches and a couple of museums house in colonial mansions to explore. In the afternoon you can strike out for the hills! The Serra do Sao Jose overlooking the town is a fine example of cerrado, the ecosystem of the Brazilian interior. Hikes to the top take you along part of the Gold Trail that linked Ouro Preto with Rio de Janeiro during the slavery era.
Day 11
Leaving Minas Gerais

Destination: Tiradentes to Belo Horizonte & Away

Depending on the time of your flight away from Minas Gerais, you may have time in the morning to visit the largest contemporary art and sculpture park in South America! Inhotim is a modern art installations and sculptures, all set in lush botanical gardens filled with Atlantic Rainforest and Cerrado species, and with butterflies and birds as colourful as the artwork. Your transfer to the airport in Belo Horizonte will be timed to match your flight details. This circuit of Minas Gerais can be shortened as necessary, and can also be combined with visits to any of our other destinations in Brazil such as Rio de Janeiro and Paraty, the original gold-rush ports.

Prices

* Domestic Flights Estimated Price
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** Prices Per Adult based on two people travelling and sharing accommodation
Simple B&B
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3 Stars
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4 Stars
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5 Stars
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* Prices vary depending on travel dates and flight availability. Peak periods in Brazil including Carnaval, public holidays and Christmas/New Year usually require a minimum number of nights, so in these cases itineraries may need to be changed.

** Domestic flight prices are estimated on typical values when reserved six months before travel. Prices can never be guaranteed until reservations are made, and do usually become more expensive closer to the travel period.
* Domestic Flights Estimated Price ** Prices Per Adult based on two people travelling and sharing accommodation
N/A
Simple 3 Stars 4 Stars Luxury
On Request
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On Request
Request Quote
On Request
Request Quote
On Request
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* Prices vary depending on travel dates and flight availability. Peak periods in Brazil including Carnaval, public holidays and Christmas/New Year usually require a minimum number of nights, so in these cases itineraries may need to be changed.

** Domestic flight prices are estimated on typical values when reserved six months before travel. Prices can never be guaranteed until reservations are made, and do usually become more expensive closer to the travel period.