Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Visitors' centre By the park entrance (daily 8am-5pm;
T 24 3352 1461). Provides information and maps, and also
has a small Museu Regional da Fauna e da Flora.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
ITATIAIA
Pousada Recanto Azul Rua Pereira Barreto 81, Vila
Paraíso T 24 3352 2283, W pousadarecantoazul.com
.br. Located in the village, this pousada , with its pool,
garden and well-designed interior, offers better value than
the places on the r oad to t he park, and it's even got a sauna
and football pitch. R$160
Vista Linda Estrada do Parque Nacional 50 T 24 3352
1124, W vistalindahotel.com.br. You need to head 3.5km
down a dirt track off the Estrada do Parque Nacional to reach
this place, where you can stay in well-equipped chalets set in
beautiful countryside, with facilities such as a pool and sauna.
It's a great place to get away from it all, enj oy the views and
appreciate the area's natural beauty. R$350
is particularly worth trying. Mon-Wed, Fri & Sat noon-
4pm & 8-11pm, Thurs noon-4pm, Sun noon-5pm.
Pequena Suécia Rua Toivo Suni 33 T 24 3351 1275,
W pequenasuecia.com.br. An excellent hotel in the
middle of Penedo, with a choice of rooms or chalets, a pool
and Finnish-st yle saun a, a Swedish restaurant and even its
own jazz club. R$250
Rei das Trutas Av das Mangueiras 69 T 24 3351 1387,
W reidastrutas.com.br. A great place to sample the local
trout, served fresh or smoked, plain or with a choice of
sauces and garnishes, one of the best being truta a belle
meunièra with prawns, capers and mushrooms (R$45).
Mon-Thurs 11am-10pm, Fri & Sat 11am-11pm, Sun
11am-8pm.
Rio das Pedras Rua Resende 39 T 24 3351 1019,
W hotelriodaspedras.com.br. A quiet place by a river
(the “Rio da Pedras” of its name), where you can stay in a
room with a veranda or in a pretty little Alpine-style
chalet in th e grou nds. There is a two-day minimum stay at
weekends. $100
PENEDO
Koskenkorva Estrada das Três Cachoeiras 3955 T 24
3351 2532, W koskenkorva.visitepenedo.com. One of the
country's only Finnish restaurants, where the copious
smorgasbord (a meal for two or a starter for several; R$110)
The Costa Verde
The mountainous littoral and calm green waters of the aptly named Costa Verde
(“Green Coast”) provide a marked contrast to the sand and surf of the coastline east
of Rio. One of Brazil's truly beautiful landscapes, the Costa Verde has been made
much more accessible by the Rio-Santos BR-101 Highway - something, however, that
has led to an increase in commercial penetration of the region. The fate of this
280-kilometre stretch of lush vegetation, rolling hills and tropical beaches hangs in
the balance between rational development and ecological destruction, and so far the
signs augur badly. Ecologists warn that fish stocks in the Bay of Sepetiba, which
covers almost half the length of the Costa Verde, are in constant danger of
destruction because of pollution.
Angra dos Reis
Roughly 152km west of Rio, the slightly shabby little town of ANGRA DOS REIS was
founded in 1556 and became a port for exporting agricultural produce from São Paulo
and Minas Gerais. In the eighteenth century, fifteen slave-worked sugar refineries
dominated the local economy, which collapsed when slavery was abolished. The 1930s
saw the economy regenerated, with the construction of a new port, and shipbuilding
remains an important local trade - although today it's offshore oil that is the mainstay
of the local economy.
Beaches in the town are nothing special. Better ones are found by following the
Estrada do Contorno (by car), or catching a bus from the bus station (hourly) to the
beaches of Bonfim, Gordas, Grande, Tanguá, Tanguazinho, Ribeira or Retiro. There are
other beaches within reach, too: along the main BR-101 highway, towards Rio, good
spots for bathing and free camping are Garatucaia and Monsuaba.
 
 
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