Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Parque das Águas
Praça João Lage • Park daily 7am-8pm • R$5 • Balneário Wed-Fri 10am-noon & 2.30-7pm, Sat 9.30am-noon & 2.30-7pm, Sun
9am-12.30pm • Bath R$15; sauna R$25; spa treatments R$60-90 •
T
35 3332 3066
São Lourenço is built along the shores of a beautiful lake, a large chunk of which has
been incorporated into the
Parque das Águas
, and during the day it's where everything
happens. Much larger and more modern than the one in Caxambu, the park is a
pleasant place for a stroll, with its eight brilliant white fountain pavilions (all housing
free mineral water springs), forested hillside and clouds of butterflies and birds -
though steer clear of the ill-tempered black swans on the lake. There are
rowing boats
for rent, and an artificial island in the middle of the lake.
he 1935
Balneário
itself, at the park entrance, offers baths (
duchas
), saunas and
posh spa treatments, and it's worth paying for the elegant surroundings of marbled
floors, mirrored walls and white-coated attendants. There are separate sections for men
and women.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
2
SÃO LOURENÇO
By bus
The rodoviária (
T
35 3332 5966), served by Belo
Horizonte, Rio and São Paulo buses, is just off the main
street, Av Dom Pedro II, which is lined with bars, hotels and
restaurants. Buses to Caxambu leave several times a day.
ACCOMMODATION
Hotel Brasil
Alameda João Lage 87
T
35 3339 2550,
W
hotelbrasil.com.br.
This grand but fairly atmospheric
behemoth dominates the Praça Duque de Caixas and has
the w
orks, in
cluding free wi-fi, four pools and water
slides.
R$275
Pousada Normandy
Rua Batista Luzardo 164
T
35
3332 4724,
W
pousadanormandy.com.br.
Cheapish,
but very decent, this
pousada
is just 200m from the
Parque
das Ág
uas, with comfy rooms, fans, free wi-fi
and TVs.
R$150
Northern Minas Gerais
Few foreign travellers venture north of Belo Horizonte to
NORTHERN MINAS GERAIS
,
though the historic city of
Diamantina
is one of the most enticing destinations in the
state. The journey itself is one of the reasons for going, as the road heads into the
foothills of the
Serra do Espinhaço
, the highlands that form the spine of the state,
on its way to the
sertão mineiro
. The second half of the 288km journey is the most
spectacular, so to see it in daylight you need to leave early. Diamantina has a very
different atmosphere to any of the other colonial towns - still a functioning diamond-
mining centre, it is also the gateway to the
Vale do Jequitinhonha
, the river valley that
is the heart of the Minas
sertão
. The green hills that characterize so much of the
southern half of Minas are utterly absent up here - this is a rocky, windswept and
often cold highland zone so be sure to bring a sweater or jacket.
Diamantina
Beautiful
DIAMANTINA
, home town of
Juscelino Kubitschek
, the president responsible
for the creation of Brasília, is the most isolated of the state's historic towns yet well
worth the trip. Nestled in the heart of the Serra do Espinhaço, it is surrounded by a
blissfully wild and desolate landscape. Named after the abundant diamond reserves
hereabouts, first exploited in the 1720s, the town is rich in history and was designated
a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 - the narrow stone-flagged streets, with their
overhanging Chinese-style eaves and perfectly preserved colonial houses, are exactly as
they have been for generations.
While the streets are either too narrow or too steep even for Brazil's intrepid local bus
drivers, the place is small enough for you to get your bearings very quickly. The central
square in the old town is
Praça Conselheiro Mata
, which has the town's cathedral built
