Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
trails with walkways over the muddy patches and stairs up the steep sections, and a
hammock-strung gazebo to relax in after your walk. Look hard and you can see the
remains of colonial gold-mining beneath the undergrowth - part of the main trail
is an eighteenth-century sluice bed. At weekends, you can eat first in the small
restaurant at the reserve entrance (see opposite) and walk it off down the trails.
Access is a problem, since it is not well signposted and lies some 6km out of town;
your best bet is to take a motorbike taxi. It is a bumpy but enjoyable ride down a
dirt track, with pleasant scenery. Once there, hiking back is easy, or arrange to be
picked up again.
6
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
PIRENÓPOLIS
By bus
The rodoviária (
T
62 3331 1080) is on the eastern
edge of town on Avenida Neco Mendonça, a 10min walk
from the centre. There are five daily buses to Brasília (3hr)
but only one direct to Goiânia (2hr), although there are five
to Anápolis (1hr 10min), where you can change for an
onward connection.
Tourist information
Information is available from the
Centro de Atendimento ao Turista, Rua Bonfim da Serra dos
Pireneus (daily 8am-6pm;
T
62 3331 2633).
ACCOMMODATION
A popular local resort, Pirenópolis has dozens of
hotels
and
pousadas
to choose from, many of them merely private
homes with a few rooms for rent. The quality is generally well above average, and discounts are usually available out of
season. The prices we quote here are for midweek occupancy: many hotels charge more at weekends.
Hotel Rex
Praça Emmanoel Lopes 15
T
62 3331 1121.
Located on a small square behind the church, this family-
operated hotel in former slaves' quarters has simple rooms,
some rather small, along the edge of a traditional
courtyard, a
nd usua
lly offers the best deals in town for a
single room.
R$150
Pousada Cavalhadas
Praça da Matriz
T
62 3331
1261,
W
pousadacavalhadas.com.br.
This is the most
central hotel in town, just opposite the Igreja Nossa
Senhora do Rosári
o. The
rooms are small, but have a
homely, rustic feel.
R$180
Pousada Lara
Rua Direita 11
T
62 3331 1294,
W
pousadalara.com.br.
Clean and neat: t
he roo
ms are
around a yard at the back, with a small pool.
R$160
Pousada dos Pireneus
T
62 3331 1028,
reservations
T
61 2101 7818,
W
pousadadospireneus
.com.br.
This is the main upmarket place in town,
with its own rambling gardens, a pool, a small water-
park with slides that kids will love, and horse-riding
facilities - including amusing 20min jaunts by carriage
throug
h town
for just R$9 per person. Prices are for half
board.
R$377
Pousada SESC
Rua Pireneus 45
T
62 3331 1383,
W
sescgo.com.br.
A modern
pousada
run by a public
health group, where there's a good pool, and the
rooms are
brigh
t and quite spacious, and all have
balconies.
R$270
Pousada Walkeriana
Rua do Rosário 37 (on Praça
do Rosário)
T
62 3331 1260,
W
pousadawalkeriana
.com.br.
One of the grander places in town, with rooms set
aroun
d a lar
ge and pleasant courtyard with a swimming
pool.
R$280
Pouso do Sô Vigário
Rua Nova 25
T
62 3331 1206,
W
pousadaspirenopolis.com.br.
One of the town's nicest
hotels, in a former priest's residence, it has been
embellished with a p
ool and
a sauna, but still retains a real
old-fashioned charm.
R$270
TOURS FROM PIRENÓPOLIS
A number of guides and agencies offer ecological
tours
of the surrounding region, taking
in sites within the Parque Estadual da Serra dos Pirineus and the Reserva Ecológica Vargem
Grande. The region boasts many great trails and a host of impressive waterfalls, including the
Abade, Inferno and Corumbá.
Cerrado Aventuras
Praça do Coreto 45
T
62 3331
3765,
W
cerradoaventuras.com.br.
Adventure firm
specializing in rafting and rock-climbing trips.
Savanah Ecotrilhas
Rua das Margaridas Q.21,
Lote 12
T
62 9624 1207,
W
savanah.tur.br.
Runs
tours to several destinations, including the Parque da
Serra dos Pirineus and the Cachoeiras dos Dragões
(where there are eight waterfalls).
