Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
zones, has made it the best-preserved colonial town in the country. It is simply
gorgeous, fully deserving its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Unfortunately however, all of the town's
churches
have had their interiors ruined
by a combination of fires and misguided “improvements” - the worst example being
the slave church of Rosário dos Pretos just north of the river, which was levelled on
its bicentenary in 1934 and replaced by an incongruous Gothic structure that rather
mars the town.
Founded in 1726 as a gold-mining settlement by the
bandeirantes
, Goiás Velho was
the state capital until 1937. Nowhere else in Brazil is there a stronger sense of the
colonial past, palpable in the cobbled streets and the many well-preserved eighteenth-
and nineteenth-century buildings. Its timeless atmosphere is enhanced every year
during the colourful, torchlit Easter
Fogaréu
procession, and apart from the town
itself, the surrounding countryside offers good
hiking
amid the trails, waterfalls and
swimholes characteristic of the
cerrado
.
6
Palácio Conde dos Arcos
Praça Dr Tasso de Camargo • Tues-Sat 8am-5pm, Sun 8am-1pm • R$4 •
T
62 3371 0266
he
Palácio Conde dos Arcos
, built in 1755, was the old governor's palace and has the
usual clunky period furniture. Its best feature is an attractive Portuguese-style garden.
The most interesting exhibits inside the building are actually relatively modern, such as
a nineteenth-century photo of the great-grandfather of two-term Brazilian president
Fernando Henrique Cardoso, proudly pointed out by the museum guide who
accompanies you, and the original application documents for their UNESCO World
Heritage listing, reverently displayed in a velvet case.
Museu de Arte Sacra da Boa Morte
Entrance in side of Igreja da Boa Morte on Rua Luiz do Couto, just off Praça Dr Tasso de Camargo • Tues-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-noon &
1-5pm, Sun 9am-1pm • R$3 •
T
62 3371 1087
he town's
Museu de Arte Sacra da Boa Morte
, in the 1779 Igreja da Boa Morte, contains
a small collection of religious paintings and statues mainly dating from the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries. Unfortunately the interior of the church it's housed in is of no
interest, having sadly been “improved” to death by misguided modernizers.
EXPLORING THE COUNTRYSIDE
If you need to cool off in the afternoon after walking the old city streets, there's a natural
swimming pool out by the
Cachoeira Grande waterfalls
on the Rio Vermelho, just 7km
east of town - the best (and cheapest) way to get there is on the back of one of the local
motorbike taxis. The pool is pleasant when quiet, but it can get crowded at weekends. The
most beautiful sight in the area is the
Cachoeira das Andorinhas
(Swallow Waterfall),
8km out of town, which makes for a wonderful day-trip. On the only road out of town, cross
the Rio Vermelho, passing by the pretty church of
Igreja de Santa Bárbara
, perched on a
small hill overlooking the municipal cemetery. Take the dirt road to the left of the church
(signposted
Hotel Fazenda Manduzanzan
). The waterfall is another kilometre from here -
when in doubt, always bear left. The last few hundred metres rise steeply through a forested
gorge before ending at a glorious, tree-choked swimhole with a waterfall and - true to its
name - swallows darting around. A highlight is a natural rock chamber that channels part
of the waterfall into a cavern.
Remember Goiás is hot year-round - and baking hot in the dry season - so the usual
precautions of carrying water, sunscreen and a hat apply. To save yourself some effort, consider
having a motorbike taxi drop you off at the trail entrance (R$20), thereby halving the distance
you need to walk, or arrange a time for a motorbike taxi
to pick you up if you don't feel like
walking at all. Also consider heading out early for the trek, stopping afterwards at the
Hotel
Fazenda Manduzanzan
for lunch.
