Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE SOUTH
SANTA CATARINA
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
★
9
Restaurante Pequeno Bosque
Rua Major Jacinto
Goulart 212
T
49 3233 3318,
W
restaurante
pequenobosque.com.br.
High-end bistro with a creative
menu featuring local produce such as pine nuts, apples, lamb
and fresh trout in Brazilian and international dishes (the
pastas and risottos are good). Mains from around R$40.
Tues-Sun 11.45am-2pm & 6.30pm-midnight.
São Joaquim Park Hotel
Praça João Ribeiro 58
T
49
3233 1444,
W
saojoaquimparkhotel.com.br.
The main
hotel in town, this tower block next to the central plaza and
church has ageing but comfy rooms with free wi-fi
-fi and
heating (no a/c). Check out the views from the roof.
R$120
Lages and around
Although founded in 1766, nothing remains in
LAGES
from the days when it was an
important pit stop for cowhands herding cattle and mules on the route northwards to
the market in Sorocaba. Located 76km northwest of São Joaquim, it's now a collection
of anonymous post-1950s buildings, and the main reason to visit is to get a taste of
life in the
gaúcho
high country. Several of the surrounding cattle
fazendas
offer
accommodation, offering a glimpse of life in outlying parts of the
serra
- otherwise
extremely di
cult for tourists to experience.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
LAGES AND AROUND
By bus
The rodoviária (
T
49 3222 6710) is a half-hour
walk southeast of the centre, or you can take a bus
marked “Dom Pedro”. Reunidas (
W
reunidas.com.br) runs
8 daily buses direct to Lages from Florianópolis (5-6.5hr;
R$56-64) and also on to Chapecó (daily 12.45am,
8.15am, 8.25pm; 4.5-6.5hr) and Joaçaba (daily 8.15am,
8.25pm, 9.45pm & 11.30pm; 2-3hr). Nevatur (
W
nevatur
.com.br) runs buses to Florianópolis (daily 6.30am), São
Joaquim (Mon-Sat 6.30am, 9.30am, 1.30pm, 5pm &
7pm, Sun 6.30am, 10am, 1.30pm, 5pm & 7pm) and
Urubici (Mon, Wed & Fri 6am & 3.30pm, Tues, Thurs & Sat
6am & 12.45pm).
Tourist information
In the centre at Rua Hercílio Luz
573 (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 2-6pm;
T
49 3223 6206).
Distributes a good map of Lages and can help with booking
fazenda
accommodation.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
★
Fazenda do Barreiro
SC-438, Km 42 (4km off the
highway on a dirt road), Urupema
T
49 3222 3031,
W
fazendadobarreiro.com.br.
Lovely old property 35km
southeast of Lages that traces its origins to 1782, though its
buildings are more recent. Offers simple but cosy rooms,
four meals a day, an of
n-site
museum and plenty of
activities like horse riding.
R$215
★
Wed-Sat 7.30pm-midnight.
Hotel Fazenda Pedras Brancas
Rod SC 438, Km 10,
Pedras Brancas
T
49 3223 2073,
W
fazendapedrasbrancas
.com.br.
Another gorgeous farmhouse hotel with plush,
modern suites, rustic cabins and beautiful views of the nearby
pond. The food is superb and there's a pool, hor
se ridin
g and
nightly cooking over a wood fire (the
sapecada
).
R$220
Ibis
Lages
Av Duque de Caxias 579
T
49 322 14444,
W
accorhotels.com.
The best option in town, this
relatively new outpost of the popular chain offers the usual
compact but cosy rooms and a
meniti
es, free parking and
wi-fi. Breakfast is extra (R$14).
R$130
Galpão Bar Gaúcho
Av Duque de Caxias 1141
T
049 3225 2689.
Soak up the
gaúcho
atmosphere at this
Argentine-style bar and barbecue steakhouse, replete
with rustic timber decor, cosy booths and reasonable
prices (mains from R$25). There is live music on Fri & Sat.
The Vale do Contestado and Grande Oeste
Very few foreign tourists make it to the far western reaches of Santa Catarina, regions
dubbed the
Vale do Contestado
(named after the bloody Contestado War of 1912-14)
and the
Grande Oeste
("Grand West"). As with the rest of the state, much of the appeal
comes from the surviving immigrant communities - typically Italian and Austrian - and
the rustic landscapes en route, but as always you'll get a lot more out of the region with
your own transport.
Treze Tílias
The claim of the
município
of
TREZE TÍLIAS
, 220km northwest of Lages, to be the
“Brazilian Tyrol” is by no means without foundation. In 1933, 82 Tyroleans led by
Andreas Thaler, a former Austrian minister of agriculture, arrived in what is now Treze
