Departure from Rio at 08:30 with our English-speaking guide in our private vehicle.
To get to the little colonial town of Tiradentes, we drive 175 miles through continental vistas of rolling hills loaded with history (about 3-hour drive).
Without a doubt, this town constitutes the most romantic visit among all the colonial towns of the Minas Gerais. The easiest is to let ourselves drift, without plan, through the narrow and steep streets, from small shop to church, from church to garden, in a baroque decor.
The atmosphere is tropical due to the lush vegetation of the fertile Mata surrounding the village at the foot of the cliffs of the Serra de S̃ao José. The church "Matriz" de Santo Antônio de Tiradentes is one of the most beautiful examples of Brazilian baroque art.
Meals not included. Night in a pousada.

The morning is dedicated to the second part of our visit of Tiradentes, a colonial town today converted in a bohemian city where many artists and artisans have decided to live, attracted by the architectural elegance of the buildings (houses, patios, fountains, churches) and the pleasant life of this quiet village.
After lunch, we drive towards the village of Congonhas, where we take a break to discover the statues of the twelve prophets, considered like the masterpiece of the sculptor Antônio Francisco Lisboa, named the Aleijadinho ("the crippled") because of the acute polyarthritis he was suffering from.
These pieces ornament the forecourt of the Basilica of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, and project over an esplanade occupied by the six chapels dos Passos, containing some scenes of the Passion of Christ sculpted in the cypress wood in real life size.
During the afternoon, we arrive at Mariana (about 60 miles away).
First town erected in the Minas Gerais area by the Portuguese after the discovery of the gold and diamond deposits, Mariana, intact since the conquista, is nestled in the hollow of the mountains. Mariana instantly charms you with its singular character, its paved streets, its churches and the tranquility of its inhabitants. Town visit: Arquidiocesano museum, churches of Do Carmo and of São Francisco and Cathedral da Sé where we can admire a German organ Arp Schnitger (Hamburg) from 1701. Offered in 1753 by the king of Portugal Dom José 1er for the creation of the diocese of Mariana, it constitutes the only model existing today outside Europe. It is still in use twice a week, during baroque music concerts organized Fridays at 11:00 and Sundays at 12:15.
Meals not included. Night in a pousada.
Note: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, we can travel with the little steam powered train of the name of "Maria Fumaça" to relive a bygone era of travel between Tiradentes and São João del Rei in an early 20th Century atmosphere.
The train leaves Tiradentes at 11:00 and reaches São João del Rei 30 minutes later.
The train museum located in the São João del Rei train station retraces the world’s train history. The first Baldwin engine used during the inauguration trip of the "Estrada de Ferro Oeste e Minas" in August 1881 is exhibited there.

In the morning, a 4-mile trip takes us to the mine of Passagem, located halfway on the sinuous road between Ouro Preto and Mariana.
Visit of this gigantic ancient gold mine, preserved today like a testimony to the gold rush that seized the area during the 18th century. A little cart takes us to a few hundred meters below the ground in the vast caverns dug by slaves a few centuries ago.
Nearby, we can also visit an open pit Imperial Topaz mine where dozens of Brazilians still try their luck, with hope as their only motivation.
We continue on towards Ouro Preto (about 60 miles away).
With its steep paved streets, its old stone houses, its over-ornate and excessively baroque churches, the town of Ouro Preto, founded at the beginning of the 18th century, offers the largest ensemble of Brazilian colonial art. Its monuments, the pieces exhibited, the wealth of the details make it the archetypal cultural visit of Brazil, also because of its tragic history and of its actual splendor. We can admire, among others, pieces from the creating genius of the time, the painters Manoel da Costa Athaíde and Aleijadinho, who, like in Congonhas, left evidences of its imprint. Among the visits: the church of Saint François of Assisi, the church of Our Lady of the Pilar, the School of mines museum, the Oratory museum.
Meals not included. Night in a pousada.

In the morning, we finish the visit of Ouro Preto.
After lunch (open), we get back on the road in the direction of Rio de Janeiro (250 miles) or Belo Horizonte (50 miles).
Meals not included. Night in a hotel.
Note: option to make the trip the other way around, starting from Belo Horizonte.

We offer a thematic circuit dedicated to precious stones and minerals. Visit of mines and jewelry workshops, a program for geology and gems lovers, check with us.

In the morning, departure from São Paulo or Rio (or other) towards Campos do Jordão. Because of its relative altitude (between el. 1500 and el. 1600 m.a.s.l.) this small town is also a favorite summer vacation place for the wealthy inhabitants of São Paulo.
2½ to 3-hour drive in a private vehicle. We settle in the pousada where we get acquainted with the horses that will be our traveling companions for the next 10 days horseback ride through the Serra da Mantiqueira.
Lunch not included. Dinner included. Night in a fazenda.
Option at the fazenda São Antonio: arvorisme circuit (a course in the trees with a system of ropes, suspension bridges).

We leave on our horses at 08:30. We follow a train in the heart of the forest, deep in the “horto florestal de Campos de Jordão”, a valley covered with flowered and fruit trees.
We climb up the valley’s foothills to the “divisa” (el. 1800 m.a.s.l.) marking the border between the States of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. From there, one of the highest point of our expedition, we descend towards Charco, (el. 1750 m.a.s.l.), a small town which principal activity is wood exploitation (cellulose, furniture…).
Lunch break (cold lunch).
At 13:30, we get back on our horse and continue on following a dirt road, in the heart of the Mata Atlantica (literally Atlantic Forest, typical of this region of Brazil) towards fazenda da onça (40 minutes), or “farm of the jaguar” owing its name to the numerous felines inhabiting the area.
We need to be extremely lucky to see one of them, but will be able to spot other animals such as the capivara (largest rodent on earth), or the paca (its little cousin).
After a 1-hour trek, we reach the fazenda Boa Esperança (el. 1700 m.a.s.l.).
Option to bathe in the 50-meter high waterfall located close to the fazenda.
All included. Night in the fazenda (gastronomic specialty of the house: the trout).

We leave at 08:30 after a hearty breakfast. After ridding for two hours, we pass the village of Delfim Moreira (el. 1100 m.a.s.l.), first national center of trout culture. The village started growing in the 17th Century thanks to the “tropeiros” caravans insuring the transport of merchandise and products from the mines between Paraty and Minas Gerais.
We can do a detour by Santa Clara monastery (2 hours extra) where Franciscan monks still produce elixirs and ointments from medicinal plants.
We then follow the old disaffected railroad to reach Agua Limpa (el. 900 m.a.s.l.) after a 2-hour ride. Break (cold lunch).
After lunch, 1½-hour ride to arrive at the fazenda Taquaral via Bigua, in a village that grew around the railroad station, of which remains only vestiges.
We are at the heart of an ecological preserve area where quantities of birds, in particular the “canario da terra” (earth flinch), emblematic of the region, abound.
In the afternoon, we reach fazenda Taquaral (el. 1200 m.a.s.l.), specialized in the production of goat milk products. We finally start to understand where the mining gastronomy reputation (of Minas Gerais) comes from …
All included. Night in a fazenda (basic comfort).

We leave Virginia at 08:30 for a 3-hour ride in the valley of São Sebastião to Pouso Alto (el. 980 m.a.s.l.), our destination of the day, where a pantagruelian buffet awaits us.
This short day unable horses and riders to rest. We also have time to enjoy the comfortable Serraverde hotel (heated swimming pool, sauna, natural pool, gymnasium, well stocked wine cave…).
All included. Night in a hotel.

10:00 departure from Pouso Alto for another short day (4-hour ride) to São Lourenço (el. 900 m.a.s.l., the lowest point of our journey) via Rio Verde Valley.
São Lourenço, water town, is a very well known Brazilian thermal center.
In the afternoon, we visit the installations of “parque das aguas” (water park) offering, in the heart of a lush vegetation, a reproduction of the fountain of … Vichy.
Option to indulge in baths, showers and body treatments.

Departure from São Lourenço at 09:00. We ride through the rolling hills covering the plateau (el. 900 m.a.s.l.).
We enter a zone of coffee plantations, which boomed in the 19th Century, making Brazil one of the first producer in the world.
We reach Vila dos Campos (3-hour ride) for lunch (cold lunch).
In the afternoon, we head for Dom Viçoso (el. 977 m.a.s.l.), small typical village of Minas Gerais with 8000 inhabitants (4-hour ride).
We stop at the house of Ze Correia, which pousada traditionally shelters the “romarias” (pilgrims) making the journey (on foot or horseback), from the Nossa Senhora Aparecida Basilica, the largest on the continent, in the neighboring State of São Paulo.
All included. Night in the pousada (basic comfort).

We leave Dom Viçoso at 09:00 and start the ascent of the Serra da Gloria (1½-hour), to reach the fazendinha dos Alpes (“Small farm in the Alps”, el. 1750 m.a.s.l.).
We then descend (1½-hour) towards Cristina (el. 900 m.a.s.l.), our destination of the day.
End of day open during which we may want to visit the fazenda Boa Vista, which produces one of the best coffees of the area (according to some, to a lot of people in fact…). We will not miss the opportunity for a tasting, before a cooling bath in the nearby waterfall.
All included. Night in the Casarão dos Noronha e Kauage (welcoming and comfortable)

At 10:00 we start our day by a 3-hour ride to Maria da Fé.
We start the ascent of Serra da Barra Grande (el. 1100 m.a.s.l.).
We then return in the valley, pass by the fazenda 7 de Abril, one of the first in the region (dating from the 18th Century).
Picnic in Pedrão, where an excellent cachaças is produced (sugar cane alcohol).
After lunch, the trail takes us on the slopes of Serra da Boa Vista, to Maria da Fé (el. 1300 m.a.s.l.). It is cool, and even cold in the winter, in this village located in a windy corridor. The ideal climate for the araucarias (evergreen species and native of the area, also present in other parts of South America) abounding in this area.
We settle comfortably in the fazenda Pomària for the rest of the day.
Option to do a hike in the area, or to stroll in the village.
All included. Night in the fazenda Pomària.

08:30 departure. We descend from the Serra do Pedrão following an ancient disaffected railroad track.
The climate becomes more pleasant; banana trees replace the pines.
Before noon, we reach the haras Capetinga (Mangalargas breeding farm), where we are welcome by the owner for a guided visit.  A Mangalarga is a Brazilian horse breed.
After our picnic, we take the direction of Tajuba, a small (150 000 inhabitants) university town. We follow the bottom of Sapucaí Valley. The trail is flat and the landscape one of pastures and plantations.
After a 4½-hour ride we reach Piranguçu (el. 900 m.a.s.l.).

We leave Piranguçu at 8:00 for the last and longest day of our expedition.
We ascend the slopes of Serra de Campos do Jordão (4-hour), to Vila Maria (el. 1700 m.a.s.l.). The community looks like a Swiss village with its wooden chalets. We lunch there.
In the afternoon, we start our 1-hour ride during which we pass Campos do Serrano (el. 1850 m.a.s.l.), a plantation area dedicated to the reforestation of the surrounding forests.
3 more hours on horseback and we reach the pousada Santo Antonio in Campos do Jordão.
Lunch not included. Dinner included. Night in a pousada.