Brazil Tours

Travel & Tours / Brazil – Colonial Paraty (or Parati) has become a significant ecotourism spot in the south of Rio de Janeiro State and a starting point for many hiking / trekking & mountain bike tours to the Bocaina National Park, the Serra do Mar State Park, the Juatinga Ecological Reserve and the Cairuçu Environmental Protection Area.

Some of the historic trails were installed prior to the Portuguese discovery by the Tamoio - Indians. They were used during the 17th century for the transportation of gold and diamonds, coming from the mining centers in Ouro Preto and Diamantina in Minas Gerais and later for coffee from the Paraíba Valley.

Most of the colonial churches date from the gold cycle such as the fortress which served as protection against frequent attacks from pirates and foreign ships. Commerce flourished, the farms around Paraty cultivated sugar cane and little distilleries, so - called “Alambiques”, produced the famous “Cachaça” spirit.

With the building of a paved road from the gold fields in Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro, Paraty’s importance sharply declined, recovering only in the beginning of the 19th century with increasing coffee export from the Paraíba valley. The construction of the railway to Rio de Janeiro, Paraty fell into oblivion a second time and only few inhabitants remained in the city. Accordingly there was no need to modernize the buildings and Paraty became to an open air museum, being declared National Monument in 1966 – Adventure Tours / Brazil.

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