Serra do Curral

Overview

Serra do Curral (Stable Range) is a little range inside the perimeter of Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais State. The range is the border of 3 cities: Belo Horizonte, Nova Lima and Sabará (Metropolitan area). Localized in the south portion of Espinhaço Range, Serra do Curral is a place very visited by new hikers and photographers, because the views from the cliffs are fantastic. Who wants to escape from the rhythm of BH city (3rd biggest Brazilian city), choose these mountains to hike or just to meditate looking to the buildings, avenues and cars. The top of Serra do Curral reach 1390m, in Pico do Curral. More than 3 million people live around this range, deforesting each day a little piece of this natural reserve. The geomorphology of Curral is the same of all Espinhaço Range – Sharp pointed rocks, uneven relief with Iron Ore in all places.

Getting There

It’s very easy to go to Serra do Curral because the access is inside Belo Horizonte, at Mangabeiras district. To arrive in this plaza, drive by Afonso Pena Avenue, the main street in the city. This Avenue starts in the central bus station.
The main entrance is in Praça do Papa (Pope Plaza) at the right side, in the end of Agulhas Negras Avenue. There is a police cabin in the trailhead. The trail turns to the right and the ramp is very steep, by-passing the west col, turning to the left and reaching the top in a few minutes (30’ to 60’). On the summit of Curral, is possible to walk easily on the well demarcated trails.

Red Tape

There aren’t fees or permits to access Serra do Curral. Do not carry expensive equipments for your safety.

Camping

There are some places to fix tents on the range, but i do not remmend to do this.

Weather

Belo Horizonte's climate can be classified as tropical altitude, with yearly average temperature between 18-19 and 22-23°C, Tropical on high altitudes, humid/warm summer and a dry/cool winter. As a city located in the southern Hemisphere, Belo Horizonte's spring starts in September, its summer in December, its autumn in March, and its winter in June. Even though inter-seasonal differences are not as pronounced as they are in temperate places, and many people believe that, as in much of Brazil, there are just two seasons (a hot and humid one from October to March, and a colder and drier one from April to September), there is a contrast between spring and summer, and between fall and winter. The coldest month is generally July, with a lowest recorded temperature of 3.1°C (37.6°F). The hottest month is usually January, with a highest recorded temperature of 35.4°C (95.7°F). There can be problems related with low air humidity during August.

Equipments

The only equipments to hike in Serra do Curral are: Comfortable mountain shoes (it’s not necessary to use big boots), light clothes, hat, sunglasses, water and food for whole a day.

Images

View Serra do Curral Image Gallery - 3 Images