Garrafao Peak

Garrafão Peak is a distant peak inside Mantiqueira Sierra here in Brazil. It is a high mountain (for brazilian standards of course) but most of the brazilian climbers and hikers not even know it. Easy for hike and far away to reach, only local people or tourists visit that peak. The trail to the summit is very easy, its possible to reach the summit within two hours from its base.

The city: Alagoa is a small city in Minas Gerais state. It is located at latitude 22 ° 10'14 "south and longitude 44 ° 38'31" west, with city hall at an altitude of 1132m, the highest point is the Peak. According to the census conducted by IBGE in 2010, its population is 2.709 inhabitants. Alagoa is known for Parmesan cheese produced by the population living in the Rural Zone and is considered the "Land of Parmesan". The climate and topography are crucial for the flavor of the cheese.

It has great tourism potential, which is being developed and structured by the Municipal Tourism office. Nature does its part with beautiful natural landscapes, thunderous waterfalls. As in the Amazon, has two seasons: the rainy and the dry season. In May and June the climate is similar to Europe, it is very cold in these times, and the thermometer registers below zero temperatures.

Getting There

  
Do the approach to Itamonte city, the very same one you should take to get to Itatiaia National Park. From there, ask for directions to Alagoa village. There is not a name for the road, but there is some visible signs at some points. Once you et to Alagoa again ask for directions to get to Serra do Papagaio access and once you reach the sign that says "Serra do Papagaio", keep going on the sandy road all the way up. The highest point by road will be around 1.850m, you'll start to go down, very smothly. After a while you'll see some farms by the foot of the peak. Approach the farm with no problems (at dry season - between late may and early september) and as soon as you get there talk to the farm owner, Mr Odir. Just to let him know you'll hike Garrafão Peak (aka Santo Agostinho Peak by locals). You don't have to pay anything, no fee at all and no money for parking the car also.

A good tip is: As soon as you get to Itamonte city, hire a taxi driver to drive you to the farm.

The trail is very obvious, the farm is at around 1.660m and the first part is gonna get you at the main ridge at around 1.870 m, from there just follow that same ridge all the way up to the summit. It is easy, just a smoth walk up that should take less than 2 hours. Breathtaking views to all Itatiaia massif, Serra Fina range, Papagaio Peak, Mitra do Bispo Peak, Marins Peak, Itaguaré Peak.




Videos: Descending from the summit..........Bad weather and terrible landslides!

Red Tape

Parking lot at the farm;
Well marked trail;

What’s forbidden:
At all costs, don't make fire or deforest any places. Respect the nature and wildlife please!

Camping

 


Anywhere you want. Try not to do much noise to avoid problems with locals, they love their quiet place. Clean water nearby. Best option.

Google Earth KML file for download

Be my guest, i marked the summit involved, camping spot and the trail.

For the download, please access: http://www.4shared.com/get/ZwDTjFTQ/garrafao.html

Legal Issues

To hike/ climb is a dangerous activity and requires proper equipment and clothing, the owner of this page cannot be blamed by injuries caused to anyone who read this page for its info about the mountain, and eventually got hurt by doing so with reckless behaviour or bad weather conditions.

Paulo Roberto Felipe Schmidt – AKA: PAROFES

External Links

My youtube channel: www.youtube.com/parofes - Now with 270+ videos online!

The biggest brazilian website about climbing and mountaineering, for which I'm a columnist:

Images

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