I just finished a multi-weeks bikepacking trip in Brazil. There’s not much information online in English about bike touring in Brazil, especially not dirt road touring. When I posted a thread here with some questions about touring in Brazil, I got 0 answer! So I thought I’d share a few impressions here with pictures and a gpx file. Later on I plan to divide the file in segments and add points of interest.
I biked almost 3000km from the state of Rio de Janeiro to Rio Grande do Sul. The itinerary was heavily inspired (and followed partly) the Caminho da Mata Atlântica, a long distance trail under development to connect areas of preserved Atlantic Forest in the South(east) of the country. I mostly biked on dirt roads (and a few trails in Rio) along the coastal mountain ranges known as the Serra do Mar and the Serra Geral. On a few occasions I descended to the coast.
Overall the experience was incredible, better than expected. Every day had beautiful and impressive landscapes. The diversity of experiences was one of the main strengths of the itinerary. I went from steamy tropical forests in the north to cold grasslands and auracaria forests in the south. And in-between I passed through well-preserved historic towns, stunning beaches, farmlands, and more. Altitude varied from 0m to almost 2000m above sea level. Culturally the regions are quite different. Most communities received a mixed of influences over the centuries (indigenous, Portuguese and African). But the itinerary also passed through traditional indigenous communites, quilombos (communities of descendants of escaped African slaves) and settlements of more recent immigrants (mostly German and Italian).
It was easy to stay on calm rural roads and avoid busy ones most of the time. The pictures here are from the Campos dos Goytacazes to Petropolis, which involved quite a bit of hike-a-bike because of challenging singletrack and roads. I’d only recommend it for people with a MTB or rigid bike with wide tire clearance. It was physically tough, but generally the efforts were rewarded with gorgeous viewpoints or immersion into the forest. The forest is quite fragmented here, but the rural areas in-between were quite fun to travel through.
From Petropolis all the way to Rio Grande do Sul was more of a classic dirt road experience (but still with lots of climbing).
People were generally very welcoming and helpful (but I speak decent Portuguese which helps). I had no safety incidents. Small towns are usually safe. Mid-size cities vary. And big ones almost all have security issues unfortunately (high rates of crimes against person and property), but I mostly avoided them. The short Teresopolis-Petropolis segment passes through favelas and the northern edge of Rio de Janeiro. If you’re risk averse, you’d be better off taking the rural roads north of Teresopolis and Petropolis instead. But overall, I had very few safety concerns. The small mountain towns I biked through felt safer than some other places I’ve visited along popular bikepacking routes in Latin America.
Wild camping was sometimes a bit challenging because the land often is either fenced or has dense vegetation. There are a few amazing wild and formal camping spots tho. And in small towns, pousadas are usually very cheap (cheapest I found was a 7 USD private room). Resupply was easy. You pass through a small town almost every day (or every two-three days less frequently).
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I just finished a multi-weeks bikepacking trip in Brazil. There’s not much information online in English about bike touring in Brazil, especially not dirt road touring. When I posted a thread here with some questions about touring in Brazil, I got 0 answer! So I thought I’d share a few impressions here with pictures and a gpx file. Later on I plan to divide the file in segments and add points of interest.
I biked almost 3000km from the state of Rio de Janeiro to Rio Grande do Sul. The itinerary was heavily inspired (and followed partly) the Caminho da Mata Atlântica, a long distance trail under development to connect areas of preserved Atlantic Forest in the South(east) of the country. I mostly biked on dirt roads (and a few trails in Rio) along the coastal mountain ranges known as the Serra do Mar and the Serra Geral. On a few occasions I descended to the coast.
Overall the experience was incredible, better than expected. Every day had beautiful and impressive landscapes. The diversity of experiences was one of the main strengths of the itinerary. I went from steamy tropical forests in the north to cold grasslands and auracaria forests in the south. And in-between I passed through well-preserved historic towns, stunning beaches, farmlands, and more. Altitude varied from 0m to almost 2000m above sea level. Culturally the regions are quite different. Most communities received a mixed of influences over the centuries (indigenous, Portuguese and African). But the itinerary also passed through traditional indigenous communites, quilombos (communities of descendants of escaped African slaves) and settlements of more recent immigrants (mostly German and Italian).
It was easy to stay on calm rural roads and avoid busy ones most of the time. The pictures here are from the Campos dos Goytacazes to Petropolis, which involved quite a bit of hike-a-bike because of challenging singletrack and roads. I’d only recommend it for people with a MTB or rigid bike with wide tire clearance. It was physically tough, but generally the efforts were rewarded with gorgeous viewpoints or immersion into the forest. The forest is quite fragmented here, but the rural areas in-between were quite fun to travel through.
From Petropolis all the way to Rio Grande do Sul was more of a classic dirt road experience (but still with lots of climbing).
People were generally very welcoming and helpful (but I speak decent Portuguese which helps). I had no safety incidents. Small towns are usually safe. Mid-size cities vary. And big ones almost all have security issues unfortunately (high rates of crimes against person and property), but I mostly avoided them. The short Teresopolis-Petropolis segment passes through favelas and the northern edge of Rio de Janeiro. If you’re risk averse, you’d be better off taking the rural roads north of Teresopolis and Petropolis instead. But overall, I had very few safety concerns. The small mountain towns I biked through felt safer than some other places I’ve visited along popular bikepacking routes in Latin America.
Wild camping was sometimes a bit challenging because the land often is either fenced or has dense vegetation. There are a few amazing wild and formal camping spots tho. And in small towns, pousadas are usually very cheap (cheapest I found was a 7 USD private room). Resupply was easy. You pass through a small town almost every day (or every two-three days less frequently).
Here’s the gpx:
[https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=6.0/-47.8672/-25.3827&pubLink=KtNqOiQucRvUWwaW5djfN8I6&trackId=ae1e845f-9749-4e76-9c66-6c4ef3f92230](https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=6.0/-47.8672/-25.3827&pubLink=KtNqOiQucRvUWwaW5djfN8I6&trackId=ae1e845f-9749-4e76-9c66-6c4ef3f92230)
And I’ve been posting a few pictures on Insta of every day of riding @ alex.g.526
Was planning a bike trip to Patagonia, but this has put a new idea in my head. Is it good to do all year or is there a rainy season?
That’s absolutely bizarre and photos look incredible. Would love to ride there someday.. Thanks for sharing OP!
What kind of wildlife did you see/hear when wildcamping?