Petrópolis is a neat city in the mountains. It served as the imperial summer residence of Pedro II during the 1800s. From there I took a bunch of scenic dirt roads west. I even catched a glimpse of Rio de Janeiro and its famous landmarks (Corcovado, Pão de Açúcar) in the distance. The Atlantic Forest here is quite fragmented here, but I got to take a few segments of flowy forest singletrack, which was nice.
As I moved west, I reached the Serra da Bocaina, a beautiful coastal mountain range, which is mostly protected within a national park. The dirt roads there feel remote and they are often rough or muddy. I visited a bunch of impressive waterfalls along the Trilha do Ouro.
Finally, I descended to the coast. But before I did so, I spent a night camping at the Pedra de Macela to observe a gorgeous sunrise over the bay of Paraty.
This itinerary from Rio to Paraty is doable in a week. And passing through the Serra da Bocaina is a much more fun option than taking the paved road along the coast in my opinion. It could be done on any bike suitable for dirt road touring.
3 Comments
Here are some photos from Rio de Janeiro (or more accurately Petrópolis) to Paraty, the second leg of my Brazilian journey I had shared here:
[reddit.com/r/bikepacking/comments/1f4bvnx/brazils_mata_atântica_campos_to_rio](http://reddit.com/r/bikepacking/comments/1f4bvnx/brazils_mata_atântica_campos_to_rio)
Petrópolis is a neat city in the mountains. It served as the imperial summer residence of Pedro II during the 1800s. From there I took a bunch of scenic dirt roads west. I even catched a glimpse of Rio de Janeiro and its famous landmarks (Corcovado, Pão de Açúcar) in the distance. The Atlantic Forest here is quite fragmented here, but I got to take a few segments of flowy forest singletrack, which was nice.
As I moved west, I reached the Serra da Bocaina, a beautiful coastal mountain range, which is mostly protected within a national park. The dirt roads there feel remote and they are often rough or muddy. I visited a bunch of impressive waterfalls along the Trilha do Ouro.
Finally, I descended to the coast. But before I did so, I spent a night camping at the Pedra de Macela to observe a gorgeous sunrise over the bay of Paraty.
This itinerary from Rio to Paraty is doable in a week. And passing through the Serra da Bocaina is a much more fun option than taking the paved road along the coast in my opinion. It could be done on any bike suitable for dirt road touring.
For more photos:
[https://www.instagram.com/alex.g.526](https://www.instagram.com/alex.g.526)
It keeps getting better, one picture after the next.
Thx for sharing.
Wow, putting it on the list