| Destination - Serra Catarinense |
During winter, the coldest region of Brazil is the countryside of Santa Catarina.
And in no other place tourists will find so many attractions provided by the low temperatures. Even the snow – something so surreal on a tropical
country – is present every year, invariably.
Located at almost 2000 meters above sea level and famous exactly because of the
snow, the cities of Urubici and São Joaquim have impressive natural attractions. The rough geography of the mountains, the canyons, the rivers
and uncountable waterfalls favor the practice of adventure sports, especially rappel, mountain climbing, trekking and hang gliding. The
practitioners find, without any difficulty, good route options.
The suggestion is to lodge in any of the many farm hotels of the region, which also
offer typical rural tours. “Serra Catarinense” is known for being the origin of the brazilian rural tourism, since the first establishments of
this kind appeared in the centenary properties that existed there. Among the most traditional tours, there are horse rides through fields and
trout sport fishing in rivers and cold waters.
It is worth to try the home food prepared according to the local habits, especially
“churrasco de chão” and other delicacies prepared with “pinhão”, seed from the Paraná pine tree. Every year, Lages is the host of “Festa Nacional
do Pinhão”, one of the biggest events of the State and with guaranteed presence of famous national and international artists. “Festa Nacional da
Maçã” occurs in São Joaquim, where it’s possible to visit apple farms.
But the nice landscapes are available during the whole year, not only during winter
and especially during summer. The waterfalls and rivers, incredibly beautiful, invite for a swim. Close to Urubici there are ancient inscriptions,
with more than 3000 years, besides archeological sites of inestimable historic value.
The biggest city in the region of “Serra Catarinense” is Lages, with approximately
160000 inhabitants. The accesses to all cities are paved and even the land roads that go to some attractions are well preserved.
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The Country
