Maps and Regions
The region has a mild climate year round
» Vale do Café
Ecological tours and historical plantations in the Vale do Café
The valley between the Serra do Mar and
Mantiqueira mountains, carved by the Paraíba do Sul River,
holds many one of a kind treasures. Surrounded by the mountains’
sinuous contours and the lush greens of the Atlantic Forest,
it is the perfect place for ecological tours and visits to its
many lakes, rivers and waterfalls, horse riding and extreme
sports.
However, the valley’s treasures aren’t only of the
natural variety. Centuries old plantations, symbols of the time
of the “Coffee Barons”, preserve an important historical
and cultural heritage, demonstrating the power and wealth of
the plantation owners at that time, as well as the day to day
life of the slave workers.
Many of these sophisticated mansions and sumptuous manor houses,
with their innumerous rooms, have maintained their original
characteristics and have been converted into Country Inns and
Leisure Centers. Others have even preserved the rustic senzalas
(crude constructions where the slaves lived), stylish furniture
and valuable works of art, becoming museums.
The region has a mild climate year round and the surrounding
cities have busy cultural schedules, like Vassouras and Miguel
Pereira. The Tomato Festival brings countless tourists to Pati
do Alferes in winter, and in Conservatória, a suburb
of Valença, there are nights with Brazilian style serenades
right out in the street each weekend. You can’t miss it!
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