Estrada Real

The Estrada Real is not one road but the network the Portuguese crown authorised and policed to move gold and diamonds out of Minas Gerais - all other routes were prohibited, so that everything passed customs posts where the crown took its fifth. It runs to something over sixteen hundred kilometres in four branches: the Caminho Velho from Ouro Preto to Paraty, the Caminho Novo from Ouro Preto to Rio, the Caminho dos Diamantes from Ouro Preto to Diamantina, and the Caminho Sabarabucu. Stretches of the original stone paving survive, along with bridges and chapels, and the route has been signposted and mapped as a long-distance itinerary linking the colonial towns, walked and cycled in stages.

What you actually see

• Surviving stone paving - stretches of the original road on several branches.
• Four branches, 1,600 kilometres - the network in its full extent.
• Colonial towns as stages - Ouro Preto, Tiradentes, Diamantina, Paraty.
• Customs-post history - the route built so the crown could take its fifth.

When to go

April to September, the dry season. A week for a branch; days for a section.

Honest expectations

Signposting quality varies a great deal between stages and some sections are poorly maintained or run along modern roads. Walking stages need planning, guides in places, and accommodation booked ahead. The full route is a long project, not a trip.

Nearby

Ouro Preto is the hub; Paraty, Rio and Diamantina are the three end points.