Itatiaia National Park

Itatiaia was created in 1937 and was the first national park in Brazil, established on land the botanist Alberto Loefgren and others had pressed to protect on the Mantiqueira range between Rio and Minas. It works as two different places. The lower sector out of Itatiaia town is Atlantic forest with waterfalls, trout streams and dense birdlife, and is one of the standard birdwatching stops in south-east Brazil. The upper sector, reached by a separate road from the Minas side, climbs above the treeline into campo de altitude and bare rock, with the Agulhas Negras at 2,791 metres and Pedra do Altar nearby; frost is normal there in winter and snow has been recorded, which is rare enough in Brazil to draw people up on cold weekends.

What you actually see

• Brazil's first national park - created in 1937 on the Mantiqueira range.
• Two separate sectors - forest below, high rock above, with different entrances.
• Agulhas Negras - a 2,791-metre summit reached from the Minas side.
• High-altitude grassland - campo de altitude above the treeline, frosted in winter.

When to go

April to September, the dry season. Two days.

Honest expectations

The two sectors are not connected inside the park and each needs its own approach drive of a couple of hours. The upper road is unpaved. Nights above the treeline are cold and the summit scramble on Agulhas Negras is exposed. Lower trails are humid and slippery.

Nearby

Resende and Penedo are below; Visconde de Maua is over the ridge.