Pedra do Bau

Three granite masses stand together on the Mantiqueira above Sao Bento do Sapucai - Pedra do Bau at about nineteen hundred and fifty metres, with Bauzinho and the Ana Chata alongside - and the summit of the main block is reached not by a path but by a fixed line of iron rungs and staples driven into the rock face, roughly three hundred of them, climbed hand over hand up the last stretch. It is not technical climbing and needs no rope, but it is fully exposed and no place for anyone uneasy with heights. Bauzinho, the smaller neighbour, is a straightforward walk and gives much the same view for far less commitment. The area is one of the main free-flight and rock climbing centres in Sao Paulo state, with routes on all three faces.

What you actually see

• Three granite blocks together - Bau, Bauzinho and the Ana Chata on one ridge.
• A staircase of iron rungs - around three hundred staples up the final face.
• Bauzinho as the easy option - a walk to nearly the same view.
• A climbing and flying centre - routes and launch points across the massif.

When to go

April to September, the dry season. A day. Start early, cloud builds by afternoon.

Honest expectations

The rungs are exposed and slippery when wet, and the section closes in rain or high wind. There is no rope and no safety line unless you hire a guide who brings one. The approach walk is a couple of hours before the rungs even start.

Nearby

Sao Bento do Sapucai is below; Campos do Jordao is north-east.