Visconde de Maua

Visconde de Maua is not one village but three or four - Maua itself, Maringa on both sides of the state line, and Maromba - strung along the Preto river valley in the Mantiqueira at around twelve hundred metres. The river is the reason people come: waterfalls at Escorrega, Veu da Noiva and Santa Clara, natural pools, and a set of walks between them, several on private land with their own gates. Trout is the local food, farmed in the cold streams. The accommodation is small chalets and pousadas with fireplaces, and winter nights drop close to freezing. It has been a weekend destination for Rio for decades, and its old counterculture reputation has largely turned into a fondue-and-chalet economy.

History

The name honours Irineu Evangelista de Sousa, Viscount of Mauá, who received land here from the imperial government in 1870 to cut wood for charcoal, though he never visited the region; in 1889 his son Henrique set up a colony of European immigrants that failed, and the federal government's second attempt, the Colonial Nucleus of 1908, ended in 1916. Some German families stayed and from the 1930s began receiving relatives and friends from Europe, the start of tourism here; hippies found Maromba in the 1970s, and from the 1980s it became a favourite mountain retreat for Rio and São Paulo (Wikipedia, Visconde de Mauá, Resende).

Highlights

• Waterfalls along the Preto - Escorrega, Veu da Noiva and Santa Clara.
• Villages on a state line - Maringa split between Rio and Minas.
• Trout farming - the cold-stream fish that became the local dish.
• Cold nights at 1,200 metres - close to freezing in winter.

When to go

April to September. Three days.

Practical notes

Roads inside the valley are unpaved and rough, and a high-clearance car helps. Several falls charge separate access fees. Weekends and holidays fill everything and prices rise. Rain makes trails slippery and can cut access.

Nearby

Itatiaia National Park is west; Resende and the Dutra are below.