Pirenópolis travel guide

This lovely colonial silver mining town, 165 km due west of Brasília, sits in the midst of rugged hills dripping with waterfalls and covered in rapidly disappearing but still pristine cerrado. Like Cidade de Goiás it was founded by bandeirantes in search of gold and then by small-scale cattle ranchers. Its centre remains well preserved and only a little less pretty than Cidade de Goiás, leading it to be declared a National Heritage Site in 1989. Pirenópolis’s proximity to Brasília has made it a favourite weekend playground for the capital’s middle classes who congregate in the lively restaurants and bars, which line the northern end of Rua do Rosario. But the town’s home-grown culture still thrives; one of Central Brazil’s most unusual and vibrant festival takes place here every May/June and on weekends the Praça Central fills to the brim with peões in stetsons and spurs blasting out sertanejo music from their souped-up cars. Pirenópolis is a great place to pass a few days or even weeks. The surrounding countryside offers good walking and light adventure activities and there are plenty of tour operators, though as elsewhere in Brazil, little English is spoken.