A TRAVESSIA PETRÓPOLIS - TERESÓPOLIS

The region's flagship hike is the Imperial Cities Crossing, a 3-day trek along the Serra de Orgãos ridgeline for almost 32 km, linking the two cities of Teresópolis and Petrópolis (or vice versa). This is a medium to hard hike, with a few roped passages on the last day, with daily vertical drops of up to 1,000 m, suitable for experienced hikers who are used to going into the mountains. A guide is not compulsory. But you do need to be well equipped. Tents can be rented on site. However, we recommend that you be accompanied.

Here's the itinerary for the "travessia" imperial hike:

Day 1: Petrópolis - Hut 1. You'll need to arrive early in Petrópolis from Rio, or spend the night there, in order to reach the park entrance at dawn. The town is already almost 900 meters above sea level. The first part of the route is a fairly gentle climb, branching off onto paths leading to cachoeiras. We follow the course of the Rio Bonfim until we can see the whole valley from above. After 2 hours of steep climbing at a steady pace, you reach Castelos de Açu at an altitude of 2,120 m (1,220 m ascent). You follow the ridge line with successive short ascents and descents to reach the morro do Marco (2,050 m) and then the morro da Luva (2,100 m). We descend slightly into the Encanto valley to spend the night at the park refuge located there.

Day 2. Refuge 1 to refuge 2. The second day includes a number of vertiginous passages and remains tiring, as there is a lot of climbing up and down to the refuge. After sunrise at Pedra do Sino, we head for the Cabeça de Dinossauro morro, with one major difficulty: climbing the elevator - metal rungs embedded in the q rock! The views are spectacular. The beauty of the park lies in the strange shapes of these magnificent granite peaks, such as Dedo de Deus (God's Finger, 1,692 m) and Nariz do Frade (Brother's Nose, 1,980 m). You arrive at the second refuge at the foot of Pedra do Sino, where you can sleep in dormitories or tents.

Day 3. Refuge 2 inTeresópolis. In the morning, it's essential to get up early to see the sunrise from the Pedra do Sino (2,263 meters), an unforgettable memory thanks to the spectacular view. There's still a 4-hour descent to the Beija Flor dam (1,300 m), then the descent to the park exit.