Foto: Rogério Cassimiro / MTur
The Paulistas who discovered gold in Minas Gerais used an old Tamoios native path to
descend from the plateau to the sea, reaching
Paraty. This is the Caminho Velho (Old
Path) of the Royal Road, which passes through part of São Paulo before entering Minas
Gerais. However, by order of the Portuguese Crown, another route was opened to
connect
Ouro Preto directly to Rio, called the Caminho Novo (New Path). Today, those
who travel the Royal Road can choose between these two routes or create a
completely new one by mixing the two.
We always recommend starting with Belo Horizonte or Diamantina and leaving
Rio and
Paraty (read "beaches") for the end of the trip, taking a few days to relax by the sea.
But which of these routes is more interesting?
In terms of scenery, descending to Paraty from Cunha, in São Paulo, is the most
beautiful route. The park road that cuts through the Bocaina Hills National Park offers
breathtaking views of the Atlantic Forest-covered hills. On a clear day, you can see the
ocean, and the descent ends right in Paraty.
On the other hand, the descent through Petropolis is not as picturesque and ends on
the Washington Luiz Highway, a rather dull freeway. However, this route allows you to
visit one of Brazil's most sensational museums, the Imperial Museum of Petropolis.
Now, you can always reach one and go on to the other! Those who descend to Paraty
can then come to Rio via the Rio-Santos Highway, another worthwhile road to travel.
