5th – 6th May 2008
After a two hour bus ride stopping at every hole in the hedge, but encompassing some amazing views, we arrived at Barao Cocais. From here we had to take a taxi to the Monastery. Our helpful guidebook informed us that the taxi should cost about £7. We tried to barter, but £15 lighter and 1 hour later we arrived at the Sanctuario.
The Parque Natural de Caraca is a remarkable reserve about 120Km east of Belo Horizonte. It has been preserved so well because the land belongs to a monastery, part of which has been converted into a hostel. The rarest mammal in the park is the maned wolf; the monks feed them on the monastery steps in the evening.
After a two hour bus ride stopping at every hole in the hedge, but encompassing some amazing views, we arrived at Barao Cocais. From here we had to take a taxi to the Monastery. Our helpful guidebook informed us that the taxi should cost about £7. We tried to barter, but £15 lighter and 1 hour later we arrived at the Sanctuario.
The Parque Natural de Caraca is a remarkable reserve about 120Km east of Belo Horizonte. It has been preserved so well because the land belongs to a monastery, part of which has been converted into a hostel. The rarest mammal in the park is the maned wolf; the monks feed them on the monastery steps in the evening.
Day 1
The hostel and monastery were deserted when we arrived. We were shown to our room and ate lunch before taking a walk out along one of the trails to a waterfall. Half way along the trail, we heard the distant rumbling of thunder and could see the sky getting darker. We were fully prepared, with our waterproof jackets so continued the walk. When the rain started, we were almost at the waterfall, and came across a pagoda type shelter… with the thunder and lightening overhead, we decided that it wouldn’t be the wisest move to shelter under a tin roof, so we braved the rain.
Ady’s waterproof proved not to be waterproof at all. Sam commented that it was only shower proof… not much use here! There are some photos of the waterfall and the rest of the walk in the Caracas folder on Picasa. When we returned, we wandered around the gardens and came across a number of very tame animals!
All meals were included with the room, and dinner was traditional Brazilian style meat, rice, and beans – all you can eat. At dinner, there were only 2 other people, and we knew it was going to be a quiet evening!
The meat was put our on the steps after dinner and we were told that the wolves may visit to eat at any time in the evening. We popped our heads into the church where a mass was beginning. Sam was horrified at the suggestion of attending, but agreed to join the ‘experience’. After 20 minutes, we heard someone at the door of the church, gesturing that the wolves were here. Sam looked delighted at the excuse to escape!
The wolf that was eating didn’t hang around for long, but we did manage to get a picture as you can see. After an exhausting day we crashed out by 10pm.
The hostel and monastery were deserted when we arrived. We were shown to our room and ate lunch before taking a walk out along one of the trails to a waterfall. Half way along the trail, we heard the distant rumbling of thunder and could see the sky getting darker. We were fully prepared, with our waterproof jackets so continued the walk. When the rain started, we were almost at the waterfall, and came across a pagoda type shelter… with the thunder and lightening overhead, we decided that it wouldn’t be the wisest move to shelter under a tin roof, so we braved the rain.
Ady’s waterproof proved not to be waterproof at all. Sam commented that it was only shower proof… not much use here! There are some photos of the waterfall and the rest of the walk in the Caracas folder on Picasa. When we returned, we wandered around the gardens and came across a number of very tame animals!
All meals were included with the room, and dinner was traditional Brazilian style meat, rice, and beans – all you can eat. At dinner, there were only 2 other people, and we knew it was going to be a quiet evening!
The meat was put our on the steps after dinner and we were told that the wolves may visit to eat at any time in the evening. We popped our heads into the church where a mass was beginning. Sam was horrified at the suggestion of attending, but agreed to join the ‘experience’. After 20 minutes, we heard someone at the door of the church, gesturing that the wolves were here. Sam looked delighted at the excuse to escape!
The wolf that was eating didn’t hang around for long, but we did manage to get a picture as you can see. After an exhausting day we crashed out by 10pm.
Day 2
The following day, we had to work out how to get back to Barao Cocais without spending our whole daily budget on another taxi. We hoped to pick up a lift with someone who was heading into the town, but as the place was empty, there was nobody going. The staff bus was our only other option, and that wasn’t until 5pm. Our bus to Rio wasn’t until 11pm so we decided that we’d be better spending a few more hours in the beautiful surroundings, rather than in a bus station.We walked to a second waterfall, and saw some amazing wildlife on the way – we were also warned not to stray off the paths because there were cobras in the grass… this preyed on Sam’s mind for most of the walk… what are we going to do in the Amazon?!
The staff bus at 5pm was like something from the Italian Job as it wound it’s way down the road back to civilisation. We were dropped off at another bus stop in the middle of nowhere, where we got another local bus back to Barao. We then took another bus to Belo Horizonte and waited for our overnight bus to Rio.
All the bus drivers we encountered that day were slightly mad! We now have a new strategy for bus journeys which involved sitting in the middle of the bus, instead of at the front. It’s best not to see what is happening! Neither of us will ever curse the quality of a London bus driver again – they are all highly skilled, mentally stable people in comparison to over here!
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