Hiking to the top of Pedra Selada - Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
By: Raf
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The “Pedra Selada” is one of the peaks in the Serra da Mantiqueira in the state of Rio de Janeiro (about 200 km west from the city of Rio de Janeiro), which also harbours the oldest national park in Brazil. The name “Pedra Selada” comes from it’s saddle shaped summit. (Portuguese for saddle = “Sela”) The region, with countless waterfalls and endless possibilities of activities such as mountain climbing and hiking, rapelling, rafting and mountain biking, also known as “Mauá”, is one of the most popular mountain destinations in southeastern Brazil. The area around Visconde de Maua is also famous for its collection of high quality Pousadas and chalets. I took this trip together with my wife Fernanda, and for her it was actually the first time she went on a hike like this. The 4 km hike to the top, is a constant uphill walk, getting steeper toward the end. It takes you to an altitude of 1775m and from there you have a great view over the valley of the Rio Preto to the north, the Peaks of the “Agulhas Negras” to the west and the vale do Paraiba do Sul and the Serra do Mar to the South… 
Fernanda and I were staying at Pousada Maua Brasil, a few km's outside Visconde de Maua, an oasis of peace and serenity... The left one of the peaks in the distance is Pedra Selada, our goal for the next day. For now, it was just a matter of enjoying this amazing place.
To go to the website of Pousda Maua Brasil: click here 
Another attraction in the region is this Motorcycle museum, at a 30 minutes drive from Visconde de Maua. It has the biggest collection of old motorcycles in Brazil.
One of the 100 models on display at the motorcycle museum.
For more information (in Portuguese) about the Motorcycle Museum: click here 
Fernanda at the beginning of the trail up Pedra Selada.
One of the cachoeiras along the trail... The water is drinkable.
One of the resting points along the way. Nice to take a breather and take in the view.
Local fauna... a centipede. There were quite a few of those.
I'm not a biologist, but this looks like another brand of centipede...
The sign says "2500 m", but this is the distance, not the altitude.
View of the Vale do Rio Preto, seen from the top of Pedra Selada...
the other peak of the mountain is popular amongst rock climbers...
And here is my lovely wife Fernanda at the top and still looking amazing. She impressed me, but above all herself by making it all the way up. Parabens baby... let's do this again sometime
Hope you enjoyed reading…Comments welcome Raf |
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