Pirenópolis in Brazil

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

. Like Cidade de Goiás it was founded by

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

in stetsons and spurs blasting out

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.

The bus station is in the centre of town. Pirenópolis is served by two buses a day from Brasília. Tourist information is available at the

The

has undergone restoration after being gutted by a fire in 2002. It is the oldest church in the state, dating from 1728, and before the fire had one of the most magnificent painted interiors in Goiás; sadly unrestored.

(1750-1754), which houses an impressive life-size crucifix from Bahia, was transported here on the backs of 260 slaves. The more subtly beautiful image of Our Lady is Portuguese. The church of

. It's now a small museum with the original mill and a lovely little chapel.

The

and hills around the town have so far managed to resist the onslaught of soya and there are still opportunities to get out into the midst of some genuine wild country. There are plenty of walks and adventure activities on offer, birdwatching is good and there is a reasonably healthy population of maned wolf and various South American cats, including jaguar. The landscape is rugged, with many waterfalls and canyons. Guides are essential as many of the attractions are well off the beaten track.

intending to start a farm. After falling in love with the plants and animals living here he instead decided to create a wildlife reserve. There is good birdwatching, with various rare species, a species list and a library. Mammals seen here include ocelot, brown capuchin and a rare subspecies of tufted-eared marmoset. Evandro is helpful and knowledgeable, speaks good English and serves one of the best lunches in Goiás.

The

. Day visits can be arranged that involve light walks or longer term retreats. This is particularly magical at sunset.