Around Belo Horizonte, Brazil

The hilly countryside around Belo Horizonte is honeycombed with some of Brazil's most beautiful caves. The best and most famous is the

. The cave has six chambers open to visitors; these are well lit and encrusted with beautiful speleological formations. It's best to come at the beginning or end of the day, and avoid the weekend when there are crowds. Cordisburgo has a handful of hotels and was the home of Brazil's most celebrated modern writer, João Guimarães Rosa, the author of the great Minas Gerais epic

. The

Less than 40 km to the south (and some 80 km northwest of Belo Horizonte) is the town of

, near the

This remarkable reserve sits in the heart of the Serra do Espinhaço mountains about 120 km east of Belo Horizonte and is perhaps the best place in South America for seeing maned wolf. The park ranges in altitude from 720 m to 2070 m. The lower areas are rich in Atlantic forest while the higher areas support

, grassland and other mountain habitats. There are lakes, waterfalls and rivers. Since the early 1980s, the monks have been leaving food for maned wolves on the seminary steps, and at least four can usually be seen in the every evening. Other endangered mammals in the park include southern masked titi monkeys, which can often be spotted in family groups, tufted-eared marmosets and brown capuchin monkeys. Birdlife includes various toucans, guans and hummingbirds (such as the Brazilian ruby and the white-throated hummingbird), various tanagers, cotingas, antbirds, woodpeckers and the long-trained and scissor-tailed nightjars. Some of the bird species are endemic, others are rare and endangered.

The

and the church are beautifully set in a shallow valley 1220 m above sea level and surrounded on three sides by rugged mountains that rise to 2070 m at the Pico do Sol. The name Caraça means 'big face', so called because of a hill that is said to resemble the face of a giant who is looking at the sky. This can be best appreciated by climbing up to the cross just above the church. The church itself has a painting of the Last Supper attributed to Mestre Athayde with a trompe l'oeil effect. The eyes of Judas Iscariot (the figure holding the purse) seem to follow you as you move. Part of

the seminary has been converted into a hotel, which is the only place to stay in the park . It is also possible to stay in

, 25 km away on the road to Mariana, which has a few cheap hotels, and hitchhike to Caraça.