Hiking and trekking in Brazil: from coastal paths to high plateaus
Hiking in Brazil splits into three very different worlds: coastal paths through Atlantic forest, the dry highland plateaus of the interior, and the mountain trails of the south-east. The rainy season is the variable that decides which of them works in a given month.
Three kinds of walking
Coastal trails run through Atlantic forest between beaches, often on old paths that linked fishing villages before there were roads. They are humid, shaded and rarely steep for long, and they usually end somewhere you can swim.
The highland plateaus of the interior are the opposite: open country, quartzite ridges, waterfalls in canyons and very little shade. Distances are longer, the sun is relentless and water on the route is a planning issue rather than a detail.
The mountains of the south-east add altitude and cold — a combination most visitors do not associate with Brazil, and one that catches people out every year.
The season decides more than the difficulty
In most of the country the rains fall in the southern summer, roughly December to March. That is when trails are slippery, river crossings become risky and canyon routes can be closed outright — a closure that is about safety, since water levels can rise from rain that fell hours away.
The dry months bring firm ground and stable weather, at the cost of dust, brown landscapes in some regions and cold nights on the plateaus. Neither season is wrong; they are different trips.
When a guide is required
Many Brazilian protected areas require an accredited guide on certain routes, and in several the rule exists because the trail is not marked well enough to follow alone. Rules differ between parks and change with management plans, so this is a thing to check for the specific route rather than assume.
What tends to go wrong
- Underestimating heat and humidity: a short distance in the tropics is not a short walk.
- Carrying too little water on open plateau routes, where there is no shade.
- Starting late: afternoon storms are common in the rainy season.
- Assuming a trail is marked when it is not.
- Ignoring closures after rain, which exist because of flash flooding.
Where each kind of walking is
The coastal paths run along the Serra do Mar, between the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná and Santa Catarina, where the mountains meet the sea and old village tracks survive as trails. The open highland walking is in the centre of the country, on the plateaus of Goiás, Bahia and Minas Gerais. The cold mountain routes are in the ranges between São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, where the highest ground in the south-east sits.
Choosing between the three is the first decision, before any route name, because they demand different clothing, different water planning and different months of the year.