Estrada Real

The 18th-century road along which the Portuguese crown shipped gold and diamonds, linking Minas Gerais's Baroque towns with Rio and Paraty, about 1,600 km in all.

The Estrada Real (Royal Road) was an official transport road built by the Portuguese colonial authorities in the 17th and 18th centuries to carry the wealth of the Minas Gerais gold and diamond fields to the ports of Paraty and Rio de Janeiro. It crosses the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, about 1,630 km in all, and has now been restored as Brazil's longest tourist route, which you can drive, hike or cycle. The route has four branches: the Caminho Velho (Old Road) from Ouro Preto to Paraty; the Caminho Novo (New Road) from Ouro Preto to Rio; the Caminho do Sabarabuçu (Ouro Preto to Mariana); and the Caminho dos Diamantes (Diamond Road, Ouro Preto to Diamantina). Along the way lies Brazil's most complete cluster of colonial Baroque towns: World Heritage Ouro Preto (with Aleijadinho's sculptures and churches), Mariana, São João del-Rei and Tiradentes (linked by a steam train), Diamantina, and, at the coastal end, Paraty (a World Heritage site, listed together with Ilha Grande for cultural and biodiversity heritage). Most people pick one section and drive it in 5–10 days, for example Rio–Paraty–(along the Caminho Velho)–Tiradentes–Ouro Preto–Belo Horizonte. The route is marked by yellow stone markers, and the Instituto Estrada Real provides route information and certification. Some towns have steep, slippery cobbled streets, so wear comfortable shoes.

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