Hiking trip to the top of Pedra Selada – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Pedra seladaPedra Selada058The “Pedra Selada” is one of the peaks of 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 its saddle shaped summit. (Portuguese for saddle = “Sela”)

The region, with countless waterfalls and endless possibilities of activities such as mountain climbing and hiking, rappelling, rafting and mountain biking, also known as “Mauá”, is one of the most popular mountain destinations in southeastern Brazil.

The area around Visconde de Mauá 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 Paraíba do Sul and the Serra do Mar to the South…

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7 thoughts on “Hiking trip to the top of Pedra Selada – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil”

  1. Raf
    I’ll be in Sao Paulo for 5 wks for work and would like to know if you can recommend any guides for weekend outdoor adventures in Brazil. I’m a solo woman and not comforable renting a car and exploring on my own.

    Thanks
    Karen

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Kris,
      thx for the compliment about the pictures… I’m far from a pro I must admit :)
      I have no problem with being mentioned on tumblr.
      Yeah, Millipedes are kind of creapy, especially the huge ones… these were quite harmless :)
      Raf

      Reply ↓

    • Hey Michael,
      To be honest, Fernanda doesn’t really enjoy it.. That’s why she was so surprised that she made it to the top.
      the next hike I would like to do one of the coming weeks, is the crossing from Teresópolis to Petrópolis. Three days through the Serra dos órgãos, north of Rio de Janeiro… Some say it’s one of the most scenic hikes in Brazil. Really looking forward to it.

      Reply ↓