Half Traverse of the Serra Fina: A Stunning Trail

The Half Traverse of Serra Fina is about 21 kilometers, and it’s every bit as beautiful as the full traverse — just a shorter alternative. Don’t assume “shorter” means “easier,” though: both routes start at Toca do Lobo, and you climb, and climb, and climb up to Pedra da Mina, gaining almost 2,000 meters of elevation along the way.

We did the half traverse in a single weekend, and it’s genuinely exhausting done that way — most people spread it over four days, camping and resting along the route.

The Serra Fina traverse runs between the towns of Passa Quatro and Itamonte, in the Serra da Mantiqueira, right on the border of Minas Gerais and São Paulo. It crosses the highest peaks in the Mantiqueira range — perfect if you love altitude, wild nature, and incredible views.

Since Andrey was training for the 80 km La Mission race, we figured another weekend in Passa Quatro, Minas Gerais, was in order.

Getting to Passa Quatro

From São Paulo:

• Dutra highway to the Cruzeiro exit, then SP-052 (Dr. Avelino Júnior) to Passa Quatro — Google Maps route
• Ayrton Senna + Carvalho Pinto + Dutra highways — Google Maps route

Pros and cons:

• Dutra (244 km / 3h55m) — fewer lanes, more trucks, fewer tolls.
• Ayrton Senna (252 km / 3h36m) — more lanes, fewer trucks, more tolls; similar time and distance overall.

What we chose: Dutra — the trip took 4h30m, including traffic and one stop.

Where to stay in Passa Quatro

Hostel Inti Raymi, known locally as Casa de Pedra, is a great option — the owner, Charles, is incredibly friendly and happy to shuttle guests around.

Despite being a hostel, it also has private rooms, so you can pick whatever fits your comfort level.

Charles also cooks amazing food right on site, so you don’t even need to go out to eat — he prepares everything fresh when you arrive, and if you’ve ever done trail running, you know exactly how good warm food and dry clothes feel after a long day out.

The sunrise and sunset views from the hostel are absolutely privileged.

The one downside is the walk/drive up to the hostel — the road is dirt and pretty rough.

Half Traverse of Serra Fina: the trail

• Pedra da Mina is Brazil’s fourth-highest mountain, at 2,798 m (9,180 ft)
• Trail difficulty: hard
• We did the half traverse
• Distance: 24 km, completed in 11 hours
• Always hire a guide — there are several local guides available for running, hiking, or camping
• Route: Toca do Lobo → Capim Amarelo → Pedra da Mina → Paiolinho → Bosque
• Paiolinho, in other words, is the toughest stretch — 3 km at roughly 1 km per hour
• Two summit logbooks: Capim Amarelo and Pedra da Mina
• Free parking and park entry

Andrey left earlier and did a longer training run with local guides, starting from Casa de Pedra. Charles drove me to Toca do Lobo — I skipped using my own car this time, so I wouldn’t lose a tire. Don’t let the distance fool you; there’s a ton of climbing and descending packed into those kilometers.

Most people take the whole weekend to do the half traverse, carrying full packs and camping on the mountain. We love the mountains, but we also love a comfortable bed and a hot shower!

A reminder

Temperatures drop fast on the mountain — pack thermal layers, a sleeping bag, and an emergency thermal blanket. Hypothermia is a real risk, and that blanket should be a non-negotiable part of your emergency kit.

The first stretch was the same route up to Capim Amarelo — that’s where I ran into Andrey mid-training. We climbed together from there, though I didn’t sign the logbook this time. We ate at the top and pushed on toward Pedra da Mina.

Pedra da Mina, the high point of the Half Traverse

The view is stunning, but the wind at the summit is brutal, and the approach is punishing — lots of climbing. More than once along the way you’ll think you’ve reached the highest point, only to find another rise ahead. We call that a false summit.

Paiolinho

Just before starting the descent, we caught the sunset! Fair warning: the descent runs over giant boulders, and the section is nicknamed “Deus Me Livre” (“God save me”) — a name that made complete sense to us. Lots of tall, smooth rocks you’ll need to sit down and scoot over.

Be extremely careful in this section, and try to get there during daylight. We reached it at night, which made the descent a lot harder than it needed to be.

Bosque

After that, you finally enter the forest (bosque). Honestly, the relief of being able to run again was huge — even with almost 5 km still left to the parking lot where our ride was waiting.

When we got to the parking lot, Charles was there waiting for us with Guaranita, a local guaraná soda — you have to try it! It was a huge moment of relief, and we ended up having dinner back at Casa de Pedra. If you arrange it with Charles ahead of time, he’ll cook a wood-fired, all-organic meal that’s absolutely delicious.

Note: the tracked route below actually started about 8 km before Toca do Lobo.

Download the GPX file for the half traverse route.

Track powered by Wikiloc

Half Traverse of Serra Fina: our recommendations

If you’re planning to camp, head out early — by the time we arrived, most of the camping spots were already taken. There’s a summit logbook to sign, used to track who passes through.