Pirapora do Bom Jesus: A Catholic Pilgrimage Town

We were getting back into mountain training and wanted somewhere close to São Paulo for a day trip. Pirapora do Bom Jesus is a town known for its Catholic celebrations, especially busy during Holy Week.

The town’s name comes from Tupi: “pira” (fish) and “pora” (jump) — “fish that jumps” — since the local fish had to leap against the current in this stretch of river.

The “Bom Jesus” part comes from a wooden image of Bom Jesus found along the banks of the Tietê River by José de Almeida Naves in 1725, after which several miracles were reported in the town.

We went to run at Morro do Capuava, parking near the Cruzeiro, where a cross marks the summit — a beautiful spot to see the town from above.

Getting to Pirapora do Bom Jesus from São Paulo

Take the Castelo Branco highway toward the interior to exit 48, then continue about 20 minutes to Pirapora do Bom Jesus. Google Maps route

Morro do Capuava

Moderate trail difficulty
You can run several different routes here

We did a 13 km run with over 500 meters of elevation gain, covering the hills in the area with views of the reservoir on the Tietê River (unfortunately full of trash and with a strong smell). Nearby spots like Morro do Voturuna offer beautiful views too, especially from the top, where paragliders often launch.

Where you park to access the hill Unfortunately, the reservoir has a trash problem Flags used to gauge wind direction for paragliding

The run can be as smooth or as technical as you like, since there’s every kind of terrain here — great for practicing terrain transitions.

Download the GPX file for our run in Pirapora do Bom Jesus.

Track powered by Wikiloc

Other options

There are other spots worth checking out in town, but since we visited on a Sunday and outside regular hours, most were closed. A few tips:

We’ll save these for our next visit.

Hope you enjoy exploring more spots close to São Paulo: Jaraguá State Park and Cantareira State Park’s Pedra Grande section.