Visconde de Mauá and Its Charms

We decided to spend my birthday in Visconde de Mauá, RJ (see it on Google Maps) — once I started researching, I had no idea how much there was to do there, and it turned out to be a truly beautiful spot.

First things first: the district sits in the Penedo region of Rio de Janeiro state, with gorgeous trails and scenery, right next to Itatiaia National Park. There are three towns worth visiting on the same trip: Penedo, Visconde de Mauá, and Maringá — together, they make for an easy long weekend.

Getting to Visconde de Mauá

From São Paulo: take the Presidente Dutra highway (BR-116) to the city of Resende (about 261 km), then the winding Dr. Rubens Tramujas Mader highway (RJ-163). It’s 294 km total, around 4 hours plus stops. Google Maps route

It’s honestly a tiring drive — 4 hours from São Paulo, ending with a winding mountain road. Make sure you’re well-rested before this trip, since the road is poorly lit at night, and some stretches are still affected by landslide debris — drive carefully.

Where to stay in Visconde de Mauá

We stayed at Chalés do Pardal for the holiday — a great spot to disconnect for a few days. That said, as mentioned above, we think Maringá is the better base overall, since it’s much closer to the waterfalls and has better restaurants; where we stayed didn’t have a real town center to explore.

Pedra Selada

• Moderate-to-hard trail, despite being short
• 5 km round trip
• 668 m of elevation gain
• Summit logbook available
• R$8 per person

The hike to Pedra Selada was our first pick. From the top, you can see Agulhas Negras peak (Brazil’s 5th-highest, at 2,791 m) and Prateleiras (2,548 m), and in the distance, the towns of Resende, Itatiaia, and Volta Redonda. The boulders around the summit are massive, which makes the view even more spectacular! On the way up, look to your left to spot a hidden waterfall — a great photo stop, even from a distance, though there isn’t much water and you can’t swim there.

Download the GPX file for the Pedra Selada trail in Visconde de Mauá.

Track powered by Wikiloc

After the climb, we headed to Vale Alcantilado in Maringá.