What to Do in Aiuruoca, Minas Gerais

I first heard about Aiuruoca (website) while staying at Casa de Pedra in Passa Quatro — I got completely fascinated by the region and told Andrey we had to add it to our itinerary.

Located in the Serra da Mantiqueira, in southern Minas Gerais, it has a few main draws: the Serra do Papagaio and two surrounding valleys — the Matutu valley, a rural district on private land where the inns and several of the town’s tourist attractions are located, and the Garcias valley, with waterfalls and other attractions.

A fun fact about Matutu: it’s home to a Santo Daime community of around 120 people.

History of Aiuruoca

It’s a small municipality, with around six thousand residents today, though in the past it had as many as eighteen thousand. It was first explored by Father João de Faria Fialho in 1692, but the town itself was founded in 1706 by João de Siqueira Afonso.

The Vila de Aiuruoca broke away from the municipality of Baependi and became its own town in 1834. Once the gold ran out, some prospectors settled in the area to work in cattle ranching and farming instead.

Origin of the names

Aiuruoca is a word of Tupi-Guarani origin (Ajuruoca), where “ajuru” translates to “parrot” and “oca” to “house” — meaning “House of the Parrot.”

Another name I found interesting is that of the Matutu valley, home to several of the region’s excursions, which means “sacred headwaters” in the local Indigenous language.

Trails in Aiuruoca

The town’s biggest draw, and its most significant spot in the history of local tourism, is Pico do Papagaio, the main destination we came to see — though the town also has more than eighty catalogued waterfalls.

The most important thing to stress is that this trip absolutely requires a 4x4 vehicle, since every road leading to Matutu and the Garcias valley is unpaved, and if it rains even a single day, the roads turn extremely slippery.

Pico do Papagaio

• Difficulty: medium
• Distance: 14 km
• Elevation gain: 1,178 m
• Peak elevation: 2,100 m
• Hiking time: 6 hours (round trip)
• Cost: R$20 for parking
• Park admission: free

Pico do Papagaio sits within Serra do Papagaio State Park, and the trail can be started from a few different points — one is the O Panorâmico campground, and another is through the trout farm known as Truticultura Pedra do Papagaio.

The difference is that the campground route is clearly marked and easy to follow, while the trout-farm route reportedly has more beautiful views along the way, passing the Três Marias waterfall, Cachoeira do Coxo, and Lagoa Azul — though the trail there is more open terrain, making the route harder to follow.

Our Trail Choice

Given the quarantine conditions and heavy rainfall, we went with the campground route.

Worth noting: even though the trail is well marked, we still downloaded the GPX track from Wikiloc onto our watch and phone, just to make sure we wouldn’t risk getting lost.

Unlike a lot of trails, this one actually gets cell signal in spots, which matters in case of an emergency — the trail is marked wherever that’s the case.

It rained heavily that day, and water was running down the trail everywhere we went, but it was still a lot of fun.

Download the GPX for the Pico do Papagaio trail via O Panorâmico campground.

Track powered by Wikiloc

Pico da Cabeça do Leão

• Difficulty: easy
• Distance: 6 km
• Elevation gain: 280 m
• Elevation: 1,583 m
• Hiking time: 1 hour 30 minutes (round trip)
• Admission: free
• Located in: Matutu valley

Getting there is very simple — just head to the parking lot at Restaurante da Tia Iraci, in Matutu, and on the left side of the lot is the trailhead; from there, just follow the arrows marked with the trail name up to the summit. The view faces Pico do Papagaio, though we caught it under overcast skies.

Even though the trail is easy, we’d always recommend having the GPX track on hand, and if you’re not confident navigating on your own, hire one of the many local guides in town, who are easy to find.

If you’d rather do something a little different, this same route can also be done on horseback, but we prefer running, so that’s what we did.

Download the GPX for the Pico da Cabeça do Leão trail.

Track powered by Wikiloc

Waterfalls in Aiuruoca

As mentioned, there are more than eighty catalogued waterfalls in the town, though not all of them are easy to access or even easy to find. Many are currently closed because of the pandemic, including Poço das Fadas.

An important note about the waterfalls: check the recent rainfall in the area before you go, to avoid the risk of a flash flood — a sudden, high-pressure surge of water from heavy rain upstream. So check conditions ahead of time if you’re visiting during a rainy stretch.

Cachoeira dos Macacos

• Difficulty: easy
• Distance: 300 meters
• Hiking time: 15 minutes (round trip)
• Admission: free
• Located in: Matutu valley

Right off the road, there’s just a poorly marked gate past Vila Ananda — you’ll spot the sign on your right, and just past it, the path opens up on your left.

It’s a short trail, but the tip is to always keep to the left as you head down, to reach the base and get your photos.

We caught it on a rainy day, so the water volume was quite high — it varies a lot depending on conditions.

Cachoeira do Batuque

• Difficulty: easy
• Distance: 1,200 meters (round trip)
• Hiking time: 25 minutes (round trip)
• Admission: free
• Located in: Matutu valley

On the way to Matutu, follow the sign for Abrigo de Montanha Batuque — from there, an arrow at the entrance points toward the waterfall. Follow it to a gate you’ll need to open, cross through the cattle pasture, and you’ll then find a smaller passage just for foot traffic. From there, just continue straight until you reach the waterfall.

Worth noting: the waterfall is much bigger than what you can actually see up close, since it starts high up the mountainside, visible from the trail on your way in.

Download the GPX for the Cachoeira do Batuque trail.

Track powered by Wikiloc

Cachoeira dos Garcias

• Difficulty: easy
• Distance: 400 meters (round trip)
• Hiking time: 15 minutes (round trip)
• Admission: free
• Located in: Garcias valley

Getting here from the other side, through the Garcias valley, is easy, with plenty of signage along the way — this is the most beautiful waterfall we found in the region, located right at the parking lot for Restaurante Casal Garcia.

To reach it, just cross the parking lot, head down a dirt staircase with wide steps, and simply keep descending to arrive.

Other things to do in Aiuruoca

Sino da Paz (Peace Bell)

A genuinely striking site, crafted in 1988 by Evandro Vieira and Bárbara Stella, founders of the international artistic and pacifist group “Embaixada da Paz” (Peace Embassy). The bell was forged from scrap ammunition fired on people in conflicts across different eras and locations around the world.

The bell weighs 280 kg and is tuned to C major, considered by scientists and mystics alike to be the tone of peace. Unfortunately, it’s currently closed due to the pandemic, since its creators are elderly and the bell sits on their own farm.

We managed to snap a photo through the gate and speak with the woman who created it — she told us they’re now building a lighthouse.

Food-Focused Tours in Aiuruoca

Geleias Sítio Cambará

Run by its super friendly owner, Ale, whose jams are sold all over town, but if you’d like something a bit more memorable, take our tip: we scheduled a time with the owner and went to see the plantation and the farm itself.

It’s located in the Matutu valley, and the visit plus tasting requires a minimum purchase of one jar of jam per person (R$20). The tour covers the honey production, both with regular bees and native stingless bees, the flowers and fruit grown for the jams, and his personal vegetable garden — and the best part, without question, is that everything is pesticide-free.

The jams are delicious, and the tour of the production is well worth it. You can also buy frozen blackberries to make juice at home.

Ale also has a cabin with a bedroom and kitchen available to rent on the property, ideal for anyone looking to unplug out in nature. Contact: (35) 99901-6431.

Cachaça Tie

We also visited this distillery, offering a free guided tour that’s genuinely great. Contact: (35) 99877-3468 (Tobias).

The distillery won the award for best cachaça in Brazil with its “prata” (silver) cachaça, and also produces an “ouro” (gold), a cinnamon-infused version, and blends with different aging techniques, all delicious.

The prata cachaça was ranked among the top three white cachaças in Brazil by the 2018 Ranking Cúpula da Cachaça.

Azeite Olibi

This olive oil producer also offers a guided tour, held at 10 AM on Saturdays, for R$35 per person, R$10 of which is credited toward purchases after the tour. Contact: (35) 99984-7696 (Tchê).

The property is enormous and beautiful, with a lake and horseback riding available. The staff member who guided us was extremely friendly and walked us through several tasting techniques, which really helped us appreciate the olive oil’s flavor.

They also carry other products, including extra virgin olive oil, flavored versions with garlic or chili, olives, powdered olive oil, and more.

In 2017, they won the prestigious ECO Sustainability Award, and next to the shop is the Projeto Aves bird sanctuary.

Projeto Aves is a partnership with Ibama (Brazil’s environmental agency) and the forest police, where they care for injured birds unable to fly, including toucans, macaws, and even the vinaceous-breasted amazon parrot, an endangered species. As a result, more than three thousand birds have been released back into the wild through the program.

What to do in downtown Aiuruoca

The Main Church

The Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição sits in the town center, alongside restaurants, a bakery, and small shops, and it’s genuinely the town’s focal point.

Museu Doutor Júlio Arantes Sanderson de Queiroz

Right next to the church, downtown, is the museum dedicated to Doutor Júlio Arantes Sanderson de Queiroz, showcasing his life and accomplishments.

In short, he was recognized nationally as the founder of medical residency programs in Brazil, and served as Planning Secretary for the Ministry of Health under President Itamar Franco’s administration.

We weren’t able to visit, since it’s been closed indefinitely because of the pandemic.

Where to eat in Aiuruoca

Pizzaria Aroma da Serra in Aiuruoca

Great location, right next to the church downtown, and well known since the owner brews his own beer, called Cerveja Aroma da Serra.

The pizza was decent, and the space is pleasant — we ordered our usual, half four-cheese, half Portuguese-style.

Andrey tried the Aroma da Serra Pilsen craft beer, and on a scale of 1 to 5, he’d give it a 3 — the flavor was unusual, but not especially tasty.

Restaurante da Tia Iraci and Pizzaria Azeitona

Also located right on the main square, both share the same space, and we had dinner there twice, so we got to try both the restaurant and the pizzeria.

Main course: picanha with sautéed onions, served with rice and broccoli, and fries.

Dessert: house-made doce de leite with lemon zest, and believe it or not, it’s simply delicious — along with pão de mel (honey spice cake), equally good.

The second time, we ordered our usual pizza, half Portuguese-style, half four-cheese.

Dessert: a small Romeu e Julieta (guava and cheese) dessert pizza, and it was delicious.

Restaurante Casal Garcia

The Garcias valley is undeniably a truly spectacular place, with the view of the waterfall and the valley making it well worth having a meal here.

Parking sits right next to the restaurant, at the very spot where the waterfall trail begins.

The restaurant’s menu features fresh raspberry and blackberry juices, both spectacular, even without added sugar.

Main course: grilled trout in butter, served with rice, sautéed potatoes, sun-dried tomato, mushrooms, and an organic salad, with a second dish similar to the first, but swapping the potatoes for shimeji mushrooms.

Dessert: since we were in Minas Gerais, we ordered something deeply traditional to the state — cheese with guava paste, and cheese with doce de leite.

Empanadas do Vale in Aiuruoca

Simple and light, exactly how an empanada should be. It’s a small, cozy spot, but we ordered ours to go, since it was right next to our hotel. We didn’t try any dessert here.

Cozinha da Maricota

Located right on the town’s main square, this is a great spot to grab a juice, a sweet treat, or buy jam, olive oil, honey, or cachaça. A small space, but genuinely pleasant.

Where to stay in Aiuruoca

We stayed at Pousada Recanto das Flores, right in the town center — the location was great, but the room was small and poorly ventilated, though a fan helped, and the shower was subpar. We thought it was pricey for what it offered, but the owners were attentive and friendly.

Where to buy Minas Gerais specialty foods in Aiuruoca

Empório Macieira

This shop is simply beautiful, and the owner who helped us was extremely attentive and knowledgeable about the products — definitely worth a stop.

Empório Daia

A natural and vegan food shop, with a beautiful glass wall looking out onto the view. They also sell frozen ready-made meals, which is a great option if you have somewhere to heat them up.

More tips for Aiuruoca

• Trail to Cachoeira do Fundo: about a 1-hour-30-minute hike, though the path crosses a river that had overflowed from the rain when we visited.
• Cachoeira das Fadas: located in Matutu, currently closed due to the pandemic.
• Cachoeira Deus Me Livre: we couldn’t find this one, since reaching it requires crossing private property, and the owner had removed the sign and put up a barrier blocking the path.