Hiking in Pico da Bandeira / MG - By Luciene

My name is Luciene. The week I turned 50, I celebrated by hiking in Pico da Bandeira with a group of fifteen people.

Pico da Bandeira is located in the Caparaó National Park, between the states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo. At 2891,32 meters altitude, it is the third highest point in Brazil.

Necessary equipment: camping tent, sleeping bag, thermal insulator, head flashlight, first aid kit, stove, snacks, food, water, repellent, sunscreen, stick;

Cold weather clothes: second skin clothing, waterproof jacket, gloves, hat, boots, scarf, sunglasses;

First day: we took the bus in Brasília at 7:30 pm on Thursday to Belo Horizonte. We arrived at 7:30 am on Friday. In Belo Horizonte, we took a van to the hotel in the Alto do Caparaó, more than 5 hours of travel. We left the things in the hotel and went for a short hike with a waterfall, and we met a friendly squirrel that liked to take pictures...lol....very cute. We returned to the hotel to rest and prepare things for the next day to go to the place where we going to camp.

Second and third day: we had breakfast in the hotel, and after we took a Jeep to the campsite site which starts at the base of Pico da Bandeira. We set up camping tents and organized things, after we had a delicious coffee with a good laugh and beautiful photos.

We had dinner around 7 pm and went to sleep. We would start the hike at midnight to see the Sunrise at the peak, but around 9 pm, it started to rain a lot. The camp flooded, and we only started the climb at 3 am.

We climbed 4km until the support point, but the environmental guard advised us to return, because of a suspected waterspout. We were sad, but we were cautious and returned. 3km left to reach the peak; however, it was worth the experience and the beautiful landscapes.

We returned to camp, dismantled everything, and returned to the hotel. We went out to taste Minas Gerais food, which is wonderful. I really liked the chicken with okra and polenta.

Fourth day: We had breakfast and got ready to go to Belo Horizonte. We left around 9 am and the idea was to walk around the city until the bus could leave for Brasilia, around 8:30 pm, nonetheless...lol.....we missed the bus, because of a big traffic jam. We only arrived in Belo Horizonte at 10 pm...lol...., but we managed to get back on the midnight bus.

Despite some chaotic moments, it was worth. I loved the experience, the beautiful landscapes, and the companionship of the group.

Next year there will be more!