In the Alto Paranaíba, between Brazil’s national capitals of coffee and cheese, Serra do Salitre is still what it always was: a rural Minas Gerais town where ecotourism tastes of the farm — clean waterfalls, mountain trails, drovers’ horseback rides and a table loaded with produce from the land. No lines, no billboards, no rush.
Getting there
The town sits between Patrocínio and Patos de Minas, ~400 km from Belo Horizonte and ~130 km from Uberlândia (the handiest airport), with paved approaches and dirt farm roads out to the attractions. It is a natural stop for anyone crossing the Minas Cerrado — the region of the Cerrado’s award-winning coffees.
What to do
- Cachoeira da Mata and Cachoeira das Andorinhas — the town’s swimming falls, with calm pools in the middle of the cerrado (rural access, free or token entry).
- Picos dos Alemães and Laranja Azeda — mountain trails with views over the Alto Paranaíba plateau.
- Seasonal horseback rides — from May to September the comitivas cross farms and historic trails; visitors are welcome in the saddle.
- The coffee and cheese route — farms in the region produce Cerrado Mineiro specialty coffees and artisanal Minas cheese; visits combined with buying direct.
- Festival Regional do Café — the town’s own festival, with concerts, congadas and the crowning of the coffee queen.
When to go
May to September: dry season, coffee harvest in the air, horseback rides and firm roads. The chill of the plateau calls for a jacket at night — and it goes perfectly with freshly brewed coffee.
🥾 Who is it for?
Effort: easy at the waterfalls and farms; moderate on the peak trails. Children: the countryside is the original amusement park — animals, shallow pools and dulce de leche (all ages). Older visitors and people with reduced mobility: farms and cafés welcome you with classic Minas hospitality; the waterfalls have simple rural approaches — ask for the fall with the closest drive-up access. A destination that is unhurried by nature.