The canyons of Cambará do Sul steal the headlines, but the heart of the place beats to the rhythm of hooves: the Campos de Cima da Serra have been cattle country for three centuries, and the best way to understand them is from the back of a Crioulo horse, with a gaúcho guide narrating the highland pampa. The full picture of the destination is in the Cambará do Sul guide.
What the rides are like
The local farms and agencies run outings from two hours to a full day (R$ 150-400): gentle horses used to visitors, guides who match the pace to the group, and routes across golden fields, araucária groves, century-old dry-stone walls and ice-cold streams. The longer versions include a stop at a farm for a country lunch — arroz de carreteiro, queijo serrano and all the mate you can drink. In winter, riding over white frost is an experience from another era.
The heritage of the fields
This is one of the last strongholds of traditional highland herding: the artisan queijo serrano (a cultural heritage) comes from cattle grazing loose on these fields, and the taipas — walls of stone stacked without mortar — have drawn the landscape for generations. Country tourism keeps the farms alive and the fields open: every ride is conservation with spurs.
Saddle tips
- Long trousers and closed shoes — the bombacha is optional, the comfort is not.
- Layers: the wind across the fields changes the temperature in minutes.
- Declare your experience (or lack of it): there is a right horse for every level.
- Accept the mate when it is offered — it is the local handshake.
🥾 Who is it for?
Effort: light to moderate — the horses do the work; the body feels the hours in the saddle the next day (start with the short outings). Children: from ages 5-6 on led horses; the farms love small apprentices. Older travelers and people with reduced mobility: mounting takes some agility (mounting blocks and a helping hand solve it for many over-60s); the alternative worthy of it: drives along the Estrada do Faxinal and farm afternoons around an open fire — highland country life is also lived sitting at the table.
