Brazil Travel Packages: Ouro Preto
Ouro Preto has about 70,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the state of Minas Gerais in the Serra do Espinhaco mountain range at an altitude of 3,868 feet (1,179 meters) above sea level. In 1980, UNESCO declared the baroque-style city center a cultural monument of humanity. The churches, towers, oriels, fountains and gardens have beautiful details and you will feel like you are back in the 18th century. Antonio Francisco Lisboa played a major role in the city's beautiful architecture and his works, which bear witness to quality and richness of form, are omnipresent. The many bumpy narrow streets and small hills invite you to stroll for hours. Do not miss the culinary delights of the region. The town used to have an enormous gold deposit, from which the name Vila Rica do Ouro Preto (Rich Town of Black Gold) was derived. Take a day trip to the baroque-style town of Mariana, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) away, on the Maria Fumaca steam locomotive, or visit the largest accessible gold mine in the world, enriching your trip considerably.
A real natural attraction are the mountain ranges of the Serra do Caraca. Here, the original Mata Atlantica has been preserved in large areas and offers a home to a rich animal world. Surrounded by the mountain peaks lies an important cultural heritage site of Minas Gerais: the Santuario do Caraca. The old walls from the 18th century have been converted into a hostel. The village is located in the middle of the nature reserve and offers excellent conditions for wildlife observation, attracting many ornithologists and photographers.
The subtropical climate in the mountain region provides a warm and humid summer (December-March) and dry, mild winter (May-August). From September to April you can enjoy average high temperatures of 75 °F (24 °C). During these months, however, it can also rain a lot in the mountains of Minas Gerais. A drier period would be from May to September, and given that the weather is cooler be sure to bring some warm clothes.
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Below you will find our travel packages for Ouro Preto:
Discover on this self drive tour the unique states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, from the city of Rio to Belo Horizonte, on your own with a rental car. Let the lush green vegetation between imposing mountain ranges and colonial cities take you under the spell of this area steeped in history. Discover a unique local culture, which is still strongly influenced by the business of mineral resources and huge mines.
Discover baroque Ouro Preto, a historic city that has been a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site since 1980. Ouro Preto, literally meaning “black gold,” was named after the huge amounts of gold discovered there in the 18th century. The city is a vibrant, fascinating place that oozes culture and is an important site for art history. You will also visit Congonhas, with its famous life-size statues of the prophets; and Mariana, a city characterized by Brazilian baroque architecture. Mariana is the oldest city in Minas Gerais and belongs, with Ouro Preto, to Brazil's “Golden Circle.”