Virgem da Lapa

This is a day of ascent in every sense — from the parched lowlands of the middle Jequitinhonha valley up through the quartzite ridges of the Serra do Espinhaço, arriving at last in a city that seems to have been built in defiance of its surroundings. The drive is long and the road climbs steadily through the back half of it, and Diamantina rewards the effort with a compact, walkable afternoon among some of the most coherent colonial architecture in Brazil.

Up the Valley

The 8:00 am departure from Jequitinhonha heads southwest on the MGC-367, the main artery linking the middle valley to the highland towns. The river, which has been a constant reference since the coast, is left behind quickly; the road climbs away from the floodplain and into the scrub and granite of the sertão mineiro. The landscape is semi-arid to begin with — sparse caatinga interspersed with cattle pasture — and the morning light throws long shadows across the pale quartzite outcrops that line the road. Traffic is light, and the character of the terrain shifts steadily as the kilometers accumulate.

Fuel is available at in Virgem da Lapa, a small municipality on the north bank of the Jequitinhonha where the river is still wide and slow. The town takes its name from Nossa Senhora da Lapa, whose image is said to have been found by local garimpeiros in the colonial period. The stop falls mid-morning. At around 385 metres (1,260 ft), Virgem da Lapa sits near the valley floor; from here the BR-367 begins its more serious climb toward the Serra do Espinhaço.