Brazil Eco Adventure Tours
Rainforest - Hiking & Biking - Wildlife

Paraty

 Paraty   Paraty   Paraty 
Colonial Paraty is a significant ecotourism spot in Rio de Janeiro and one of the main entrances to several conservation units such as Bocaina National Park, Serra do Mar State Park, Juatinga Ecological Reserve or Cairuçu Environmental Protection Area.

The historic city was the final destination of many ancient gold trails (e.g. Estrada Real) that were built end of the 17th century in order to bring gold and precious stones on horseback from the gold mines in Ouro Preto or Diamantina, in Minas Gerais. Most of the colonial churches date from that time such as the fortress which served as a protection against frequent attacks from pirates and foreign ships.
 
Commerce flourished, the farms around Paraty cultivated sugar cane and little distilleries, so - called “Alambiques”, produced the famous “Cachaça” spirit. With the building of a paved road from the gold fields in Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro, Paraty’s importance declined sharply recovering only in the beginning of the 19th century with increasing coffee export from the Paraiba valley. The construction of the railway to Rio de Janeiro Paraty fell into oblivion a second time and only few inhabitants remained in the city. Accordingly there was no need to modernize the buildings and Paraty developed to an open air museum and was declared National Monument in 1966.
 
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