Some of the staff at our client (IDT) had suggested it as a good weekend destination. Due to the altitude, it is cooler than Fortaleza. It is known by the people of Ceará as little Switzerland, so René, CSC team member from Switzerland, was keen to visit. He organized for a taxi to take us there on Saturday morning and for overnight accommodation in a local Pousada. The journey took around two and a half hours. When we arrived in the early afternoon, the temperature was 20 degrees.
It even dropped to 19 degrees in the evening - unheard of in Fortaleza.
The town is surrounded by lush mountain rainforest.This is one of the last remaining areas where one can see the Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Rainforest) which once covered much of the Brazilian coast.
We soon discovered why it is known as a rainforest, as it was misty and rained for much of our stay in the village. This ended our plans to visit nearby Pico Alto, one of the highest points in Ceará (1,114 metres). Nevertheless, between heavy downpours, we managed to explore the village and some of the surrounding areas:
Goiaba (Guava) tree.
Banana tree
In the village itself, we visited two churches, including the Igreja Nossa Senhora de Lourdes:
We also visited the beautiful Capuchin convent close to the village:
There are also some very colourful houses in the village:
On Sunday, the rain was even heavier, so I went fishing at a local (covered!) fishing pond:
I was fortunate enough to catch a fish:
We left in the early afternoon, but stopped en-route at a cachoeira (waterfall) hidden in the rainforest a little lower down in the mountains:
