Parque Estadual Serra da Cantareira - SP
Pedra Grande Entrance
Way to the park entrance. On the left, the Horto Florestal.
The main trail, which goes to the Pedra Grande viewpoint, is very steep and can be completed between 35 and 45 minutes. On the emptiest days of the park it's more likely to see different birds on the way. I was there on a thursday and it was like I was the only human in the park. I saw lots of caracaras on the ground (and when I was noticed, they quickly flied away, obviously) and one toucan.
While walking and after the hardest ascents you'll find some benches, very well positioned.
Arriving at the Pedra Grande entrance of the the Serra da Cantareira State Park is pretty easy. It is close to Horto Florestal (Alberto Löfgren State Park) and it's possible to go by bus. It's close to Guarulhos too, after all the biggest part of the sierra is in Guarulhos, therefore this entrance in special is in São Paulo city. The instructions are on the bottom of this page.
Caracara.
The viewpoint
The fight between the green and the grey jungles.
The view we have from the rock is amazing. And what's more amazing is the fact that only a few people whose live here have the acknowledge of this place. Doing something like this in a weekend completely removes the stress. And at the end being awarded with a unique landscape like that of the great São Paulo.
Right next to the viewpoint is a museum, which was closes when I've been there. There are toiletes and a water fountain.
The track to the viewpoint is very open, a road actually. The other trails of the park run between more dense forest, except by the Lago das Carpas (Carps Lake).
Museum.
The large main track.
Lago das Carpas (Carps Lake)
The track to the lake.
With a surprising infrastucture, the Carps Lake is a great stop for a break or lunch. There are sanitaries, a playground and wood tables. The journey to the lake may be tiring for the less prepared, but it's worthy.
Animals
These are some of the animals I found in the park. Others weren't recorded, like the toucan. On the way to the other entrance, Águas Claras, a man was stopped watching the snake below. I stopped to take some pictures and we soon took a branch to take it off the way. It didn't show any danger, she was just having a sunshower, like the inumerous lizards that stays on the side of the largest tracks.
How to go:
-
In Tucuruvi metro station, take the bus 1722 - Marina;
-
Get off in Horto (ask the driver or ticket collector);
-
Go up the Rua do Horto and continue after the Horto entrance, following its white wall. The street ends at the Serra da Cantareira State Park entrance.
-
The ticket costs R$12,00;
-
The park open on the week just on the vacation months (January, July and December). The rest of the year it opens only at weekends.
Have you already been here? Send me your pictures so I can put it in my website!