São Paulo – Autumn has arrived and temperatures should not take long to start dropping. Those who wish to enjoy the cold in Serra da Mantiqueira (the Mantiqueira Mountain Range) without having to face the crowded hotels and streets of Campos do Jordão may take their rest in São Francisco Xavier, 138 kilometres away from São Paulo. Like Campos, the small city, which is actually a district of São José dos Campos, is hidden amidst the mountain range, 74 kilometres away from its more famous neighbour. At a height of 720 metres, it also delivers the cold that tourists seek. There, temperatures have dropped as low as 1.5 degree Celsius.
Upon arriving at the "centre" of São Francisco Xavier, rest assured: yes, this is it. There are next to no shops, no traffic and no crowded streets. The few existing merchants make a living out of tourism and the other locals – there are 2,867 of them – live off agriculture and cattle raising.
São Francisco has been a calm place ever since it was founded, in 1892. The region was already occupied by farmers, but attracted many scouts who would stop to rest in the woods of Serra da Mantiqueira and decided to settle there.
This peaceful environment, however, has been threatened once. Because the region is hard to get to, it harboured soldiers during the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932. At that time, many families left because they were scared of the revolution and the violence. After the troubled 1930s, São Francisco Xavier recovered the peace that it maintains until this day.
The troubled times are in the past, and now São Francisco gives visitors a feeling seldom experienced in the big city: the slow ing of time. The fresh air and the sound of birds and crickets invite tourists to get a massage (of the Eastern type, in the hands, the feet…), which most lodges offer. Visitors may also take a hydro massage or an ofuro bath in their own room, with a view of Serra da Mantiqueira. Some of the lodges go so far as to invest in elaborate menus with organic, healthy ingredients.
Speaking of cuisine, São Francisco knows how to captivate tourists through food. Many establishments bet on fish-based dishes. Others specialize in recipes using ingredients of Brazilian cuisine (pumpkin, cassava, beef jerky…). There are restaurants that venture into contemporary cuisine and fear not to cook funghi- or shiitake-rich dishes and elaborate creations. The list of options is long and so is the waiting time. Those most hungry will be challenged, but it will be a pleasant surprise. Dishes take a long time because they are cooked on an as-ordered basis and are always served fresh (or smoking hot).
If the city sounds too calm, don’t be fooled. São Francisco Xavier also offers adventure – which begins as you arrive at the lodges, almost always through a dirt road – and with nature. As it is located in the middle of the mountain range in a rough terrain, the district is home to several waterfalls and tracks. You can do radical sports between the trees and in the dense woods.
The boldest ones can take a walk of approximately 6 hours to Pedra da Onça (Panther’s Rock), where a panoramic view awaits the courageous trekkers. Those not willing to "sacrifice" themselves have fun in a lighter track, approximately 6 kilometres long, that leads to Toca do Muriqui (Den of the Muriqui), the name of the monkey that is the city’s symbol and can be seen along the way. Adventure-seeking visitors may sail down a rushing river in a raft for one or climb to the top of one of the mountains, from where they may leap to do hang gliding. São Francisco has options of tours and fun available for (almost) all tastes. And little partying.
Service
Where to stay
Pousada a Rosa e o Rei
Ezequiel Alves Graciano Municipal Road, 10,100. Tel.: (+55 12) 9771-0924 and 3797-6955
Site.: www.arosaeorei.com.br
Pousada Serra do Luar
Santa Barbara Road, 6,789. Tel.: (+55 12) 3926-1402 e 3926-1739
Site.: www.pousadaserradoluar.com.br
Pousada Vila Santa Bárbara
Santa Bárbara road, 4,942. Tel.: (+55 12) 3926-1190
Site: www.vilasantabarbara.com.br
Where to eat
Alegro Restaurant
15 de Novembro Street, 427. Tel.: (+55 12) 3926-1188
Site: www.alegrorestaurante.com.br
Pizzaria Caboclo
Vereador Pedro David road, 19,470. Tel.: (+55 12) 3926-1346
Trutas Mariser
Ezequiel Alves Graciano Street, 16. Tel.: (+55 12) 3926-1422
Information
Tourist Centre
Tel.: (+55 12) 3926-1278
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
