This trip will take you through old coffee plantations in the highlands of the state of São Paulo. Since the mid-19th century and continuing until the present, some of the finest coffee produced in Brazil has come from this region. The perfect combination of altitude (800-1300 mts.) and climate (dry winters and rainy summers) and fertile, well drained soil make this ideal coffee-growing territory.
The first settlers in the region came from the Azores in the late 18th/early 19th century looking for land to raise livestock, cattle, horses, mules and pigs, to feed and transport the gold miners in Minas Gerais. Most of the farms you will be visiting still belong to the descendants of these original settlers, providing an authentic experience of a distinctive way of life.
With the simultaneous arrival of coffee plants, railroads, and European (mostly Italian) immigration, the farms became more prosperous, the houses more elaborate. Coffee plants like higher altitudes, and you ride most of the time up the hills, with beautiful landscapes. All the farms visited have the owners present, and they are proud to show guests around and share their family history, that is linked with the development of the countryside.
