Padre Paraíso lies in the Jequitinhonha Valley along the BR-116 federal highway and is the starting point of the Rota de Cicloturismo das Pedras Preciosas. The valley and cycling route provide two clear points of reference for planning your trip. There is also a church in the centre, the Saturday market and cultural heritage sites. If you would like to combine cycling with architecture, local food and cultural history, you will find several points of interest here.
Cycling route and local services
Padre Paraíso is the starting point of the Rota de Cicloturismo das Pedras Preciosas; when leaving town, the Mineração Faísca viewpoint is the route’s first stop. Padre Paraíso is also home to several visual artists’ and craftspeople’s studios. Some are open to visits by cycling tourists. Conserta Bike is a bicycle service centre in the centre of Padre Paraíso, Minas Gerais: Rua Prefeito Nilson Pereira Dutra 1040, Loja 02. The cycling connection therefore extends from the named route to studio visits and a bicycle service centre.
Church and Saturday market
The Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora Mãe da Igreja is in the centre of Padre Paraíso, near the BR-116. It is the city’s main Catholic church and a local landmark. It was built in 1960 and has eclectic architecture. Eclectic architecture draws on design elements from different styles. The year it was built adds a specific historical reference to this stylistic description.
The Feira Livre da Cidade takes place on Saturdays in Padre Paraíso and is well known throughout the region. The market offers typical local foods: cassava-starch biscuits, rapadura, cheese and fresh fruit. If you would like to include local food in your travel plans, Saturday is the day to visit.
Cultural heritage and history
The Monumento aos Garimpeiros honours gold prospectors who lived in the region, as well as people who still pursue this activity today. The monument thus connects the memory of gold prospecting in the past with an activity that continues in the region.
The Casinha de Cultura Pintando o Sete opened in Padre Paraíso in 2000. In 2009, its work expanded to the municipalities of Catují, Caraí and Itaipé in Minas Gerais. It served low-income families in the urban outskirts and rural areas of these municipalities. Its history traces its local beginnings and subsequent expansion to three municipalities.
Protected area and natural setting
The Parque Natural Municipal da Biquinha is a 21-hectare protected area in Padre Paraíso, in the Atlantic Forest biome. It belongs to the Parque category and to the Proteção Integral protection group under the SNUC. Nature conservation is therefore another concrete aspect of the area, alongside the cycling route, built heritage and cultural heritage sites.
In the state of Minas Gerais, 94 protected areas safeguard almost two million hectares across the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado and Caatinga biomes. Tourism is established in 17 nature parks in Minas Gerais. These statewide figures provide a broader natural context for the region.
Discover more destinations: Pedro Leopoldo, Boa Esperança, Carmópolis de Minas, Varginha, Lagoa Formosa, Passos, Mato Verde, Lagoa Dourada
For the broader travel overview: Minas Gerais.
