Inhotim - getting there

Inhotim - getting there

Artwork at one of Inhotim´s Galleries

Inhotim is located at Brumadinho, a city in the southern outskirts of Belo Horizonte, or simply BH, Minas Gerais´State capital. It is about 30km south of BH, an half-hour drive. 

Though the artcenter provides shuttles departing from the fancy Savassi neighbourhood in BH (see the official site info: http://www.inhotim.org.br/en/visit/getting-here/), to calmly know and enjoy Inhotim, the best is to stay one or two nights at Brumadinho, or at a hotel, B&B, hostel, or pousada in the surrounding cities, such as Mario Campos. 

Lined palmtrees at Inhotim

The main buildings of the world are melting by candle light - Inhotim´s artwork

Brumadinho lacks enough hotels, but for sure the attraction caused by Inhotim will change this reality in the future. It is really unbelievable major hotel chains didn´t get buildings here, since the tourism to Inhotim is increasing at quite high rates. 

From BH´s International Airport, the ride is a bit longer, about one hour drive. But cars can be easily rented at the Airport. Car-rental companies have desks at the airport´s main concourse, at the old terminal. 


Renting a car with a good GPS (or using the cellphone´s GPS) is totally advisable. Roads are ok, but heavy traffic can be annoying at rush hours (early hours and 5pm to 9pm weekdays), and the driver must be careful with the trucks, since the trip from the airport to Brumadinho takes highways mostly at BH´s nearby cities. 

The main buildings of the world are melting by candle light - Inhotim´s artwork

If taking a car, it is advisable the best time to go is during the day, since it is a rural area, and some parts of the track are poorly enlighted at night.

BH´s airport has been recently renovated, so it is verty convenient. The sole problem is the lack of public transportation to BH, but there´s an executive bus which takes to downtown. But to Brumadinho, starting from the airport, only taxis and rental cars will be avilable. 

The airport has some international flights from and to the US and to Europe. 

Inhotim - an incredible place

Inhotim - an incredible place

 It is very hard to describe what Inhotim is. It is easier to put adjectives: astonishing, unbelievable, fantastic, esplendorous.

Gardens at Inhotim

Beheaded sculptures at Inhotim

Inhotim is a synestesic place. It mixes with our senses. The smell of trees, the view of the landscape and artwork, the sounds of birds, the music and beating of interactive pieces of artwork. The possibility of touching many sculptures and getting inside the galleries´rooms. Darkness and light. Monocromatic versus colourful pieces. Huge modernist buildings which seems to float over the grass in the middle of the most perfect jungle. 

Art work at one of Inhotim´s galleries

A huge contemporary art center, surrounded by lush gardens, open to the skies. 

Art galleries and sculptures share a huge espace in an imense botanic garden, flowered and colourful, with species from all over the world, and - of course - from the entire Brazil.

Artwork related to bus stops in Brazil, at Inhotim

Located at Brumadinho, a city some 30km south of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais capital), Inhotim is a park for nature and arts lovers (see future post about how to get to Inhotim). 

Sculpture at Inhotim

The galleries and works of art can be reached through three suggested pathways, embelished and shadowed by palmtrees, which help the visitor face them on hotter days.

Fotography at Inhotim, questioning poverty and abandon

If you get too tired, you can take a rest on the banks made with trunks of huge dead trees.

I think each pathway can be done in a day, for an average adult in good shape and without any disability. 

Younger people could do it in two days. Older and people with some disability can take the eletric cars, for an approximate fee of 30 reais (about 10 dolars), hop-on hop-off service at all galleries and major artworks. Or you can rent one for your family for 500 reais (about 160 dolars). 

On the next posts I´ll comment my favorite galleries and works of art, made by artists from around the globe. 

Also, I´ll write some posts regarding the awesome gardens. 

Beheaded sculptures at Inhotim

For artlovers and botanic lovers, Inhotim cannot be missed on a trip to Brazil. It is also a hotspot for birdwatching. Well, Inhotim can be the sole purpose for a visit to Brazil. 

Lençóis Maranhenses - When to go

Lençóis Maranhenses - When to go

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

As the Lençóis are very close to the Ecuator line, weather is always hot or warm in this region of Brazil, all year round. It is very windy, so it isn´t an unbearable hot. Sea water is also warm. 

Rains are expected to fall from january to may, so in may the lagoons will reach its maximum water level. Up to the beggining of september, fun is granted, if rains fell substantially during the previous months. 

So, the ends of may untill the beggining of september are the best time to go, since sunny days are expected and the lagoons are suposed to be full. 

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

November is supposed to be the month when the level of the lagoons is lower, but it depends on rain levels, which can vary. 

However, climate change is obviously modifiyng rainfall in Brazil. Unexpected weather can happen, and nowadays nobody can grant a rainfall period or a dry season in advance. 

Atins - another small city close to Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

Atins - another small city close to Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

If you want to stay even more further away from civilization, once visiting the Lençóis Maranhenses, you can try accomodation in the fishermen´s village of Atins, in the mouth of Preguiças river. You can only get there by speed-boats, which departs from Barreirinhas. 

(above, a surfer-dog enjoying its trip alongside the Preguiças river)

These speed-boats can also ride you to the Praia do Caburé, a beach located at a peninsula formed beetween the mouth of Preguiças river in the sea and the ocean, or to the Farol da Preguiça, a lighthouse belonging to Brazillian navy located in the same area. From its top, it is possible to see the river, the sands, the small village and the dunes. 

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão

I did a simple day-trip, but resting there for some days wouldn´t have been a bad idea at all.....

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

A curitosity in Maranhão state is the declination of the beaches: the slope is very gentle, so you have to go far from the beach to get deep. But speacially in Caburé, the beach is very long and without life-savers, so it is better not to take any risks. 

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

The Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

The Lençóis Maranhenses Natioal Park official website is available only in portuguese: 

http://www.icmbio.gov.br/parnalencoismaranhenses/guia-do-visitante.html) 

To enter the national park, it is only possible whith tour guides, who are provided by many tour companies at the small town of Barreirinhas. They take tourists in trucks with high suspension wheels, called "jardineiras", which can pass over the sand tracks that leads to the first point where the dunes and the lagoons can be seen. 

Before that, the jardineiras crosses the Preguiças river over ferry-boats. Tourists aren´t allowed to walk alone within the dunes, because its very easy to loose the sense of direction. 

These tours departing from Barreirinhas can be done in just one day, but for more brave and physically prepared people, it is possible to cross the dunes with a guide, and even sleep inside the dunes, which will take, of course, more than one day.  

(above, the Preguiças River)
(under, the hanging roots of the trees in the mangroves of Preguiças river)

LENÇÓIS MARANHENSES

LENÇÓIS MARANHENSES

Getting there

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

I decided to split the post and repost our tour at Lençóis Maranhenses National Park. Also, I put the marker Lençóis Maranhenses at the scroolbar to the right.

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

  The closest city to the national park is Barreirinhas, where there are many hotels. It is just a base-village to get to the dunes, so its advisable to take money and all you need, speacially sunblock and mosquito repellent. 

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

Barreirinhas is 3 and a half hours from the capital of the state of Maranhão, São Luiz do Maranhão (Saint Louis). The SLZ airport is mainly a domestic airport, so to get to Maranhão you´ll probably need a conection in São Paulo, Rio, Brasília or Manaus. There are tour operators which takes tourists from SLZ airport to Barreirinhas, but renting a car can also be a good idea, with a GPS - and caution in the road to Barreirinhas, since it crosses many small villages with many speed-bumps. 

Another option is to come from the state of Ceará and its capital Fortaleza, although it is farther and you would have to cross a small part of the state of Piauí. In this case, trip would be very beautifull and at least two other stops should be added: Jericoacora, the most famous beach in Ceará state, and the "Delta do Parnaíba", the river Parnaíba mouth, in a delta shape.