Sanctuary Caraça

Truly a unique experience. What can I even say? Only spent a night here but everything was so great that I can't think of a single negative thing to say. The nature is amazing, the trails well-marked. The lodging is simple but charming. You get three wood fired meals a day which are all superb. The garden is gorgeous. The maned wolf showed up and it was surreal but did anyone mention the fricking capybara that lives right next to the place??

If you are in Minas Gerais for any reasonable amount of time, go here.

Stayed 1 night here. It’s open to day visits but I wouldn’t bother with that, as wherever you set off from it must be a long drive in, and you don’t get to stay for a chance to see the maned wolves in the evening. Seeing the wolves is magical.
Beautiful countryside location. Excellent trails for hikes up to 6km (12km out and back) without a guide, or further up onto the ridges with a guide.
3 good meals per day.
Simple, clean rooms, in keeping with it being a religious sanctuary.
Games room with a useable pool table. WiFi is decent in some parts of the premises.
The church seemed quite nice to me; less garish than the others we saw in Minas, and this one has some nice stained glass windows. There’s a museum I didn’t go in.
Highlights are the hiking, the nature, the food, and by a country mile: the wolves, which provide a truly incredible experience. We saw 1 wolf, a female, but apparently her mate visits too, sometimes.
If you’d like a couple of tips, do read on. If not, now would be a good time to stop reading.
1-Bring some large bottles of water. There’s an empty fridge with most/all rooms. There’s a drinking fountain on site but the water is an unappetising yellow. Water is sold at a slight markup.
2-Do the Cruzeiro trail. It’s steep but short and finishes with an excellent view over the sanctuary.
3-Wolf watching: wolf down your own dinner then get outside and take the seat at the top of the steps. This should give you a chance to take some pictures of the wolf without other people in the background. It seems the wolf is quite likely to come when the food is first put out around 7:30pm. If you all get lucky and see the wolf nice and early, many tourists will go to bed and you can stay up and hope to see the wolf return when there are fewer people. I went back to the wolf area about 9:30pm and there were just 6 other people there. Unfortunately, 3 gents were standing at the top of the stairs having a loud conversation and blocking the wolf’s path. Another man was sat down coughing up a lung and periodically allowing loud bursts of noise to come from his phone. Rather than sit with buffoons, I decided to retire and come back after midnight, but I should’ve waited them out. Around 1am I was back out there alone and the guide came out and told me the wolf came back at 11:50pm, around half an hour after the chatty lads had gone to bed and the coughing man had died. I sat around until 1:30am but wasn’t lucky enough to get a private viewing. If I hadn’t had to drive the next day I might’ve sat up all night: it was a lovely temperature and no bother from insects. I’d consider 2 nights if I ever visited again.
4-If you can, visit on a weekday, when there will presumably be fewer tourists. I was there on a Wednesday and there were 30 of us, but I think the sanctuary has rooms for many more.
Finally a tip for the sanctuary (I’m sure the staff will have read this far down): The guide needs to be out there with the tourists BEFORE the wolf comes! To say there were 30 of us, the behaviour wasn’t actually that bad, but still, tourists flouted the rules by standing at the top of the steps and talking too loud. When someone called out he could see the wolf, half the people started bouncing around, taking photos and talking in outdoor voices and scared the wolf off, while those following the basic rules (sit down and shut up) didn’t get to see a thing. Thankfully, the wolf came back when the guide came out with food, but if it hadn’t come back, someone would’ve got chinned. Probably the guy who let his phone alarm go off and sneezed wholesomely when the wolf was just plucking up the courage to climb the steps. Anyway, sanctuary folk, please, the guide needs to get out earlier and explain how to behave (even though written instructions are everywhere).
It’s a brilliant place. So glad I got the chance to visit.

The reserve here is out of this world - extensive cerrado - trees and savannah, criss-crossed with rivers and waterfalls. Many short (up to about 6km) and longer trails with a guide. Incredible variety of landscapes, something different at every turn. All trails very well kept and signposted and easy to understand maps available. One of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. A must visit place.

I love this place so much, there are no words to express it! Caraça carries so much history and makes you connect with nature and with yourself. The treks are beautiful and accessible, the grounds are quiet and peaceful, the food is delicious, the staff and priests are lovely. Amazing place!

Amazing place in the middle of the nature. Very quiet, perfect for a short stay. You'll enjoy the most of the park from there. Diner / Lunch and Breakfast are very good (served in the old monk's rooms)

An excellent and unique experience.

Beautiful site, clean and great local food. This is a great historical place with tons of hiking triais to explore and water holes to have a nice refreshing dip

Beautiful place to visit! I want to return more times!

A Wonderful nature , waterfalls , a museum , beautiful buildings , a church , and so on.Besides the curiosity about Guara' woulf.

Beautiful building immersed in nature, easy access. Very pleasant hikes.

Great history. Tons of hiking trails. Amazing encounter with the maned wolf.

Stunning place and the food…amazing

A lot of places to walk and an amazing view.

Great lunch, beautiful hike to the falls.

Ok.

Somber, serene beautiful and elegant

Really nice place

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