Off-road adventures in Brazil

We want to cover the first 1,000 km quickly, but we still make two stops. At Parque Estadual de Vila Velha we explore sandstone formations that are over 300 million years old. Our next stop is the Parque Histórico de Carambeí, an open-air museum dedicated to the Dutch immigrants who settled in the region in 1911.

By the way, when walking through the grounds we are never out of sight — we are watched by a burrowing owl, a special owl that lives and nests on the ground.

After long stretches of driving we repeatedly cool off at small waterfalls. At more than 35 degrees in the shade this is real luxury in the afternoons. Then we head north into the state of Minas Gerais.

We drive for days along coffee plantations, because this is the country’s largest growing region: over 50% of Brazilian coffee (mostly Arabica) is produced here.

After a long journey we finally reach the Serra da Canastra plateau. Here we drive the narrow off-road tracks outside the national park with the Axor. The track is particularly tight at the foot of the mountain, which makes us question our decision at times.

Later, however, the vegetation thins out, and the route becomes more relaxed. We drive up to 1,200 metres above sea level and marvel at a completely new landscape. With a bit of luck you can even see maned wolves and giant anteaters here.

For several days we wind our way through the Serra. Again and again Mike has to inspect bridges before we cross them, because no tonnage is posted anywhere, and we suspect that not many trucks get through here. Only at one bridge do we turn around and take a different route.

We can't assess it well enough, and the risk is simply not worth it.