Lavras Novas

About this place

Lavras Novas is a mountain village belonging to Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais, about nineteen kilometres from the historic city, with around a thousand residents and a settlement dating back to about 1716. Most of its people are of African descent, surrounded by splendid mountain scenery. Tourists discovered it in the 1990s and now come for the local culture, peace, nature and adventure; on holidays the number of people in the village can rise sixfold. Before that it was the setting of a story by the writer Bernardo Guimarães, «The Throat of Hell» (1871). The village keeps its colonial architecture while drawing ecotourists too, with a zip line described as the highest in Brazil, at 1,500 metres above sea level, as well as waterfalls and hiking trails. It is also known for small restaurants serving Minas Gerais cooking. Book ahead for holidays.