The Blue Stone
1,822 m of granite.
MTur Destinos — Public domain · Jáder Vieira Ribeiro — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dinho Benevenuti — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Denison Hanelt — CC BY-SA 3.0
Pedra Azul State Park lies in the mountains of Domingos Martins, west of Vitória. It was created in 1991 from a 1960 forest reserve to protect the Pedra Azul, the «Blue Stone», a huge granite rock rising to 1,822 metres. The park covers about 1,240 hectares of montane Atlantic Forest, and its highest point is Pedra das Flores at 1,909 metres. Its trails are self-guided, with signs along the way: the partial circuit runs about 1 km in 40-60 minutes to the base of the rock, passing the Lagarto (Lizard) and Forno Grande lookouts; the full circuit is about 3.5 km in two to three hours. The natural pools are reached by a steep 90-metre rock slope with ropes to hold, and that section may close for maintenance. Entry is free but booking ahead is compulsory on the state government's official booking portal, with a cap of 150 visitors a day and 30 per slot. It opens Tuesday to Sunday with entry slots at 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 and 13:00; no one starts the trails after 14:00, and they close in rain.
1,822 m of granite.
On the short circuit.
A rope-aided climb.
Domingos Martins, Espírito Santo mountains, west of Vitória
Yes, advance booking is compulsory on the Espírito Santo government's booking portal; entry is free, capped at 150 visitors a day.