Sunrise from camp
Above the clouds.
Jeremias Pereira — CC BY 2.0 · Daniel — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Py4nf — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Henrique de Abreu Pi… — CC BY 3.0 · Henrique de Abreu Pi… — CC BY 3.0
Pico dos Marins is a rocky massif in the Mantiqueira mountains rising to 2,420 metres, between the towns of Piquete and Cruzeiro in São Paulo state, about a kilometre from the Minas Gerais border. With its jagged profile above green hills it has become one of the best-known mountain hikes in south-east Brazil. For many years it was considered the highest point in São Paulo state, a claim repeated in official publications and schoolbooks, until it emerged that peaks in the Serra Fina range further east are much higher, above all Pedra da Mina at 2,798 metres. Climbers still prize it for its long ascent and views. The climb is a serious mountain trip from a base near Piquete: a long trail climbing hundreds of metres through forest and then rocky grassland, with sections that need hands-on scrambling, and many split it over two days with a night at a mountain camp to see the sunrise. The weather changes fast and temperatures can fall below freezing in winter, so a guide and warm clothes are advised. The base is about an hour and a half by car from Campos do Jordão.
Above the clouds.
A jagged summit.
Mountain views.
Between Piquete and Cruzeiro, Mantiqueira mountains, São Paulo
No; it was long thought to be, but Serra Fina peaks are higher, above all Pedra da Mina at 2,798 metres.