Canastra cheese
From the farms.
Paulofenix — CC BY 3.0 · ivan Sakantsau — CC BY 3.0 · Gustavo Piassi Costa — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eduardo Fabri — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Thiago Melo from Brasília, Brasil — CC BY 2.0 · Thiago Melo from Brasília, Brasil — CC BY 2.0 · Sávio Freire Bruno — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Thiago Melo from Brasília, Brasil — CC BY 2.0
São Roque de Minas is a small town of about seven thousand people in western Minas Gerais and the main gateway to the Serra da Canastra National Park: its centre sits on a plateau at 818 metres, about ten kilometres east of the park entrance. The national park takes up most of the municipality and holds the source of the São Francisco River, one of Brazil's most important rivers, over 71,525 hectares. The town has therefore become the visitors' base for lodging, guides and 4x4 tours to the waterfalls and the source; Belo Horizonte is about 334 kilometres away. The town is famous for «queijo da Canastra», a traditional regional cheese made on the surrounding farms, sold in its shops, with some producers open to visits. Farming, cattle and services are the backbone of its economy, and it has become a favourite of lovers of nature and country food.
From the farms.
In the park.
To the waterfalls.
São Roque de Minas, western Minas Gerais state
About ten kilometres west of the town.