Our Visit to Cataguases, Brazil!
Last Updated on April 14, 2024 by Kelly
My whole family traveled to Brazil to attend my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding in Cataguases. After spending a couple of days in Rio de Janeiro, we traveled north to the small town of Cataguases in the state of Minas Gerais. Along the way, we stopped by the Dedo de Deus (Finger of God), which is a thin and narrow rock formation that points to the sky. In this post, we’ll share all about our visit to Cataguases.
Cataguases, Brazil
Cataguases, located in the town of Minas Gerais, is the hometown of my sister-in-law. The people of Minas Gerais are known for being friendly, and that was absolutely our experience in Cataguases! Everyone we met was so warm and welcoming. In 2020, Cataguases had an estimated population of over 75,000 people.
We spent most of our time in Cataguases preparing for the wedding, eating good food, and celebrating. My sister-in-law’s family rented a ranch that had a large covered patio and outdoor patio for us to spend time together in the days before the wedding. We listened to live music, danced, and ate lots of Brazilian barbecue!
There are several things to see in Cataguases. The Sanctuary St. Rita de Cássia is a shrine that is emblematic of the town. The Ponte Metalica is a pretty bridge that crosses the Pomba River.
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When we visited Cataguases, we stayed at the Bevile Hotel. We would recommend it to others as well!
The wedding itself was absolutely spectacular! There was more live music, tons of food, and we celebrated until 6 in the morning the next day. We drank plenty of cachaça and had the best time. Brazilians know how to celebrate a wedding!
Directions
Cataguases is about a 4.5 hour drive north of Rio de Janeiro. Because Dedo de Deus was en route to Cataguases, we stopped at a rest stop along the way that had a beautiful view of the rock formation. It was really lovely to see Dedo de Deus in person!
When we traveled to Cataguases, we arranged private transfer by car. The drive itself was extremely beautiful. My favorite part was seeing the wildflowers blooming alongside the road. I have no idea what type of flower they were, but they were a bright purple and I can still vividly remember them.
If you don’t have a car or it’s too expensive for a private car, there are buses that will take you from Rio de Janeiro to Cataguases.
Visiting Dedo de Deus is also a very feasible day-trip from Rio de Janeiro.
Summary
We hope this post about the Dedo de Deus and Cataguases was helpful to you as you plan your next trip! We were so grateful to be able to see the town my sister-in-law grew up in and to meet all of her family. It was definitely one of my favorite travel memories of all time!
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