Pedra do Baú and the ''Pedra do Baú'' complex are rock formations in the
(''Serra da Mantiqueira''). They are located in the municipality of
São Bento do Sapucaí
São Bento do Sapucaí is a Brazilian municipality in São Paulo state.
Once known as a religious and traditional town, the municipality of São Bento do Sapucaí, now with its population reaching 10,000 inhabitants, is known for its mild weather ...
,
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
,
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
.
Geography
The
gneiss
Gneiss (pronounced ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under p ...
rock complex comprises three distinct "rock formation landmarks": ''Pedra do Baú, Bauzinho,'' and ''Ana Chata.''
At its highest point, the elevation is .
On 28 December 2010 the Pedra do Baú Natural Monument was created with , a state-level
natural monument
A natural monument is a natural or cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as w ...
that is part of the
Mantiqueira Mosaic
The Mantiqueira Mosaic () is a protected area mosaic that contains conservation units in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais, Brazil. The conservation units are of different types and are managed at the federal, state or muni ...
of conservation units.
Rock climbing
There are over 200 rock climbing routes in the complex, ranging from 15m to 400m in height.
Ecotourism
The formation is a popular site for
rock climbing
Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...
,
paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or in a cocoon-like 'pod' suspended be ...
, and other forms of
ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...
.
References
Sources
*
External links
Pedradobau.com.br: official Pedra do Baú website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedra do Bau
Rock formations of Brazil
Gneiss
Landforms of São Paulo (state)
Natural monuments of Brazil