About 6km south of Teresópolis, off the BR-116 Rio–Teresópolis highway, you'll find the main (and most accessible) entrance to magnificent Parque Nacional Serra dos Órgaos, which offers some of Brazil's most dramatic hiking, climbing and mountain scenery. From this point of entry, visitors can access both the park's tamer lower section – perfect for a picnic with its walking trails, waterfalls, natural swimming pools and tended lawns and gardens – and the wilder upper section, with its challenging high country trails.
From the Teresópolis entrance, the road extends into the park as far as Barragem Beija Flor. From here, lower section visitors can continue up the 800m Trilha Mozart Catão (one hour round trip from the park road) up to the Mirante Alexandre Oliveira (1100m) for nice views of Teresópolis – or follow the park's newest trail, the 1.2km Trilha Cartão Postal, up to a higher viewpoint (1320m) for spectacular perspectives on the distinctive Dedo de Deus and the entire Serra dos Órgãos range.
There are also several good day hikes for visitors who wish to explore the park's more rugged upper section. The highlight is the Trilha Pedra do Sino – a strenuous roundtrip of about eight hours from the end of the park road (R$52 trail fee). The trail passes Cachoeira Veu da Noiva, the vegetation changes from rainforest to grassland, and the reward is a panoramic view stretching all the way to Rio de Janeiro and the BaÃa de Guanabara.
To reach the park entrance from downtown Teresópolis, take the ‘Soberbo’ bus (R$4). Alternatively, take the more frequent ‘Alto’ bus and get off at the Praçinha do Alto, from where it’s a 10-minute walk south to the park’s main entrance. Both buses can be caught at multiple stops along Teresópolis' main drag, Av Almirante Lúcio Meira. A taxi ride from town to the park entrance costs about R$30.
