RIO DE JANEIRO – The well-known Petrópolis-Teresópolis Travessia (crossing) is a hike that typically involves overnight camping (in this case three nights), but which can also be completed in one day.
Unlike the Pedra do Sino (see my previous article on this hike) tackling this route in one day is much more challenging and requires a high level of fitness and agility (there are many rocky climbs and descents that, while not extremely dangerous, are certainly nerve-wracking).
As with the Pedra do Sino hike, the camping option is great, but doing the Travessia in one day means you can hike with less weight and don’t need to plan as far in advance (a necessity if you wish to stay in the shelters).
Having a guide is highly recommended on this route unless you are an experienced mountaineer. It is easy to get lost, especially if the weather is bad, and many of the rocky sections are extremely daunting, if not impossible, to pass if you do not have guidance.
So the first thing most people will need to do is contact a guide. There are many available online. I went with the wonderful Alex Amorim, who will send you a 3D relief map of your route afterwards, which I thought was a really nice touch. Instagram: trekturismo.com.br.
Depending on your guide, your necessities, and the day at hand, the details of the hike may change a little, but I will give a general run-through based on my own experience.
You will need to buy an entrance ticket on the Serra dos Orgãos Park website; your guide will let you know which one. A picture ID is necessary to book and retrieve the ticket at the park entrance (use CPF too if possible for a discount).
Rendez-vous at the entrance of Serra dos Orgãos National Park near Petrópolis will usually be around 6:30 AM. If you do not have a car of your own, you will have to get an Uber or taxi from the city of Petrópolis to the park. This, in turn, will require staying the night in Petrópolis as there are no buses early enough from Rio to get you there in time.
The first section of the hike is the most challenging from a fitness point of view. It is a steady climb that will take at the very least two hours and is extremely tiring, though not technically very demanding.
At the end of this climb, you will come upon the Morro Açú, the first shelter, and the Castelos do Açú. The latter is a formation of enormous boulders that are well-worth a tiny detour to look inside. Also remember to put on sun block once the sun is up, as it’s very easy in the cool air not to notice encroaching sunburn.
After this, the route follows a series of ups-and-downs that take you on towards Pedra do Sino. Some of these sections are quite challenging, and if you do not have a head for heights, can be frightening. However, they are doable for most people and guides will often attach ropes to help you on the more difficult sections. The views are also incredible, taking in the surrounding mountains, the lowlands of Rio, and the distant peaks of Três Picos state park.
Eventually, after a section of the more challenging ascent, including the cavalinho (“little horse”, so named, because most people throw their leg over the rock to get over it as if they were mounting a horse), you will emerge at the Pedra do Sino. And from there it is all downhill leading to the Teresópolis entrance of the National Park.
Time: nine to ten hours, typically.
Bring water, lunch, sun and rain protection, ID and CPF, flashlight, warm clothes.
Advice: take standard hiking precautions. Always better (within reason) to have too much water/food/clothes than too little. Contract a guide.
