Santa Rita de Jacutinga, Estrada Real

Near the state borders of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, lies the municipality of Santa Rita de Jacutinga. Surrounded by Atlantic Forest vegetation and mountainous terrain, the town is crossed by the Jacutinga and Bananal Rivers. Waterfalls abound in the area, some as deep as 20ft (6m) and are often used for rafting.

There was a steep trail east of Santa Rita that led to a hilltop chapel and a fabulous viewing platform of the countryside, the town and the parish church. After getting my fill of the views, I took an even steeper trail down to the bottom and back into town.

While strolling through the streets, I enjoyed taking my time exploring the town and slowly making my way to the parish church, Santa Rita de Cassia, from where I could see the small hilltop chapel in the distance. The parish church was built on donated lands in the 1950s. Constructed from large oat-coloured bricks, it has two towers with mint-green and pale-pink trimmings, a large central clock, and arched windows. The mint green and pink colours are carried through the interior with lovely frescoes behind the altar and mosaic floor tiles that complement the simple overall décor.

I finished my day at a little café known for its delicious churros: a choux-based dough piped into hot oil, fried like doughnuts, and rolled in cinnamon sugar. Found in many countries, each one has its own variation. The café’s menu had an endless list of gourmet versions. Each churro had white, milk or dark chocolate piped across its length. They were then topped with a variety of options, including crushed nuts, chocolate sprinkles, Kit Kat, coconut-covered rum balls, and even Smarties. Since I like my churros simple, I settled for the authentic cinnamon-sugar-covered version.