Areal offers various ways to discover its landscapes and culture through specific routes. The Ecotrilhas project includes mountain biking, mountaineering, hiking, off-road tours and moto trail riding. When planning, it is also worth looking at the individual trails: their stated modes of travel and experience highlights differ.

Ecotrilhas: Trails and Modes of Travel

The Areal–Trilha do Goiabal route can be completed on foot, by bicycle or by car. Along the way, there are views of regional mountains such as Pedra do Elefante and Maria Comprida. The Trilha Boa Esperança – Caminhada has a different focus: it passes through distinctly mountainous terrain, is recommended for off-road enthusiasts, and can also be cycled. This provides concrete points of comparison between the two routes: three modes of travel are listed for Goiabal, while the off-road focus and mountainous terrain are highlighted for Boa Esperança – Caminhada.

The Areal–Fagundes–Secretário hiking route starts in Areal and includes an activity involving the making of Taboa crafts. As well as hiking, hands-on crafts are part of this route’s profile. Trilha Quilombo Boa Esperança is described as a peaceful hiking route for people who want to explore with family and friends and experience close contact with nature. Its description therefore highlights a different kind of hiking from the recommendation for off-road enthusiasts on Trilha Boa Esperança – Caminhada.

Rural Trails and Special Stops

The other routes also have their own highlights. Volta da Represa do Morro Grande offers a visit to a farm where ornamental flowers are grown. Trilha do Boi Bandido passes through rural areas; along the way are a very old chapel and several farms. When choosing between these two route profiles, you can consider whether a visit to the ornamental flower farm or the rural setting with its chapel and farms interests you more. The stops described give each route a distinct focus.

Culture in Areal and the Municipality

In the center of Areal stands the church of Paróquia Nossa Senhora das Dores. It was elevated to parish status in 1931. Thus, a clearly dated reference to church history is part of the town, alongside the varied routes of the Ecotrilhas project.

Other cultural connections are associated with the municipality of Areal: the municipality is part of the Caminho Novo route of the Estrada Real project. The Museu Ferroviário de Areal – Estação Alberto Torres, located in the municipality, was also officially recognized as part of the Cadastro Fluminense de Museus (CFM-0240) by the Secretaria de Cultura e Economia Criativa of the state of Rio de Janeiro. These details about the municipality complement the hiking and cultural topics relating to Areal with a broader regional context.

Prepare for Your Routes Before Traveling

Downloads for the Ecotrilhas project routes are available in GPX, GTM and KML formats. They are intended for GPS devices and navigation and mapping applications. Check that the downloads are available before your trip if you plan to use these files for navigation. This lets you combine digital route planning with choosing a route by mode of travel and character: the options range from hiking and cycling routes to the off-road tours and moto trail activities included in the project.

Discover more destinations: Natividade, Paraíba Do Sul, Paracambi, Araruama, Lumiar, Iguaba Grande, Macaé, Petrópolis

For the broader travel overview: Rio De Janeiro.