The small village of Monte Verde, with a population of 5000 inhabitants, is situated on the top of Mantiqueira Ridge (Brazilian Highlands), southeast Brazil. Since it is located near São Paulo, which is the biggest city of the country and the busiest economic center, Monte Verde receives a lot of tourists specially in the winter.

A visit to this mountain village is recommended to those who are in search of a peaceful holiday and the opportunity to enjoy its icy cold air, despite being in a tropical country. Get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and breathe some fresh air!

Surrounded by mountains, this holiday resort, with a peaceful atmosphere, has European style brick-built houses spread out and tucked in the valley. That's why many people say it's "a little piece of the Swiss Alps".

There might be a couple of the rarest occasions when you can witness a little piece of snow sight in Brazil. One of them could be a magic winter day in Monte Verde.

The peaks of the steep hills can rise higher than 2000 m. Walk to the top and have a magnificent view!

This dense forest provides a niche for various animal species. There are several kinds of birds but the huge amount of fruit seeking humming birds is pervasive. Even from the residential area, you can hear the shrill cries of tropical birds, specially the twittering of humming birds. The residents like to lure them by means of a kind of a decoy consisting of a sugary water container resembling a flower, so that they can always have a pleasant view of their colourful hovering wings. People also feel tempted to feed the cute squirrels easily spotted in the bush, but please don't. They have to rely on their methods of getting their own food to be able to survive as a wild species.