Bocaína Trail - Campinas (São Paulo)

Yesterday I took a bike ride through the region where I live. I think that regional tourism, at least here in Brazil, is a little underestimated and I believe that are incredible places that are worth visiting even if they are close to home. Especially in times of pandemic, when at least around here it is very complicated to go traveling around.

I had already done the Bocaína Trail once, when I was a teenager, but that was so long ago that the truth is that I remembered almost nothing of its landscapes and details.

The tour started leaving my house, in the city of Itatiba (São Paulo) and we continued on our bike towards the trail. After a few stretches of asphalt until we left the city to reach the countryside, we pedaled along a unpaved road towards the city of Campinas.

Still in the territory of Itatiba, the stretch is known by the locals as the Fazenda Malabar road and it already starts very nice and full of landscapes.

After cycling a few kilometers on an unpaved road, we arrived at a stretch belonging to the municipality of Morungaba, a small neighboring town, famous for the production of candies and spices. In this area, the landscapes became even more beautiful.

We chose a complicated time to cycle, as the sun was still very hot, but as many stretches of the path had the shade of the trees, so the journey was not so tiring. Along the way, we saw farms, mountains, various plants and the Atibaia River, one of the main rivers that cross the region and practically supplies a good part of these cities.

At a certain point, the trail forks in two and it is necessary to choose which of the paths to proceed. Although both lead to the same destination, one has a higher altitude, which results in more hills. And this is not very cool for those who are cycling. We take the left path, which borders the river, and which is where the Bocaína Trail actually begins. It was exactly on the banks of the river that we stopped to rest a little and have a small snack before continuing the journey towards the municipality of Campinas.

In this part, the path becomes narrower, more winding and also a little more difficult for inexperienced cyclists like me. The trail has mud, rocks and lots of sand, making the bike skid easily. Despite the obstacles and a certain level of difficulty, I was proud to be able to make my way without any fall to the ground.

The initial plan was to cycle to the Joaquim Egídio district, which belongs to the municipality of Campinas, the largest city in the region. But tiredness led us to do only half the way, as the sun was starting to go down and we still had a few hours of cycling back home.

We followed the trail to the Salto Grande Hydroelectric Plant, which already belongs to the territory of Campinas, and from there we went back. The total course was 32km and I had never cycled so much, especially on a road full of obstacles. This made me once again very proud of myself.

On the way back we still saw the sun go down and it was possible to see the landscapes in another light this time. I can't wait to do the route again, but this time with more physical preparation to complete the trail until the end.

I hope you enjoyed this tip for cycling in the state of São Paulo. And if someone lives there near the region of Campinas, there is a destination tip for making a bicycle adventure. See ya!