São Lourenço is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, one of the best known hydromineral resorts in Brazil. It is part of the Minas Gerais Water Circuit, in the Mantiqueira mountain range. Its population is 45,000 inhabitants.
Parque das Águas
São Lourenço's main postcard, the Water Park has several attractions spread over a green area of 400 thousand square meters. In the old part, full of woods and gardens, are six of the seven mineral springs; the bathhouse for baths, massages and therapies; the skating rink and the huge lake for paddle and kayak rides.
Already the new aerial, interconnected to the old by a tunnel, is geared towards the practice of sports. The space offers shuttlecock, volleyball and indoor soccer courts, as well as a bicicross track and bicycle rental. The Solarium, where is the shower of mineral water and sun loungers, is very popular on hot days.
The seven fountains make the city famous and offer rusty, carbogasous, sulfurous, gaseous, alkaline, magnesian and bicarbonated waters. According to residents, they have medicinal properties and cure anemias and ulcers. It is advisable, however, not to overdose - some are laxative and can cause cramps. The park also offers a restaurant, snack bars and candy and souvenir shops.
Trem das Àguas
Water Train The trip to Soledade de Minas is on a train pulled by a steam powered American 1920s locomotive. The ride on the so-called “Water Train” lasts two hours - round trip - and borders the Verde River all the way (ten kilometers each stretch). Beyond the landscape, lively guitarist performances entertain passengers. In Soledade, the train stops for half an hour, long enough to peek into a tiny railway museum and buy candy!
Voo de Balão
Performed daily in the morning (between 6.30 am and 8 am), the free hot air balloon flight lasts an hour on average. On the promenade, you can enjoy the city from other angles. To fly, you need to schedule at least ten days in advance. The flight is performed with the permission of the Department of Civil Aviation (DAC).
Center Kart
With an area of 9,000 square meters, the space offers more than one go-kart track. There, the kids find a paintball field, mini-bug, indoor climbing wall, tree climbing, zip lines, a game room and a giant slide show. Center Kart is three kilometers from São Lourenço, on the road to Carmo de Minas.
Rota do Café Especial
The three-hour tour goes through coffee plantations, stops at lookouts with beautiful scenery and visits the highest drying yard in the country. At the end, the visitor is invited to taste the products, considered the best in Brazil, in a colonial mansion, headquarters of Fazenda Sertão. The place is 25 minutes from São Lourenço, in the city of Carmo de Minas (MG). Those who cannot make the route can enjoy the Café Unique delicacy on the São Lourenço boardwalk.