Vila Velha and Witmarsum

Vila Velha

Over 200 million years ice-age glaciers and wind erosion worked together to sculpt Vila Velha's unique rock formations. The Vila Velha State Park is open from Wednesday to Monday and has recently been completely restructured. The main attractions are the sandstone sculptures and Dourada Lake.The Furnas Caves are no longer open to the public, in a conservation effort to protect the endangered animal and plant life which inhabits them. Park tours are conducted in minibuses under the supervision of a local guide. A visit lasts approximately three hours and gives you the opportunity to visit the rock formations on foot. On one side of the loop road there are wide-open, native grasslands, while the other side is covered by the dense, humid vegetation of an Araucaria forest  - an incredibly interesting contrast.

Witmarsum

After the October revolution in Russia, many menonites left Europe to settle down in Brazil. As their settlement in Santa Catarina was already very full, a group of menonite farmers bought a big farm in Palmeira and shared it into several families, founding 1953 the Witmarsum settlement. Today it is a lovely country village, where traditions as home-make cakes, dairy farms, delicious cheese and jelly produtions and much more are kept. In the local school there is German classes and most inhabitants speak German until today. You will have the chance to visit the village and to have lunch in a very traditonal way: "café colonial", a delicious selection of salty and sweet pastries served with coffee, tea and juice.

** If you prefer, for a low aditional fee you can have lunch based on German food in a local restaurant **