
Brazil’s most celebrated driving road: a wall of stacked hairpin bends scaling the Serra Geral escarpment through Atlantic Forest, rising 944 m from the coastal plain to the high plateau, the country’s answer to the Stelvio.
From the lowlands near Lauro Müller the road attacks the escarpment immediately, stacking hairpin upon hairpin through dense Atlantic rainforest as it climbs to the top at 1,465 m above Bom Jardim da Serra. The mirante at the summit gives a bird’s-eye view of the entire switchback wall below. Best driven bottom to top in the morning before mist closes in.
Brazil’s most celebrated road, a wall of stacked hairpins climbing the Serra Geral escarpment through Atlantic forest, the country’s answer to the Stelvio.
Why we picked it
Scenery
Best seasons
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Serra do Rio do Rastro on the map4.7 mi · point to point
Navigate to the start: Apple Maps · Google Maps
Character
Corners
busiest around mile 4Elevation
under 4%4 to 8%over 8%694 to 1,409 mPoints of interest3 stops
- Mirante do Poste 55Viewpoint4.2 mi in
- Vista da Serra do Rio do RastroViewpoint3.4 mi in
- Mirante NorteViewpoint4.5 mi in
Hazards
- Hundreds of hairpin bends
- Steep gradients up to 11.5%
- Frequent mist and low cloud
- Slow trucks
- Motorcyclists
Sources
“The journey of the Sierra do Rio do Rastro goes from 4,790 feet to sea level in only eight miles, with an average gradient of 9.2%. But if you think this is going to be some leisurely afternoon putt-putt, think again: there are 250 corners.”
Route traced from OpenStreetMap, with its stats measured from that line. How the roads are mapped
Driving the Serra do Rio do Rastro: quick answers
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Nearby roads
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