Travelers who long to experience authentic steamboat travel for more than a few hours can board the Benjamim Guimarães Steamboat in Brazil for a five-night journey on the wide São Francisco River. The trip offered by Paradiso Viagens e Turismo starts and ends in Pirapora, Minas Gerais, and includes stops at riverside towns - Barra do Guaicuí, Ibiaí, São Romão and Cachoeira do Manteiga.
Besides enjoying the leisurely flow of the mighty Velho Chico, the largest river running solely within Brazil, passengers aboard the Benjamim Guimarães get to meet locals, for whom the arrival of the steamboat is a welcome break from daily routine.
All meals - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner - are included in the fare, as well as beverages served during meals. For prices and upcoming departures, check the Benjamim Guimarães page on the Paradiso Viagens e Turismo.
More Things to Do on the São Francisco River:
Cia. de Andar, a receptive tour operator based in Pirapora and Buritizeiro across Velho Chico, offers rafting, canoeing, and boat rides. The company also has some interesting options on land, such as hiking in the cerrado and horseback riding in the backlands of Minas Gerais where writer João Guimarães Rosa (1908-1967) rode a horse himself through the long journeys which inspired his stories.
How to Get to Pirapora:
Gontijo has buses from Belo Horizonte, MG to Pirapora, MG. Pirapora is about 300 miles north of BH.
