Sítio Tradição

When ready to venture back into the modern world, it’s a quick jaunt down the mountainside to the small city of Gramado, 20 minutes’ drive from the site. The city is well geared towards tourists, with plenty of theme parks and museums to entice. If there’s only time for a handful though, Mini Mundo, Snowland and the Wax Museum come highly recommended. With just a little more driving, guests can reach Canela (30 minutes), a large resort town that’s similarly packed with things to do. The Alpen Park Theme Park is on the outskirts – a must visit for rollercoasters, ziplines and quadding – and museums dedicated to cars, fashion, steam power and (of all things) the Beatles can be explored in the centre. If nature more appeals, start with the controlled variety at Gramado Zoo (25 minutes), where visitors can come face to face with Brazilian wildlife and even take part in night-time tours to spy the nocturnal animals moving about. Prefer nature to be wild? Explore the stunning Caracol Park (35 minutes), following trails, hiking to the spectacular Caracol Falls, and taking in the views from on high with a spin on the cable car. For a flavour of local history, the mining tunnel and museum A Mina is 20 minutes from base, and those utterly enraptured by gaucho culture can settle in for even more at Parque Gaucho (30 minutes) where guests can see a reconstructed 18th-century village, watch horse training and witness races.