Monte das Gameleiras: European cold near Natal (RN) – 08/03/2023 – Tourism

Repeated pecking at the window and the song of a bird invade the bedroom in Monte das Gameleiras, in Rio Grande do Norte. The day outside is already clear, mountains reveal different shapes on the horizon and the sounds of this and other birds are the only alarm clocks.

The tranquility in the region and the mountain landscapes, with giant stones, add to temperatures that have already registered, in winter, a minimum of 13ºC. The municipality, with about 2,000 inhabitants, is located 500 meters above sea level and 123 km from Natal.

It is the highest point of a route called Paraísos do Agreste and, in it, the guide Mara Marques highlights, tourists are looking for the same thing she looked for when she arrived almost a decade ago: “Peace,
charm and wonderful weather”.

Visitors —mainly from Natal, Paraíba and Pernambuco— drive tourism, which is still seen as emerging. Dutch people passing through Pipa beach and other foreigners have also included Gameleiras in the route.

Europe has not only been a source of tourists, but also an inspiration for accommodation, which is beginning to multiply.

A municipal law from 2015 recognized part of the region as a “Dutch rural village”. The main reference was the first inn to open, displaying, until today, a large windmill, architecture and clogs typical of the European country, heaters and a fireplace in the restaurant.

The temperature, which is hot during the day and cold at night, the hospitality and the stones that fill your eyes led lawyer and businessman Júnior Gurgel to make an investment.

He had lived in the Netherlands and, back in Brazil, decided to use the reference in space, in operation since 2010.

Other means of accommodation refer to Nordic countries, such as a Swiss hut, inaugurated in January this year, and the first geodesic dome, completed in November.

The development has guaranteed occupancy on all weekends until June. “Now, we are preparing two more domes and the forecast is that they will be ready by August”, he says.
administrator Caio Jorge.

The disbursement is estimated at R$ 3 million and the inspiration came from igloos in Norway.

For round-trip trips or stays that last an average of four days —with daily rates starting at R$160 for packages that can reach R$1,400—, Monte das Gameleiras tries to stand out among trendy destinations.

“People come to this side a lot because of Pedra da Boca (rock formation approximately 336 meters high, on the border of RN and Paraíba), so they have no idea what we have up here. And, when we arrive up to here, it’s like ‘Oh my God, I didn’t know there were so many beautiful things'”, says Marques, while waiting for the next trail.

The most famous walks in the municipality lead to giant stones that resemble, for example, a ship. And even a love story.

The longest route is about 5 km and includes Pedra do Cruzeiro, the highest point in the region and where the little church of Nossa Senhora da Boa Saúde is located.

The construction of a gazebo in the area will require an investment of R$ 1.5 million and delivery is scheduled for the end of the year, according to the deputy mayor of the city, Demar Ferreira.

“The flow in the winter increases a lot. All the inns are almost 100% occupied. And, in the summer, we have nothing to complain about”, says businessman Júnior Gurgel.

The Gurgel Inn was opened when the tourist route was still being born. To describe the moment the sector is going through, he cites conversations he had with a motorcycle taxi driver. “He would stop my car and say ‘this weekend four cars went up’. Today, he can no longer do the math.”