The Adventure in Mantiqueira, Brazil

Tuesday, March 14th, the GIVI do Brasil factory, which is located in Pindamonhangaba, SP, welcomed Explorers excited to start yet another motorcycle expedition, this time exploring the beauties of Serra da Mantiqueira.
The first day, following the GIVI Explorer tradition, began with the distribution of equipment for each participant – Hevik set, helmet and GIVI accessories – and the allocation of motorcycles, which in this edition were all Triumph models, with the Tiger 1200, Tiger 900 models and Tiger 660 Sport.
Before leaving, Rodrigo Hipólito, Director of GIVI do Brasil, presented the itinerary for the trip and, with his support team, explained how the dynamics for the group tour would be. Participants properly equipped, bikes checked, and accessories installed, it was time to start the bikes and start the journey.
The group left the facilities of GIVI do Brasil following the Presidente Dutra Highway, a very busy road, much used for cargo transport, to arrive in São José dos Campos, where the winding and narrow Monteiro Lobato Highway begins, which at the other end ends in Campos do Jordão, our destination in the coming days. It is a popular road among motorcyclists who like to ride in hills with many curves and beautiful landscapes.
At this point, we enter Mantiqueira Paulista, where the traffic of trucks and the totally urban scenery of the city give way to the tranquility of the neighboring road, with a lot of nature around.
The group continued on to Monteiro Lobato, a small town named after the writer José Bento Monteiro Lobato, considered one of the greatest authors of children’s stories, where they made the first stop to regroup all the participants. Afterwards, the Explorers went on motorcycles to São Francisco Xavier, a charming district of São José dos Campos.
There, the participants began to enjoy the rich gastronomy of the Mantiqueira region at the João de Barro Restaurant, one of the best in the district. At that moment the day was cloudy and during lunch it rained quickly, as if it had waited for the motorcyclists to arrive at the restaurant so that the rain could start.
After lunch it was time to visit one of the main tourist attractions of São Francisco Xavier, the Pedro David Waterfall. Mantiqueira has many waterfalls, but the most accessible is Pedro David, with infrastructure and easy access. With the river full by the rains in the region, the participants enjoyed a beautiful show of the force of the waters.
Once again on the bikes, the final destination of the first day was Portal Equilibrium, a beautiful inn, exclusively for Explorers, in the middle of the mountains, with a privileged view to admire the beauty of the region. For motorcyclists, the winding road to go up and reach the inn brought even more emotion to their first day.
Unfortunately, not everything went as planned and some riders were victims of the steep climb, but luckily they left with only a bruised ego in the process and one more story to tell their friends. Everyone was presented with a beautiful afternoon with clear weather and pleasant temperature, as was also expected in the following days of the trip.
On the first day, around 125 km were covered. As the entire region is made up of very winding back roads, it is not a tour with long kilometers covered per day, but each kilometer of the chosen route guarantees riding pleasure, whether for the endless curves with good asphalt, or for the breathtaking landscapes of such size. beauty.
On the first night of the trip, good food and a lot of excitement from all the participants, some who already knew each other from other adventures and others getting to know each other there. The motorcycle and the GIVI were the elements that quickly united this privileged group on the trip.

On Wednesday, March 15th, after a hearty breakfast, the Explorers left the isolated inn in the mountains and took the back roads towards Campos do Jordão, a city popularly known as the Brazilian Switzerland. The day was sunny and the temperature higher. A quick stop for the group to hydrate and head towards Minas Gerais, to enter São Bento do Sapucaí, the municipality where Pedra do Baú is located, the largest among the postcards in the region.
The destination for lunch was Oliq, at Fazenda Santo Antônio do Bugre. To get there, the best way is through Estrada Cantagalo, a narrow and winding road practically all paved with ascents and descents, a good place to ride without any hurry with the bike and be able to admire the privileged view of Mantiqueira.
Oliq is located in the middle of the mountains, has a plantation with more than 10,000 olive trees and a restaurant, where its olive oils and regional products feature prominently on the menu. A tasty sensorial experience that delighted the Explorers. A curiosity was the exotic olive oil ice cream, among the dessert options.
Returning to the bikes, the motorcyclists had more fun riding the road that whimsically cuts through the beauties of Serra da Mantiqueira, completing the 130 km of the day’s journey to reach Campos do Jordão, a city that enchants visitors with its European architecture, cold climate, beautiful parks and Vila Capivari, a charming center where participants celebrated the end of the second day of the trip. On that day Marcelo, son of one of the participants, who accompanied the Explorers, had a birthday and the lively group made a point of singing happy birthday to him a few times during the day, certainly making this date even more special for him. There’s nothing better than the group’s excitement after another special day, combined with good food and live music.

The third day of the trip was more relaxed in terms of schedule, but no less exciting. The program was initially reserved for exploring the famous city at the top of Mantiqueira. The first stop was Amantikir Park. As a curiosity, Amantikir is the indigenous term that originated the word Mantiqueira and means mountain that cries.
Created in 2007, the Park has more than 700 species of plants over 60,000 m² and is open to visitors every day of the year. A place to take your time and admire every part and attraction of the park, polished and cared for like a beautiful diamond, leaving the trip’s participants impressed by the beauty they could see in every part of the park.
The higher you are in Mantiqueira, the more enchanting the view of the entire region will be. In addition to the high quality of the meals, lunch was special, as it had an incredible landscape, even better than usual for the day with sun and blue skies, and once again surprised the participants of the trip.
The group’s enchantment with the trip only increased with each stop. There is no shortage of viewpoints to admire the beauty of the region and in Pindamonhangaba, the Eugênio Lefévre Station, a railway station on the Campos do Jordão Railroad, at exactly 1,162 meters above sea level, offers yet another opportunity to admire more of the nature of the region. region in its lookout. As a curiosity, popularly this tourist spot is known as if it were Santo Antônio do Pinhal, however, the portal that marks the municipal boundary can be seen from the entrance to the station.
Time to return to the hotel in Campos do Jordão, which was relatively close. But as the Givi Explorer traditionally seeks to offer a memorable experience with motorcycles to the participants, the trip guide chose to take the longest and most fun way possible, guaranteeing the fastest and most exciting part of the trip for the participants.
After a nice shower to relax and recharge, everyone participated in the recording of some testimonials and then celebrated the end of another memorable day of motorcycling at an artisanal brewery in the city. Time for more joy, to catch up and remember the moments and challenges of the participants so far. On that third day, 100 km were covered.

Friday, March 17th, the 4th and last day of the tour and the group continues exploring the beauties of Mantiqueira Paulista. After breakfast, organize your luggage, check out and say goodbye to the hotel. Leaving the center of Campos do Jordão, the Explorers took their motorcycles up to Pico do Itapeva, the first stop of the day. The union and friendship between the participants were already very strong in this final stretch of the trip, connected by the magic of motorcycling. All in a great mood to explore the entire region of Mantiqueira to the fullest, aware, and grateful for the beautiful experience they were living. Arriving at an altitude of 2,030 meters at Pico do Itapeva, the group was rewarded by the day’s weather with good visibility of the entire region. Many times, due to the common fog at this point, it is not possible to see anything. Once again luck was on the side of the travelers. Following the region’s roads towards the GIVI factory, the motorcyclists again passed through Santo Antônio do Pinhal for the last lunch together on this special trip at one of the most popular restaurants in the region, Picanha & Pasta. Once again the beautiful gastronomy of Mantiqueira, together with the joy of the participants, marked the moment, but the last lunch was even better with the presence of two very special people: Hendrika Visenzi, President of the GIVI Group and Emanuela Pezzoli, from GIVI Italy. Great opportunity to exchange experiences, strengthen friendships and learn a little more about GIVI. Another very special moment for the participants. Again it was time to speed up the bikes, this time the final stretch of the day with about 1 hour to add another 75 km traveled through the region was the same as the starting point, the GIVI factory. Moment of celebration and farewell among the participants of this memorable trip. In sunny Pindamonhangaba another unforgettable edition of the Givi Explorer ended.