Montes Claros

Montes Claros is a city of 413,000 people (2020) in Northern Minas Gerais. It has several natural, historical and cultural attractions, such as the Municipal Parks Milton Prates, Guimarães Rosa and Sapucaia, which are important green areas, and buildings such as the Cathedral of Nossa Senhora Aparecida and the Igrejinha dos Morrinhos, in addition to the various archaeological sites.

Montes Claros has dry and mild winters and rainy summers with high temperatures.

• Mário Ribeiro Airport (MOC  ^IATA) (6 km from downtown Montes Claros). Daily flights from Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo–Guarulhos, Brasilia, and Salvador. (updated Nov 2022)

Local buses, taxis and ride-hailing services are available. The central area can be explored on foot, but a car is useful for visiting attractions outside the city.

• Montes Claros has innumerous caves and 164 catalogued archaeological sites, among which the most important are the caves of Lapa Grande, where there is an underground river with a length of more than 1km. Lapa Grande is in the Serra da Vieira, 12 km (7.5 mi) from Montes Claros.
• Igreja dos Morrinhos.  
• Vieira River

• In the city there are several large parks, among which the most important are Parque Municipal Milton Prates, with a lake and zoo. In the rural area there is Parque Sapucaia, a forest reserve and Parque Guimarães Rosa along the banks of the Córrego Carrapato.
• August Festival
• Pequi Festival - Celebrating the pequi, a small pulpy fruit popular only in central Brasil.

• Ibituruna Center, Av. José Corrêa Machado, 1079, ☏ +55 38 3213-7894. Mon-Sat 10:00-22:00, Sun 12:00-18:00.  (updated Jun 2017)
• Montes Claros Shopping, Av. Donato Quintino, 90 - Cidade Nova, ☏ +55 38 3214-3300.  
• -16.717083-43.865351 Mercado Municipal, R. Mal. Deodoro, 63 - Centro. Mon-Sat 07:00 - 17:00, Sun 07:00 - 12:00. Covered marketplace full of vendors offering local produce, meats, dairy products and more.  

• Januária — A historic town on the São Francisco River.
• Grão Mogol — A historic mountain town surrounded by the landscapes of northern Minas Gerais.
• Belo Horizonte — The capital of Minas Gerais and a major cultural and commercial centre.
• Diamantina — A UNESCO-listed historic city in the mountains of Minas Gerais.