Guapé: Furnas Lake, Culture and Waterfall

Guapé is shaped by Furnas Lake: the vast reservoir stretches through the town and combines a striking waterscape with the history of the place. There are also museums, vibrant cultural traditions and a waterfall in the surrounding countryside. When planning your trip, the question is therefore less about choosing a single experience and more about whether you want to focus on the lake, local history, culture or nature.

Furnas Lake shapes Guapé

Furnas Lake, also known as the Mar de Minas, was created by the reservoir of the UHE Furnas power plant, which was inaugurated in 1963. It is considered Brazil’s third-largest artificial lake and is the heart of Guapé. More than 60 islands appear on the horizon. During dry spells, sandy beaches emerge and change the appearance of the shoreline. The lake thus offers different landscapes without requiring you to look beyond Guapé.

Sport fishing and speedboat trips are available on the lake. If these experiences interest you, you can make them a focus of your trip; they are quite different from a visit centred mainly on local history or cultural traditions. Furnas Lake is therefore not only a defining feature of the landscape, but also a practical reference point when choosing between water-based activities and exploring on land.

Local history in two museums

The history of old Guapé can be explored through two museums with different focuses. The Bangalô is one of the few surviving buildings from old Guapé and now houses a museum that tells its story. The Casarão Museu de Guapé preserves furniture, photographs and everyday objects from the time before the reservoir. Together, these places draw attention both to surviving buildings and to objects from daily life in the past. If you would like to focus on Guapé’s past as well as the lake during your trip, these two museums offer different ways to explore it.

Cultural traditions

The Guarda de Moçambique is officially registered as intangible cultural heritage of Guapé. The Congado de Guapé also shows how many people are connected to this tradition: it brings together more than 400 participants, including men, women and children. This scale makes the Congado an important part of Guapé’s cultural traditions.

A Congo e Moçambique celebration takes place at Igreja Matriz N. Sra. do Rosário in the centre of Guapé. The setting places the celebration in the town centre. Together with the information about the Congado and the Guarda de Moçambique, it offers a cultural perspective on Guapé that extends beyond the waterscape. The individual traditions and their respective connections remain distinct.

A waterfall reached by hiking

In the countryside around Guapé, Cachoeira do Paredão forms a pool surrounded by imposing rock walls. Reaching it requires an easy to moderate hike with some steeper sections. Take the trail conditions into account when planning your day and consider whether the outing is suitable for your group. If you do not want to make the hike the main focus, the lake, local history and culture offer other ways to explore Guapé.

Plan your stay around your interests

When choosing a holiday rental in Guapé, it may help to first consider which experiences matter most to you. Furnas Lake offers a waterscape, sport fishing and speedboat trips; the two museums provide different insights into the history before and around the reservoir. Cultural traditions are another focus, while a trip to Cachoeira do Paredão requires a hike.

If you would like to add other places to your trip, you can also find Carandaí, São Sebastião Do Oeste, Belo Horizonte, Volta Grande, São Joaquim de Bicas, Cambuí, Jacutinga and Congonhas.

For the broader travel overview: Minas Gerais.