Discover Campos Novos

Campos Novos combines architectural history and festival traditions with nature trails that require careful planning. The Casa da Cultura and the centrally located Paróquia offer cultural highlights; the municipality also features a waterfall, a viewpoint, and araucaria trees as natural attractions. When planning a trip together, it is worth considering culture and trails as different priorities: architectural history and festival traditions sit alongside routes of varying lengths, with different vehicle or guide requirements.

Architectural History, Church Art, and Festival Traditions

The Casa da Cultura Cel. Gasparino Zorzi was built in 1919 in the eclectic style. It is considered the city’s first building with French roof tiles. This gives architectural history a concrete point of reference: alongside its stylistic designation, the building is distinguished by this particular roofing feature. The Paróquia São João Batista offers a different cultural perspective. It is centrally located in Campos Novos, opposite Praça Lauro Müller; its interior features wood sculptures, stained-glass windows, and paintings. Thus, a distinctive feature of the building’s history and a richly varied interior stand side by side as different themes.

The Festa de São João Batista is part of the festival tradition and is traditionally organized by the Paróquia São João Batista on June 24. The festivities include a bonfire, bingo, a dance, and market stalls. A municipal law passed in 2024 declared the Festa an intangible cultural heritage of the municipality; it is also to be included in the official annual event calendar. If you would like to plan your trip around the festival, check the event dates for the relevant year.

Trails and Nature Experiences in the Municipality

The Trilha do Lajeado do Roberto is a 3,090-meter loop trail. You need your own vehicle to reach the trailhead, which is about 2.5 kilometers from the starting point; the hike must be taken with a guide. Highlights include the approximately two-meter-high Lajeado waterfall and a suspension bridge or viewpoint around 40 meters above the waterfall. Natural gorges and araucaria trees surround the cascade. If you plan this tour, be sure to account for both the vehicle and guide requirements.

The Circuito do Vale dos Angicos connects sections of the Trilha das Águas, Trilha do Lajeado Pequeno, and Trilha do Lajeado do Roberto with internal park roads. It is 8,300 meters long, and the route must be led by park staff. This sets it apart from the Lajeado do Roberto loop both in its route across several trails and park roads and in its explicit requirement for a park staff guide.

The Trilha do Mirante, by contrast, is a short, easy loop of about 877 meters. It offers a chance to experience naturally regenerating areas and landscapes. Before arriving, it is advisable to check whether bookings are available for this trail. This gives you three different points of reference when choosing: the short, easy Mirante loop, the guided Lajeado do Roberto trail, which requires your own vehicle to reach the trailhead, and the longer Circuito do Vale dos Angicos, guided by park staff.

Plan a Stay That Suits You

When planning a trip together, it helps to first decide what you would like to focus on. The architecture and centrally located Paróquia offer specific cultural themes; the trails in the municipality have their own lengths and guide requirements. If you are considering several activities, compare not only the route lengths but also factor in the vehicle and guide requirements for each one. If you would like to experience the Festa de São João Batista, you can also take its traditional date into account when choosing your travel dates and check the dates for the relevant year. With these priorities in mind, you can search for a holiday rental in Campos Novos that suits the stay you actually have planned.

Discover more destinations: São Bonifácio, Rio Dos Cedros, Itapoá, Fragosos, São José do Cedro, Jaraguá Do Sul, Pirabeiraba, Ascurra.

For the broader travel overview: Santa Catarina.