Campos do Jordão, Brazil

Welcome to Campos do Jordão, the highest city in Brazil located in the state of São Paulo. With a population of 52,405 (2020 est.) in an area of 290.52 square kilometres (112.17 sq mi), this charming municipality is part of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte. Campos do Jordão is a popular tourist destination, especially during the winter season when visitors flock to the city for its winter festival of classical music. But there’s more to this city than just music. Campos do Jordão offers a range of outdoor activities for tourists and winter residents, including hiking, mountain climbing, treetop cable swings (arborismo), horseback riding, and ATV and motorbike riding. The city is also known for its German, Swiss, and Italian cuisine restaurants, bars, and a cable car. There are many pousadas (inns) and chalets to choose from, making it easy to find accommodation that suits your needs. In order to cater to the large number of visitors, several bars, lounges, discos, and clubs open during the winter months. The city’s economy is based mainly on tourism, due to its location at high elevation in the Mantiqueira mountains, and traditional European-style architecture. Buildings are mostly vernacular architecture from German, Swiss, or Italian models. Many of the wealthiest residents in the state of São Paulo have winter country houses here. Despite the high income of many visitors, the HDI (0.820 in 2004) of Campos do Jordão is not very high because the owners of the houses in the best neighbourhoods are not regular inhabitants; these houses are used only during the holidays. The city can be reached from São Paulo mainly by road through the Rodovia Floriano Rodrigues Pinheiro. There is also a picturesque railroad from Pindamonhangaba, used mostly by tourists. At the end of the main road going through Campos do Jordão, there is a state park called Horto Florestal. The municipality contains the 8,341 hectares (20,610 acres) Campos do Jordão State Park, created in 1941. It contains the 503 hectares (1,240 acres) Mananciais de Campos do Jordão State Park, created in 1993 to protect the water supply of the municipal seat. It also contains the 28,800 hectares (71,000 acres) Campos do Jordão Environmental Protection Area, created in 1984. The Mantiqueira Mountains provide unique panoramic views, and the municipality’s region still has undeveloped old growth Atlantic Forest habitat. The native Brazilian Paraná pine (Araucaria angustifolia) is found here. A former state governor had a winter residence in the city, the Boa Vista Palace, which is now a museum in the city. Campos do Jordão features a subtropical highland climate/mesothermal but technically ever moist (Köppen: Cfb), although other sources define it as Cwb, which is more common for its tropical location, except for the definition of a dry season, there is no greater difference in climate modeling of the plateau climates. According to a detailed study on the climate classifications, it is affirmed that the Cwb is more frequent, but that Cfb appears more in the average in spatial distribution. In general, it is characterized with warm to cool summers (with abundant precipitation during the period) and mild winters but cold for São Paulo state. Although at a higher elevation than the higher portions than Santa Catarina, the latitude compensates for such a difference by giving winters a little warmer and with unknown snow over a long period associated with the drier mid-year air. As it is a montane vegetation and with mild temperatures, trees like Araucaria augustifolia is part of the ecosystem of the highest part of the Mantiqueira Mountains. The annual sweating evaporation is one of the smallest of the cities of São Paulo, which can tend to water deficiencies in the driest months. The average annual precipitation is approximately 1850 mm annually, concentrated in December and January. The average annual compensated temperature is 14.5 °C (although there are cooler cities, the cooler weather tends to last longer by averaging less than municipalities like Curitiba, Lages or Canela), falling to below zero in winter at the same time at a few degrees Celsius in the Paraíba Valley, with a thermal sensation that may be even lower, but there may be years with temperatures above freezing as in 1999. According to data from the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), since 1961 the absolute minimum temperature recorded in Campos do Jordão from -7.2 °C on June 6, 1988. For the Forecast Center (CPTEC) the winter of this year was the most rigorous of the records, for comparison between 2008 and 2018 the lowest temperature was only -3.8 °C, being urbanization is a factor of softer conditions. Outside this period, there are still other unofficial low-temperature records even lower, as -7.4 °C on 26 June 1918, -8 °C on 25 July 1923, and -8.7 °C in July 1926. The absolute maximum in the same period was 30.5 °C on September 17, 1961. In other two occasions temperatures reached 30 °C, being on September 21, 1961, and October 14, 1963, with only three available data available. Cooler temperatures are more common in June and July, but during the afternoon, they will be above freezing, often cool. Much of September and April is composed of pleasant days, hot days with 30 °C or more are almost null. The largest accumulated precipitation in 24 hours was 146.7 mm on March 10, 1965. Other large accumulations were 129.5 mm on October 14, 1995, 121.1 mm on January 24, 1964, 118.2 mm on March 8, 1966, 111.4 mm on December 24, 1971, 108.4 mm on May 25, 2005, 106.4 mm on December 14, 1971, 104.2 mm on December 2, 1963, 102.8 mm on November 20, 1971, and 101.2 mm on December 22, 1966. The month of the greatest precipitation was December 1971 when 606.6 mm was recorded. Coincidentally, the most auspicious day of average rainfall is Christmas with a 75% chance of net precipitation, remaining high between December and January. It is also understood that 75% of the annual rainfall is between spring and summer. The altitude variation and the presence of valleys make differences in the total amount in the municipality, and the humidity decreases towards the interior of the plateau. Campos do Jordão is a city that offers something for everyone, from outdoor enthusiasts to music lovers. With its stunning natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, and vibrant atmosphere, it’s no wonder that this city is a must-visit destination in Brazil.