Pirenópolis

Pirenópolis needs 2 days: touring the 18th-century colonial old town, with its stone and adobe churches, on one, and visiting one of the dozens of surrounding waterfalls -Cachoeira Santa Maria or Vale das Araras, with macaws nesting on the canyon walls at sunset- on the other. May-September brings the driest weather for hiking. It's mid-priced, popular as a weekend escape from Brasília. It was founded in the 18th century during the gold rush, and its Festa do Divino Espírito Santo, with horseback pageants reenacting medieval battles between Moors and Christians, is one of Brazil's oldest folk festivals.