Sao Bento is the closest significant climbing area to Sao Paulo. It lies north-east of the city, and is about three hours away by car. Sao Bento’s main landmark is a rock formation called the Pedra do Bau. It is about 1000 feet tall and is home to a wide range of climbing routes from long multi-pitch trad lines to short, hard sport climbs. Lying next to Bau are Bauzinho and Ana Chata, two smaller formations. The rock is granite and the climbing is characterized by techy face climbing on small edges and crystals. There are a few cracks scattered around, but don’t expect to find perfect splitters like those in Yosemite or Patagonia. There are also many different sport crags (falesias in Portuguese) and good bouldering scattered around.
Sao Bento itself is a small mountain town. The people are friendly and you can walk just about everywhere you need to go. There is a climbing hostel that lies about 2 km outside of the center of town called Montanhismos. Here you can also buy the guidebook to the area and on the weekends, at least, find other climbers.
You can climb in Sao Bento all year around, although in the summer months (December to March) it can be pretty rainy. The best time to go is from May to September when the temperatures are a bit cooler, and the chance of precipitation (and lightning) is far less.
Getting There
There is a direct bus from Sao Paulo to Sao Bento once or twice a day. It stops briefly in Taubate, before heading north into the mountains. It leaves from the Tiete bus terminal in Sao Paulo, which is easily accessed by metro, bus, or taxi. If you have a car, just check out a map.
To access most of the climbing in Sao Bento it is very helpful to have a car. There are a few sport crags and bouldering areas that are easy to get to, but the majority of the climbing, although close to town, requires a several km drive up mountain roads.
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