Mato Grosso is one of Brazil's main exporters of agricultural products. By contrast, the state is little developed when it comes to tourism. Sapezal's Secretaria de Turismo has found a way to combine the two businesses. Enjoy a visit to one of Sapezal's agricultural factories, watch how humongous farming machines harvest crops or have a look at Sapezal's hydroelectric stations in the Juruena River.
Agritourism in Sapezal – a Visit to Agriculturual Industries
When driving through Mato Grosso travellers are overcome by the extent of the state's agriculture; as far as the eye can see fields with soya, cotton or sugarcane stretch to the horizon. The area is conspicuously void of trees; trees invite birds to nest and birds eat crops, therefore all trees have been cut.
Sapezal is a young town, its fifteenth anniversary was celebrated in 2009. It is Brazil's second largest producer of cotton and has an important share in the country's production of soya and corn. Other agricultural industries are sunflowers and rice.
All agricultural industries around Sapezal offer possibilities in terms of agritourism. Depending on the time of year it is possible to arrange a guided tour to a factory or to have a look at a fazenda [ranch] where crops are harvested. Visits can be arranged to:
- Algodoeiras [cotton factories]
- Armazéns [storage of soya and grains]
- Factories of rice and popcorn
- Sunflower factories / fields
Techno Tourism in Sapezal – a Visit to Hydroelectric Dams
The Juruena River has been allocated for the construction of five hydroelectric dams whose construction is almost finished. Techno tourism is possible in the form of a guided visit to one or more of these hydroelectric stations.
Prices for guided tours depend on the number of visitors, as well as the distance and number of locations to be visited. Transfers to Sapezal can be arranged either from the airport of Cuiabá or Vilhena [Rondôndia]. Costs of transfer depend on the number of people and distance. Sapezal has a basic travellers’ infrastructure in terms of food, lodging and car rental.
Guided Tours in Sapezal
There are two options to arrange guided tours:
- Tourism Agency "Sucuri Turismo". Owner: Selvino Luis Marchetti. Rua dos Girassóis no. 1695 / Residencial Carolinas / Sapezal. Email: selvinoluis@gmail.com. Tel: [65] 3383 - 1954 / [65] 9613-0241.
- Ask for the tourist department at the Prefeitura [town hall] at the Rua do Cara.
Types of Tourism in Sapezal
Besides agritourism and techno tourism, Sapezal has developed three other branches of tourism: historic tourism to explore Jesuit ruins, indigenous tourism to visit Indian villages and adventure tourism at the Rio Papagaio.
Readers interested in hydroelectric dams may be interested in this article.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
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