Isolated but fabulous, Diamantina is one of Brazil's prettiest and least-visited colonial towns. Surrounded by desolate mountains, it was the remotest mining town in Minas and the starting point for the Caminho dos Escravos, the old road to the coast built with the sweat, blood and tears of thousands of African slaves. Diamantina's fine mansions and winding streets haven't changed much in the last 200 years. Designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 1999, this cidade histórica is also the birthplace of Juscelino Kubitschek, former Brazilian president and founder of Brasília

Climate
Annual temperatures average 18.1ºC, with minimum and maximum temperatures of 14.1ºC and 23.8º C, respectively.

How to get there
By Plane: for those travelling by plane, the airports of Belo Horizonte are the ones mostly recommended, although there are a few flights to Juscelino Kubitschek Airport in the outskirts of the city.

By Road:
- From Belo Horizonte: take the BR-040 highway heading to Brasilia. take the BR-135 highway until Curvelo and then take the BR-259 highway.
- From Brasilia: Take the BR-040. After Três Marias, look out for the access to Curvelo (on the left). Go to Curvelo and take the BR-259 highway to Diamantina.

- From São Paulo: head for Belo Horizonte along the BR-381 highway (Fernão Dias).
From Belo Horizonte, Viação Pássaro Verde has five daily coaches to Diamantina.