Mountain Region

For those who prefer mountains and cool weather, Espírito Santo has its mountain region where there are towns with chalets and narrow cobblestone streets. The inhabitants are, in the main, descended from Italians and Germans. The mountain region covers 77% of the area of the state, and among the mountains are cultivated valleys and small stretches of the Atlantic Forest, where there are masses of orchids and bromeliads and hundreds of humming birds. The mountains provide an opportunity for agricultural tourism, a new kind of tourism which is attracting many people. The local people celebrate traditional festivals, such as the Festival of German Immigration (Sommerfest); the Festival of the Blue Stone Strawberry, in Domingos Martins; and the Settler Festival, in Santa Maria de Jetiba.

The mountain region also has Santa Teresa, 50 kilometres from Vitória, which is the land of humming birds and the naturalist Augusto Ruschi, who founded the Museu Mello Leitão there. In the middle of the town, the forested area is home to more than 20 species of humming birds, as well as thousands of animals and plants.