The Caminho da Mata Atlântica (CMA) is a trail of more than 4,000 km along the Serra do Mar and Serra Geral mountains, between the states of Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul. It connects protected remnants of the Atlantic Forest. This once vast forest extended from Brazil's Northeast to its South, along the coast and hundreds of kilometers inland. It is composed of different ecoregions with high biodiversity and endemism.
The initial idea of the CMA came from Ernesto Viveiros de Castro, who was inspired by American long-distance trails, especially the Appalachian Trail. The concept was first shared publicly in 2012. Since then, a team has been built to realize the project. While parts of the CMA are already well established, other sections have yet to be fully implemented. Julieta Santamaria, from Argentina, was the first person to complete a thru-hike in 2024-2025.
I had the chance to travel and hike through the South and Southeast regions of Brazil in the past. I was amazed by the beauty of the Atlantic Forest, and I got the idea of creating a long-distance bike route there. I later learned about the CMA. I saw that it followed long stretches of dirt roads and bikeable trails. I decided to use them as the backbone to create a bike route. After an excessive amount of online research and mapping, I came up with a provisional itinerary. In 2024, I biked the 2,600-km route, which I modified as needed once there. It exceeded all expectations. The nature was sublime. The riding was varied and mostly traffic-free. It was often challenging but always rewarding. And the people met along the way were extremely kind.
The bike route and the CMA share the same priority: connecting areas of great natural beauty and preserved wilderness. But they differ for three reasons. I wanted the route to avoid pavement as much as possible, so it bypasses some of the roads and urban areas of the CMA. I also wanted the route to be a bit more direct than the CMA, which meanders quite a bit. The bike route is thus significantly shorter and more accessible for people with limited time. Finally, parts of the CMA inaccessible for cyclists had to be replaced by fun alternatives.
I received the direct and indirect help of many local cyclists for specific questions, but the overall project was mostly a solitary entreprise. I hope that the resulting route allows locals and foreigners to enjoy the highlights of the region. But there are a few caveats. Some interesting destinations had to be excluded because they required too much pavement or backtracking, such as urban centers (Rio, São Paulo) and islands (Ilha Grande, Ilhabela, Florianópolis). Still, they are either adjacent to the route or reachable in less than a day of cycling. Some sections are technical (Segment 1 and, to a lesser extent, the Serra da Bocaina in Segment 2) or require a lot climbing (most of the route outside of Segment 3). This makes them less accessible for cyclists with narrow tires, a heavy setup or insufficient gearing. I documented the route as extensively as I could to help others make their own version out of it.
Future
While the bike route often follows preexisting touring routes, it has only been fully ridden once. There is certainly room for improvement, such as minimizing pavement further or choosing more scenic alternatives in some places. Hopefully, as more people ride segments of the route, feedback can be collected to improve it. Feel free to reach out for any questions or suggestions. There is also potential to extend the route to the north, to Espírito Santo, the southern coast of Bahia, and maybe even further!