{"id":34389,"date":"2025-07-02T17:20:01","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T20:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/julieta-santamaria-and-the-transformative-journey-along-the-caminho-da-mata-atlantica\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T17:20:01","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T20:20:01","slug":"julieta-santamaria-and-the-transformative-journey-along-the-caminho-da-mata-atlantica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/julieta-santamaria-and-the-transformative-journey-along-the-caminho-da-mata-atlantica\/","title":{"rendered":"Julieta Santamaria and the Transformative Journey Along the Caminho da Mata Atl\u00e2ntica"},"content":{"rendered":"

Julieta Santamaria was planning a bike trip across Brazil when a friend introduced her to the Caminho da Mata Atl\u00e2ntica. During their conversation, he dropped a key detail that caught the attention of the 25-year-old: no one had completed the 4,000 km trail that crosses the states of Rio de Janeiro, S\u00e3o Paulo, Paran\u00e1, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul.<\/p>\n

\"Mapa <\/p>\n

Map of the Caminho da Mata Atl\u00e2ntica<\/p>\n

In just three days, the Argentine woman, who had been living in Ilhabela for about 10 months, completely changed her plans. She sold her bike and other belongings and began preparing for the most transformative experience of her life: \u201cI felt a physical calling, unlike the bike trip I had been planning. When I saw the Caminho da Mata Atl\u00e2ntica project, I was enchanted! It was an opportunity to discover many new things and to complete, for the first time, a solo trek, which was a huge challenge for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

For six months, Julieta trained physically, alternating long hikes\u201420 to 30 km per day with a heavy backpack\u2014with running. She had no advanced knowledge of gear or mountaineering, but she set off anyway on a 195-day journey on foot, which she completed in June 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cI planned everything on my own, but right in the first days, I faced a big challenge. I tried to cross the Parque Estadual do Desengano, in Campos dos Goytacazes, when I noticed a storm approaching. The trail wasn\u2019t well-marked, so I decided to turn back. On the road, I met some people from the park who gave me a ride to the town of Santa Maria Madalena.\u201d<\/p>\n

From hardship to structured planning<\/h2>\n

Julieta soon realized she needed to plan better, and she received support from the team at Caminho da Mata Atl\u00e2ntica<\/a>. \u201cChico, the project\u2019s general coordinator, was arriving in the city and asked me to wait for him. Together, we started creating daily and weekly plans to see how my body would adapt. It was a good time to reflect on whether I was really willing to go through hardships. But I soon realized I was\u2014and I never stopped again!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Julieta <\/p>\n

Julieta and Francisco Schnoor, from Caminho da Mata Atl\u00e2ntica<\/p>\n

Along the way, Julieta was surprised by her own physical endurance, hiking 20 to 30 km per day with her backpack. Despite the anxiety of reaching the end, weather forecasts often forced her to deviate from the original route, enriching her experience through deeper connections with local communities. \u201cI felt welcomed the entire time. I made friends in every place I passed through. It was important to understand the culture and history of each people, what they live off, what they grow. I crossed five different states, from the sea to the mountains, and life is different in each one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the most remarkable places she visited, Julieta highlights the Serra Catarinense, where she saw the sky alternate between the sun and the full moon. In the final stretch, she walked about 400 km at elevations above 1,000 meters.<\/p>\n

\"Canion <\/p>\n

Julieta at Itaimbezinho Canyon, in Parque Nacional dos Aparados da Serra \u2013 Photo: Ana Momm<\/p>\n

The Marumbi Mountain Range in Paran\u00e1 also stood out for its beauty, history, and the challenge of a 12-hour hike. \u201cAlso, the Petr\u00f3polis-Teres\u00f3polis crossing was very meaningful because it was my first mountain trek.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Julieta <\/p>\n

Julieta at Marumbi \u2013 Photo: Ana Momm<\/p>\n

\"Travessia<\/p>\n

The diversity of wildlife won Julieta\u2019s heart\u2014along the way, she encountered tayra, capuchin monkeys, southern muriquis, tapirs, peccaries, wild boars, bush dogs, deer, and various snake species.<\/p>\n

\"Julieta <\/p>\n

Bush dogs<\/p>\n

\"Cobra<\/p>\n

Preserving the Atlantic Forest<\/h2>\n

Throughout the journey, Julieta observed a variety of Atlantic Forest landscapes, and now she advocates for conscious preservation of natural environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlong the way, we could see how better-preserved and more degraded areas influence the weather, temperature, and animal presence. It\u2019s incredible to know that so many species still survive. We must focus on environmental education\u2014teaching people how to live in harmony with nature. I always say: we don\u2019t care for what we don\u2019t know. Preserving natural spaces is a form of love, because without nature, we are nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discovering solitude along the Caminho da Mata Atl\u00e2ntica<\/h2>\n

During the 4,000 km journey, Julieta underwent a mental transformation that made her reflect on her existence.<\/strong> \u201cIt felt like a movie of my life was playing in my mind. When I was able to detach from my thoughts and silence my mind, I became more aware of what I was living. I felt more present. In our daily lives, we are used to thinking about the past and the future, but now I can inhabit the present. This experience made me much stronger mentally.\u201d<\/p>\n

She says she made many self-discoveries and became more forgiving of herself. \u201cSometimes we\u2019re very cruel to ourselves. I started this journey with only a vague idea of what it would mean, but I connected deeply with nature. Now I\u2019m trying to understand where this experience will lead me, because there\u2019s no turning back. I\u2019ve discovered what I truly want: to be closer to natural environments.\u201d<\/p>\n

An inspiration for other women<\/h2>\n

In addition to her personal accomplishment, Julieta\u2019s courage and determination serve as an inspiration to many other women. \u201cI\u2019m very proud of what I achieved because I heard many times that it was dangerous for a woman to do what I was doing. But throughout the entire journey, I never faced a risky situation. When people made comments that underestimated me, I laughed in their faces! I felt some anger, because if I were a man, no one would question my presence there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Julieta <\/p>\n

Julieta Santamaria with the Caminho da Mata Atl\u00e2ntica commemorative sign<\/p>\n

One example of the prejudice she faced occurred when she asked for directions in Santa Catarina. \u201cThe man put his hands on his head and said in shock: \u2018A woman doing this alone? You won\u2019t make it to the other side today!\u2019 I had already walked over 2,000 km! We need to occupy this space that has always been ours. I think it\u2019s important that we empower ourselves because society already limits us so much,\u201d says Julieta, who was also inspired by many women who farm and fish alone in their communities.<\/p>\n

Despite her initial fear of venturing into an entirely unfamiliar world, Julieta didn\u2019t freeze. \u201cWe need to chase our dreams and use fear as fuel to pursue what we want. For me, connecting with nature means connecting with myself, with who I am. This experience changed my life forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Curious to follow Julieta\u2019s full adventure?<\/strong> On her Instagram profile<\/a>, she shares the journey in detail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Julieta Santamaria was planning a bike trip across Brazil when a friend introduced her to the Caminho da Mata Atl\u00e2ntica. During their conversation, he dropped a key detail that caught the attention of the 25-year-old: no one had completed the 4,000 km trail that crosses the states of Rio de Janeiro, S\u00e3o Paulo, Paran\u00e1, Santa […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3586,"featured_media":34360,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1664,1665],"tags":[1738,1737],"class_list":["post-34389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hiking-and-trekking","category-national-destinations","tag-caminho-da-mata-atlantica-en","tag-long-distance-trail"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3586"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}