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One of the most astonishing underground attractions of Minas Gerais lies 60km northwest of Belo Horizonte on BR-040, opposite the junction for Sete Lagoas, and makes an excellent day out from the capital. Legend has it that a mysterious fugitive originally discovered this enormous cave and used it as a home. He became known as "Rei do Mato" (King of the Bush) and the name has stuck to the cave itself. The series of caverns (guided tours daily in summer, 8am-5pm; tel 031/3773-0888; $1) extends for over 2000m and is 300m deep in some parts, and includes some prehistoric cave art. The third room is particularly impressive, with two parallel columns formed by interlocking stalactites and stalagmites, and is regarded as the only equal in the world to the formations in the famous caves at Altamira in Spain. Buses from Belo Horizonte to Sete Lagoas (run by Setelagoano; every 30min from 6.30am to 1pm), Diamantina or Brasilia pass the cave; the journey takes about an hour. There is a bar open for refreshments at the site.
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