Porto Alegre · BR

Serviço Geológico do Brasil SGB/CPRM

Tucked into the Santa Tereza neighbourhood of Porto Alegre, the Geology Museum of the Brazilian Geological Survey (Serviço Geológico do Brasil, or SGB/CPRM) is a small, science-driven institution devoted to the beauty and geology of the mineral kingdom. Founded in January 1995 and run as the outreach arm of a public geological-survey company, it is part exhibition hall, part classroom. What makes it worth a stop for a curious traveller is the collection itself: minerals gathered from 23 Brazilian states and 52 other countries, including rarities such as tectites, meteorites and borax crystals, plus dozens of rough and cut gemstones. Visits are guided and by appointment on weekday mornings and afternoons, so the experience feels intimate and unhurried rather than like a big tourist museum.