Container Da Lapinha

An encampment of small container cabins, the Container Da Lapinha is a great place to get away from it all in rural Brazil. The cabins are just a short walk from Lapinha da Serra, a beautiful mountain village just shy of 4000 feet in elevation.

The village is set in southeast Brazil about 350 miles north of Rio de Janeiro. Here you can enjoy hiking, waterfalls, great food, and the peace of nature.

The four container cabins are set on a small plot of land with easy car access from the paved road. But the tree-covered mountains that form the backdrop make you feel like you’re much further away from any civilization.

Each container is painted a different color, making it easy to tell them apart. But all four are 20 foot containers, though two appear to be refrigerated containers while the other two are the typical dry van containers.

While each container cabin has a few nuances, the designs and layout are pretty similar. All have a small bathroom inside, a table and kitchenette, bed, and porch or patio. Since all the containers are elevated above ground level, you get incredible views through the tops of the trees as well. The property also has a central outdoor space with a shower and grilling station. But if you don’t want to prepare your own food, it’s only about two blocks into the small village where you should be able to find something to eat and drink.

These container cabins are very simple and probably not the type of environment that most people would want to live full time. But for a weekend retreat from the bustle of the city, they are great.

You’ll notice that all the containers are raised on wooden pier foundations. While wood can be strong enough for containers, we do wonder if these were adequately engineered! However, they’ve been standing for several years, so that does bode well for them.

It’s also interesting to note that while two of the containers appear to be insulated refrigerated models, the other two have exposed metal corrugations both inside and outside the cabin, meaning no insulation. However, in a higher elevation tropical location like this, you can sometimes get away with no insulation.

You’ll also notice that some of the container cabins have fans, but none have air conditioning. Raised above the ground and in this mountain town, you likely get some nice breezes through the windows that you can supplement with a fan.