The total area of the municipality is 629 km2 and it lies at an elevation of 635 m in the foothills of the Serra da Chabata or Caparaó, which form the boundary between the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo.

[3] The Caparaó National Park is a national park administered by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and is located approximately 60 km southeast of Manhuaçu on the boundary dividing the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo.

In 1859 Emperor Dom Pedro II had ordered that a flag of the Empire be placed on the highest peak of the Serra do Caparaó.

The mountains of the Caparaó chain have landscapes of great beauty with numerous waterfalls and caverns.

It is the center of commercialization of coffee of the Zona da Mata, and there are offices and warehouses of the main exporting and processing companies of the country.