Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park

Veadeiros protects a high plateau of very old rock - Precambrian quartzite and quartz, some of the oldest exposed surface in South America - carrying cerrado vegetation on thin soils, with rivers cutting through it into canyons and pools. Inside the gate the main circuits run to the Canions I and II with the Cariocas falls, and to the Saltos do Rio Preto, two falls of about a hundred and twenty and eighty metres reached on a walk of several hours. Outside the park boundary, on private land, are the Vale da Lua, where the Sao Miguel River has scoured the rock into smooth basins, and a long list of other falls. It is one of two parks in the Cerrado Protected Areas World Heritage listing, with Emas. Alto Paraiso has become a centre for a mystical scene built around the quartz.

History

The region first grew with the 18th-century gold rush, when Cavalcante became one of Brazil's major gold producers, and the demand for enslaved labour in the mines left it home to some of the largest quilombo communities in Brazil, among them the Kalunga, descendants of people who escaped slavery. President Juscelino Kubitschek created the national park on 11 January 1961, and it was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2001; it covers 2,405 square kilometres in the municipalities of Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Cavalcante and Colinas do Sul (Wikipedia, Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park).

The landscape

• Quartzite plateau - among the oldest exposed rock in South America.
• Saltos do Rio Preto - falls of about 120 and 80 metres inside the park.
• Vale da Lua - river-scoured rock basins on private land outside the gate.
• High cerrado - the plateau vegetation on thin quartz soils.

When to go

May to September, the dry season. Three days.

Practical notes

Park entry is capped and must be booked online in advance. The Rio Preto circuit is a demanding several-hour walk with a steep return in full sun. Many of the best-known sites, including Vale da Lua, are outside the park and charge separately. Trails close after heavy rain.

Nearby

Sao Jorge is at the gate; Alto Paraiso de Goias is the larger base town.

Key facts