Lajedo de Pai Mateus

The lajedo is a wide exposed slab of granite in the Cariri, and scattered across it are boulders the size of small buildings, rounded by weathering and left balanced on the bare rock as the surrounding material eroded away. The effect is of something arranged rather than deposited, which is why the place turns up in film shoots. One overhang, the Pedra do Capacete, forms a shelter used in prehistory, and there are stone-slab tombs on the slab attributed to earlier occupants of the Cariri. Around it is caatinga, and the surrounding municipality of Cabaceiras claims the lowest rainfall in Brazil, which is the reason the region is so often used as a stand-in for the sertao on screen. Access is across a private estate and is organised and charged by the owners.

What you'll find

• Boulders on a bare slab - rounded granite blocks left standing on exposed rock.
• Pedra do Capacete - the overhang used as a prehistoric shelter.
• Stone-slab tombs - burials attributed to earlier Cariri occupants.
• The driest corner of Brazil - Cabaceiras and its very low rainfall.

When to go

May to September. Half a day. Late afternoon light is best on the boulders.

Good to know

The site is on private land and can only be entered with the estate's guides at set times. The track in needs a high-clearance vehicle after rain. There is no shade and no water on the slab.

Nearby

Cabaceiras is the base town; Campina Grande is north-east.