Serra das Confusoes National Park

Serra das Confusoes protects more than eight thousand square kilometres of caatinga, the thorn scrub and dry forest that covers Brazil's north-eastern interior and exists nowhere else on earth. The name comes from the tangle of ridges and blind valleys that confused early travellers. Sandstone here has weathered into canyons, natural arches and long shelters, many of them painted with prehistoric art of the same tradition as Serra da Capivara, which lies close enough that the two parks are joined by a corridor to make a single very large block of protected dry forest. It is one of the few places in the north-east where jaguar still hold a viable population, along with puma, giant armadillo and the caatinga's endemic birds. Visitor numbers are very low.

What you actually see

• Eight thousand square kilometres of caatinga - the dry forest found only in Brazil.
• Canyons and natural arches - the sandstone maze that named the range.
• Painted rock shelters - prehistoric panels along the escarpments.
• Jaguar country - one of the last viable north-eastern populations.

When to go

May to September, the dry season. Three days.

Honest expectations

This is remote: the nearest towns are small, roads are long and rough, and infrastructure inside the park is minimal. Permits and guides are needed. Heat in the caatinga is punishing and water must be carried. Wildlife is present but rarely seen.

Nearby

Serra da Capivara is north through the connecting corridor; Petrolina is south.