Serra do Cipo National Park

Serra do Cipo is the southern end of the Espinhaco range, and its interest is botanical before it is scenic: the campo rupestre, the rocky high grassland that covers it, is one of the most species-rich vegetation types anywhere, full of everlasting flowers, velloziaceae, orchids and bromeliads, with a very high proportion found on this range and nowhere else. The walking is on open grassland and quartzite between waterfalls - Farofa, Grande, Serra Morena - with Cachoeira da Farofa the standard long walk in from the entrance. The Cipo canyons hold clear pools. It is close enough to Belo Horizonte to fill at weekends, and the MG-010 road through it is a well-known drive, but the interior trails empty out quickly.

What you actually see

• Campo rupestre flora - a rocky grassland with very high numbers of local endemics.
• Waterfalls on long walks - Farofa, Grande and Serra Morena among them.
• Quartzite canyons - clear pools cut into the rock.
• The Espinhaco range - the southern end of the ridge running north into Bahia.

When to go

April to September for dry walking. Two days. Weekdays are much quieter.

Honest expectations

Farofa is a long flat walk of several hours return with no shade. Several of the best falls are on private land and charge separately. The park fills at weekends and holidays. Flowering is seasonal, so the botany can look plain out of season.

Nearby

Belo Horizonte is south; Diamantina is north along the Espinhaco.