Ubajara National Park

Ubajara sits on the Ibiapaba escarpment, the long ridge that divides Ceara from Piaui, and the humidity trapped against it supports a pocket of wet forest inside otherwise dry country. The park is small - around six thousand hectares, the smallest in the Brazilian national system - and its centrepiece is the cave: a limestone system of linked chambers with stalactites, columns and named formations, entered on guided visits. Getting down is the other half of the experience, either by cable car dropping several hundred metres off the escarpment face in a few minutes, or on foot by a steep trail of about three kilometres that takes a couple of hours each way. The mirante at the top looks out over the plain, and there are waterfalls on the forest trails.

What you actually see

• A cable car off the escarpment - a few hundred metres of descent to the cave mouth.
• The limestone cave - linked chambers of stalactites and columns, visited with a guide.
• Brazil's smallest national park - about six thousand hectares on the Ibiapaba ridge.
• Wet forest in dry country - the humidity pocket held against the escarpment.

When to go

June to November. A day. The cable car queues from mid-morning.

Honest expectations

The cable car closes for maintenance periodically, and the alternative is a steep walk. Cave visits run in timed guided groups and cannot be done alone. The cave is not lit throughout. Fortaleza is a long drive away.

Nearby

Ubajara town is three kilometres below; Tiangua and the Ibiapaba plateau are north.