South America has dozens of National Parks, Natural Preserves, and Historic Sites beckoning for you to visit. Visit the links below to begin your adventure!
Brazil has over 40 official National Parks (not including state and local parks) set aside for preservation, and is currently adding to this list.
More Information on the National Parks of Brazil
More Information on the National Parks of Brazil
Amazônia National Park
More Information on Amazonia National Park
More Information on Amazonia National Park
More Information on Amazonia National Park
Aparados da Serra National Park
Imagine the Grand Canyon covered in lush vegetation, cascading waterfalls and thriving biodiversity. Nestled along the southern Atlantic coasts of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul among Brazil's most expansive canyons, five to be exact, is the 28,000 hectare National Park and conservation area. The area is truly comprised of two parks, Aparados da Serra and Serra Geral. The highlights of the parks are the Itaimbezinho Canyon and Fortaleza Canyon, which tower approximately 2,160 feet and 2,700 feet high respectively. In the late afternoon the mysterious fogs drift in, making everything a rulers distance from your face invisible. Hikers, campers, horseback riders and rappellers unite in this glorious manifestation of nature's contrasts!
More Information on Aparados da Serra National Park
More Information on Aparados da Serra National Park
More Information on Aparados da Serra National Park
Araguaia National Park
The Araguaia National Park is the largest fluvial island in the world. It is one of the largest and most representative natural environment preservation areas in Brazil. It is an impressive example of the transition area between the Cerrado and the Amazon forest biomes, and has the basic characteristics of these ecosystems plus that of the Pantanal. A diverse flora and fauna are present, particularly a very rich and varied avifauna with a predominance of waterbirds.
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Brazil's Indigenous People Resist Large River Modifications
© Environment News Service (ENS) 2001
May 30, 2001
Brasília National Park
Brasília National Park in the Federal District is famous for its water resources and offers visitors pools of running mineral water and leisure areas. There is the watershed of three important hydrographic basins - the Amazon, Plata and São Francisco - which occupy a central position in relation to the Brazilian territory.
More Information on Brasilia National Park
More Information on Brasilia National Park
Capivara National Park
The Serra da Capivara National Park was created to protect an area which contains the most important prehistoric heritage in Brazil. It is an archaeological park rich in remains, which have been preserved over the millennia through the existence of an ecological balance, which, today, is greary altered. The prehistoric remains and the local ecosystems are therefore intimately connected, because the conservation of the former depends on the balance of such ecosystems. This balance is so fundamental for conservation that it has been the decisive factor in the zoning and management of the Park and its use by the public.
More Information on Capivara National Park
More Information on Capivara National Park
More Information on Capivara National Park
Chapada Diamantina National Park
Created in 1985, the Chapada Diamantina National Park is a mountain area towering at more than 600 m above sea level located within the central region of the state of bahia. it's 152 thousand hectares of mountains, rivers, falls, and caves is equivalent to twice the area of Switzerland.
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More Information on Chapada Diamantina National Park
More Information on Chapada Diamantina National Park
Chapada dos Guimarães National Park
The Chapada dos Guimarães National Park in the State of Mato Grosso 65 kilometres from the city of Cuiabá, is commonly known as Chapada dos Guimarães. Situated north of the Pantanal, it is a jagged continuous escarpment of reddish sandstone with drops of up to 400 metres. Considered as the geodesic centre of South America, rivers rise there which go to form two of the largest and most important river basins in the world - the Amazon and the Plata. Situated at 800 metres above sea level the Chapada possesses a pleasant climate and can reach low temperatures in winter, mainly in July and August. A region of rare beauty, it also has beautiful waterfalls and rock formations, covered by small forests, clear fields and open pasture with stunted vegetation.
More Information on Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park
More Information on Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park
Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park
The Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park in Goiás State was created in 1961 under the name Tocantins National Park and the name was changed to Veadeiros in 1972. It is situated at varying altitudes between 1,300 and 1,500 metres, which act as watersheds of the Maranhão and Paraná river basins. Although relatively elevated, the typical vegetation of the park is savanna, represented mainly by fields and paths, with riverside copses on the banks of the water courses. Those fields and paths contain very fine species of palm trees, in particular the burity, growing near springs and water courses. On rocky outcrops rupicolous vegetation predominates, with various species of orchids and bromeliads. Of the existing fauna, the lobo-guará, deer, rhea, king vulture and various species of sparrow-hawk are worthy of note.
More Information on Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park
More Information on Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park
More Information on Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park
Emas National Park
The great attraction of the Emas National Park, in Goiás State, is its steep landscape characteristic of plateaux in addition to fauna that is easy to observe There one can see rheas, lobos-guará, great anteaters, crested seriemas, stags, deer and birds of prey such as the rufous headed falcon and the laughing falcon. With some luck one can also see felines. The great concentration of termites' nests, which accounts for the massive presence of anteaters, presents a curious and beautiful phenomenon: at certain times of the year it offers a night time spectacle when giving off a blue-greenish phosphorescent light produced by small larvae of termites which grow there. The best time to visit is in the dry season between April and October. In the sections of denser vegetation one may observe curassows and toucans, in addition to primates such as apes and cebus monkeys. Large snakes, such as the anaconda and boa constrictor are plentiful. The ecotourist infrastructure is precarious.
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Iguaçu National Park
The Iguaçu National Park is one of the best known Brazilian parks, as it contains one of the great spectacles of nature: the Iguaçu Falls. Its area is covered by sub-tropical rain forest, with large trees and an enormous variety of epiphytes, especially bromeliads and orchids. The fauna of the park is quite representative, although many species are reduced to small populations, such as the tapir, capybara, otter and the crab eating racoon. Among the large cats, which are rare and difficult to observe, the forest hides jaguars and cougars. Also in the region, sport fishing may be practised almost the whole year round in rivers famous for the presence of Salminus maxillosus and Prochilodus. There is a de luxe hotel in its interior.
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More Information on Iguacu National Park
More Information on Iguacu National Park
Itatiaia National Park
Situated in the Mantiqueira mountain range, on the border of the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, the Itatiaia National Park was created in 1937 and is now regarded as the first natural area in Brazil to be protected. It is strange to think that at the time of its creation it was believed that it contained the highest point in Brazil, at three thousand metres above sea level. Subsequently it was discovered that the Pico da Bandeira, in the Caparaó mountains, a ramification of the Mantiqueira range, was actually higher and another national park was created there too. Even later, it was discovered that the highest point in Brazil is in fact the Serra da Neblina on the border with Venezuela, nowadays also protected as a National Park.
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More Information on Itatiaia National Park
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park
The landscape consists of dunes up to 40 metres high, interspersed with lagoons of clear fresh water which form during the rainy season at the beginning of the year. The place: 155 thousand hectares, which go from the coast of Maranhão as far as 50 kilometres inland, which form expanding sandbanks. To reach the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park one must go to Barreirinhas, 370 kilometres from the capital. The rest of the journey is made by boat along the Preguiças river.
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More Information on Lençóis Maranhenses National Park
More Information on Lençóis Maranhenses National Park
Monte Pascoal National Park
Monte Pascoal, a peak 586 m high, was the first land sighted when the Portuguese discovered Brazil in 1500. The Park was dedicated in 1961 at which time it covered 22,500 ha; the Park's area was later reduced to 14,000 ha, with most of the excluded territory given to the local Pataxós Indian tribe (Padua & Coimbra Filho 1989, Soares & Ascoly 1970). Some of the 14,000 ha, especially the part nearest the coast, have been exploited by the Pataxós and are disturbed. The park lies ca. 250 km south of Ilhéus and extends westward from the coast 30 km to Monte Pascoal (16º53'-16º58'S, 39º07'-39º25'W; see satellite image). The area receives approximately 1,500-1750 mm per year of rainfall with 1-2 dry months per year. Annual temperatures average 22-24ºC (IBAMA/BA without date). The vegetation of the eastern part of the Park is restinga and mangrove and of the western part, southern Bahian wet forest over laterite.
More Information on Monte de Pascoal National Park
More Information on Monte de Pascoal National Park
Monte Roraima National Park
Monte Roraima National Park, created in 1989, covers an area of 116,000 hectares to the north of Brazil, in the state of Roraima on the border with Guyana and Venezuela. It is a region of beautiful savannah, intersected by rivers and waterfalls and is the location of one of the highest mountains in Brazil, Monte Roraima, 2,727 metres high. Shaped like a table, the Indians have named it "trepui". It is an immense plateau surrounded by savannah bordering the tropical forests of the Rivers Amazon and Arenoso. The mountain was the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World".
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More Information on Monte Roraima National Park
Pantanal Matogrossense National Park
More Information on Pantanal Matogrossense National Park
More Information on Pantanal Matogrossense National Park
More Information on Pantanal Matogrossense National Park
Serra da Bocaina National Park
Linking together Brazil's two largest cities, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, is the Serra da Bocaina mountain range. In the Tupi-Guarani language, Bocaina means "paths to the heights". In the past, difficult access to the region created an ideal haven for many fugitive slaves. Since 1971, 110,000 hectares of the region have become national park. Access to the "heights" remains difficult, preserving the natural integrity of the land. The historical towns of Bananal, Silveiras, São José dos Barreiros and Areias surrounding Bocaina serve as both doors to a rare natural wonderland as well as windows to a nearly forgotten past. Entering the park from the south, you stumble into the world of the early 18th century muleteers. Access the park from the north and you will find yourself surrounded by the gloriously lush Atlantic Rainforest. To really explore the region, you must set out onto the 65 mile "Trilha do Ouro" (Gold Trail). In terms of biodiversity and ecotourism, the "Gold Trail" offers a greater selection than Baskin Robbins, ranging from hang-gliding to home-stays with local farmers.
More Information on Serra da Bocaina National Park
More Information on Serra da Bocaina National Park
More Information on Serra da Bocaina National Park
Serra da Canastra National Park
The Serra da Canastra is the name of an area of 71.525 hectares in the south-western part of the Brazilian state Minas Gerais. It consists of a plateau with typical "campo rupestre" and "cerrado"-like vegetation, meaning a shrubby and dry savannah or bush landscape. The Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra was inaugurated in 1972 to protect this environment and its inhabitants, for example the Giant Anteater (tamanduá-bandeira, Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the Crested Caracara (Gavião carcará, Polyborus plancus), the Maned Wolf (lobo-guará, Crysocyon brachyurus) and the Pampas Deer (veado-campeiro, Ozotocerus bezoarticus).
More Information on Serra da Canastra National Park
More Information on Serra da Canastra National Park
More Information on Serra da Canastra National Park
Serra da Capivara National Park
Serra da Capivara national park was inscribed on the world heritage list by UNESCO in 1991. The region in which it is located is a remote semi-arid zone of northeastern Brazil. The park contains a great number of rock paintings at 297 locations. The numerous rock shelters of the Serra da Capivara National Park are decorated with cave paintings, some of which are more than 25,000 years old. they are an exceptional testimony of one of the oldest human communities of south america. there are about 15 archaeological sites set to receive visitors. runways, protection bars and adequate lights provide an almost real "back in time" journey to the tourists. dance, hunt, war, and sex themes can be seen on the more than 25 thousand wall paintings.
More Information on Serra da Capivara National Park
More Information on Serra da Capivara National Park
More Information on Serra da Capivara National Park
Serra do Cipó National Park
In Minas Gerais in the South East is the Serra do Cipó National Park which has trails that lead to pre-historic caves with rock inscriptions and carvings of fish and animals that according to archeologists were made more than 8,000 years ago, and a 15,000 year old cemetery that is one of the oldest known in the world. There are also innumerous waterfalls and kilometers of paths that are crossed by streams and rivulets and surrounded by spectacular landscapes for the more adventurous hiker. The highlights are the Cachoeira da Farofa (Farofa Waterfall) and the hikes to the Cânion das Bandeirinhas (Banderinhas Canyon) and to the Cachoeiras do Gavião and Andorinhas (Gavião and Andorinhas Waterfalls) The park also offers an ideal environment for rappel, canyoning, climbing and kayaking.
More Information on Serra do Cipo National Park
More Information on Serra do Cipo National Park
Sete Cidades National Park
In the interior of Piauí, nature built seven sandstone sculptures: "As Sete Cidades" (The Seven Cities). Therefore, to preserve the area, the National Park of Seven Cities was created, surrounded by intriguing rocky formations, peaks and scarps.
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Tumucumaque National Park
Located in the Brazilian state of Amapá, and bordering French Guyana and Suriname, Tumucumaque National Park covers 38,867 square kilometres (almost the size of Switzerland) and will ensure full protection of an important part of the Amazon Forest. Many species live there that are found nowhere else in the world, especially fish and aquatic birds, as do jaguars, numerous primates, sloths, paccas and agoutis, freshwater turtles and the harpy eagle.
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More Information on Tumucumaque National Park
Ubajara National Park
The smallest of the 35 national parks of Brazil, covering an area of 563 hectares, the greatest treasure of the Ubajara National Park, in Ceará, is the Ubajara grotto. Set in a hillside in the Ibiapaba mountains, 320 kilometres from Fortaleza, the grotto has impressive stalactite and stalagmite formations, the result of nature's patient work with limestone and water over many thousands of years - each centimetre of crystallised growth takes three years to form.
Access to the grotto is by chairlift. The park has waterfalls and paths through the forest. Visits are supervised by Ibama, the national body for environmental conservation, and must be arranged in advance. Other attractions in the Ibiapaba mountains include Morro do Céu, 820 metres high, and Pedra de Itagurussu, the source of the Pirangi waterfall.
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Xingu National Park
The Parque Nacional Indigena do Xingu was founded in 1961 with the help of the Villas-Boas and today has an estimated population of 6000, spread throughout 30 villages from 17 indigenous nations. The Parque is located in the northern state of Mato Grosso and occupies 2.3 million hectares, an area 30% larger than that of the state of Israel. Originally planned to be 120,000 square miles in area, by the time the Park’s creation was officially ratified, it had shrunk to 12,000 square miles. The area is administered by Funai (Indian National Foundation) and is under direct supervision of the Brazilian Justice Ministry.
More Information on Xingu National Park
More Information on Xingu National Park
