Pedra do Chapéu
Old trail marker.
Jani Pereira — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jani Pereira — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jani Pereira — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jani Pereira — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jani Pereira — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jani Pereira — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jani Pereira — CC BY-SA 4.0
Chapéu Cave, the «Hat», lies in the Caboclos nucleus of PETAR in Apiaí and is rated a geodiversity site of national importance. It is named after a huge granite block resting on fluted limestone, the Pedra do Chapéu, once a landmark on the route used by mule drivers through what is now the Caboclos nucleus. The cave is three hundred metres long with a five-metre drop and has a closed visitor circuit of about two hundred metres that enters and leaves by the same opening, with small side passages. The route starts with a low ceiling at the entrance, after which the walking is easy. The German naturalist Ricardo Krone described it in the early twentieth century, and regular visits began in the 1980s. It lies on the Chapéu Trail, which takes in the Chapéu, Chapéu Mirim I and II and Aranhas caves, with steps, bridges and signs. Caboclos is quieter than Santana and has a campsite that must be booked ahead.
Old trail marker.
One opening.
Four caves.
Caboclos nucleus, PETAR, Apiaí, São Paulo state
No, after the low ceiling at the entrance the walking is easy.
