Aragonite flowers
Rare crystals.
Luan Alves Chaves — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Leonardo Palermo Gentile — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Luan Alves Chaves — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Aivuk — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Luan Alves Chaves — CC BY-SA 4.0
Caverna Santana is PETAR's most visited cave, in the Santana nucleus on the road between Apiaí and Iporanga, and one of the longest caves in São Paulo state. The German naturalist Richard Krone described it as the «Rio Roncador cave», and stone tools found on the terrace in front of its entrance show that prehistoric hunter-gatherers lived here. Its best-known chambers are the Flowers' Hall, covered in thousands of aragonite «flowers», and the Taqueupa Hall, whose formations rank among the most beautiful in the world. Visitors can see 495 metres of it, going in and out through the same entrance, on a tour of about an hour and a half along a dry path. The Santana nucleus fee is R$19; the tour must be taken with an accredited environmental guide, paid separately, with entry Tuesday to Sunday until 16:00.
Rare crystals.
Famous formations.
A gentler tour.
Santana nucleus, PETAR, on the Apiaí-Iporanga road
About an hour and a half over 495 metres, with a compulsory accredited guide.