Janelão cave
The valley's largest.
Faagoncalves — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Manu Alves — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edgar Corrêa Kanaykõ — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ascastilho — CC BY-SA 4.0 · LuizLaps — CC BY-SA 4.0
In northern Minas Gerais the Peruaçu River has cut a limestone canyon lined with huge caves and walls painted with rock art more than 10,000 years old. Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park was created on 21 September 1999 over about 56,000 hectares, and on 13 July 2025 UNESCO inscribed the Peruaçu canyon as a natural World Heritage Site. The park lies between the cerrado and the caatinga, mixing seasonal forest and wooded savanna, home to maned wolves, jaguars, cougars and ocelots. After works completed around 2014, several trails opened to visitors with eight caves among them, above all the giant Janelão cave, along with rock shelters covered in red, yellow and white paintings. A licensed guide is compulsory on every trail and each trail has a daily cap, so book ahead through the guides, who handle registration. The park received more than 14,000 visitors in 2024. The best time is the dry season from April to September, with lodging in Itacarambi and Januária.
The valley's largest.
Red, yellow and white.
Between cerrado and caatinga.
Municipalities of Januária, Itacarambi and São João das Missões, northern Minas Gerais
Yes; a licensed guide is compulsory on every trail, and each trail has a daily visitor cap.