Table mountains
Flat summits.
Otávio Nogueira from Fortaleza, BR — CC BY 2.0 · Otávio Nogueira from Fortaleza, BR — CC BY 2.0 · Otávio Nogueira from Fortaleza, BR — CC BY 2.0 · Otávio Nogueira from Fortaleza, BR — CC BY 2.0 · Dante Laurini Jr — CC BY-SA 3.0
Chapada das Mesas, the «Plateau of Tables», is a region of southern Maranhão known for its flat-topped sandstone mountains, which stand over the Brazilian savanna, the cerrado, like giant tables. The national park was created here on 12 December 2005 over about 160,000 hectares in the municipalities of Carolina, Riachão and Estreito, to protect untouched cerrado threatened by advancing farmland, and it holds more than 400 springs feeding the region's rivers. Giant anteaters, ocelots, cougars and the bare-faced curassow live in the park; its highest ground reaches about 700 metres, and temperatures range from 15 to 39 °C. Its best-known sights within its limits are the São Romão and Prata waterfalls on the Farinha River, while many of the region's other attractions, such as the Pedra Caída complex, lie outside the park. Visitor facilities inside the park are limited and the dirt roads need four-wheel drive, so visits are usually organised tours with guides from the town of Carolina, the region's base. The best time is May to September, when the roads dry out and the water runs clear.
Flat summits.
On the Farinha River.
Untouched savanna.
Municipalities of Carolina, Riachão and Estreito, southern Maranhão
On an organised 4x4 tour with a guide from Carolina, since the roads are dirt and facilities are limited.