The Rio Preto falls
A 120-metre drop.
Adelano Lázaro — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lfcassino — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marina Campos Vinhal — CC BY 2.0 · Marcelo85photo — CC BY-SA 3.0
Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park protects a high plateau in the Cerrado savanna of north-eastern Goiás, estimated at 1.8 billion years old, with some of the oldest rocks on Earth; rising to 1,650 metres, it is the highest plain in central Brazil. President Juscelino Kubitschek created it in 1961, UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 2001, and in 2017 it was enlarged to about 240,000 hectares. Its trails follow the Rio Preto through canyons and over rock studded with quartz crystals. The classic Trilha dos Saltos leads to the Rio Preto falls, the highest of them 120 metres, and to the Corredeiras rapids; other trails go to Cânion II and the Cariocas falls. The park's wildlife includes pampas deer, maned wolves, jaguars and giant anteaters. The entrance is at the village of São Jorge, 36 kilometres from Alto Paraíso de Goiás. Walkers must enter between 8:00 and 12:00, and a paid van covers part of the Saltos trail.
A 120-metre drop.
Water between rock walls.
A 1.8-billion-year plateau.
Entrance at the village of São Jorge, Alto Paraíso de Goiás
Walkers enter between 8:00 and 12:00 at São Jorge, so start early for the long Saltos trail.