Lower part
Falls and pools.
upslon from Belo Horizonte, Brasil — CC BY 2.0 · Rosimeria — CC BY-SA 3.0 · BazaFoto — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Brigiti Bandini — CC BY-SA 4.0
Itatiaia was Brazil's first national park, created by President Getúlio Vargas on 14 June 1937 in the Mantiqueira Mountains on the border of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais; its Tupi name means «many-pointed rock». It climbs from 540 to 2,791 metres, holds the sources of twelve river basins, and draws birdwatchers from around the world to its more than 350 bird species. The park has two faces: the lower part is dense Atlantic Forest with wide rivers, natural pools and waterfalls, easy to explore with a family; the upper part is a high rocky plateau with the Agulhas Negras peak and the Prateleiras rocks, a mountain-walking area at its best in the dry, cold «mountain season». Tickets are R$46, R$23 reduced and R$5 for residents of the neighbouring towns, and car parking is R$35. The lower part opens Tuesday to Sunday 8:00-17:00, the upper part daily 7:00-18:00, and the Visconde de Mauá sector daily 6:00-18:00. Buy tickets ahead on the official website, as numbers are limited and sell out in season.
Falls and pools.
The rocky plateau.
350+ species.
Mantiqueira Mountains, on the Rio de Janeiro-Minas Gerais border
Yes, buy them in advance on the official website, as numbers are limited and sell out in season; tickets are R$46.