Sunset colours
From gold to red.
Rubens de Camargo Vianna Filho — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marcel Favery — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original: João D'Andretta Derivative work: Aristeas — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Jalapão dunes are a field of orange-gold sand rising in the middle of the Cerrado savanna at the foot of the Serra do Espírito Santo. They formed as the range's sandstone eroded and the wind carried the sand here and piled it up over time. At sunset the sand turns from gold to orange and then to shades of red, so groups arrive in the afternoon and stay until the sun goes down. To protect the dunes, visitors walk only on the paths their guides indicate and return the same way. Entry is free but only with a licensed guide or local conductor, and daily numbers are capped; afternoon entry is allowed until 17:30 and everyone must leave by 18:30. The morning hike up the Serra do Espírito Santo, also with a guide, is another highlight of the park.
From gold to red.
Behind the dunes.
To protect the sand.
Jalapão State Park, near Mateiros, Tocantins
Late in the day: groups enter in the afternoon until 17:30 and stay for sunset, and everyone must leave by 18:30.