The canyon
The park's heart.
Msonohara — CC BY-SA 4.0 · LeandroGustavoValadao — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alandieri Bernal — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alandieri Bernal — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alandieri Bernal — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alandieri Bernal — CC BY-SA 4.0
Furnas do Bom Jesus State Park is a reserve in Pedregulho, in the far north-east of São Paulo state about 440 kilometres from the capital. It was created in October 1989 over some two thousand hectares and lies inside a deep canyon of the same name, whose waterfalls draw visitors. Altitudes range from three hundred to 1,073 metres, over medium-sized flat-topped hills and slopes cut by small canyons. The park protects one of the last remnants of cerrado savanna in São Paulo state, together with patches of Atlantic Forest, with gallery forest in the valley bottoms, meadows and marshes, and some threatened species. The plateau tops were long ago turned into coffee plantations and pasture and are now regenerating. Several universities, including the University of São Paulo, use the park for research, and it is open to public visits along trails between lookouts and waterfalls. It combines well with a visit to the nearby city of Franca.
The park's heart.
Along the trails.
A rare remnant in the state.
Pedregulho municipality, north-eastern São Paulo state
Franca, a short drive away.