The national tree
Brazil's namesake.
Renato Augusto Martins — CC BY-SA 4.0 · WikiFertilizer — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Igor Camacho — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Renato Augusto Martins — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hector Bottai — CC BY-SA 4.0
Pau Brasil National Park is one of Bahia's most important nature reserves, lying entirely within the municipality of Porto Seguro between the Frades and Buranhém rivers, and protecting some nineteen thousand hectares of dense Atlantic Forest on the coastal plain. It was created by decree on 20 April 1999 and enlarged in 2010. The park takes its name from the brazilwood, the red-wooded tree that gave Brazil its name, and brazilwood trees still grow in its forest alongside seventy-one endemic plant species. Large threatened animals such as the jaguar, the puma and the harpy eagle live here. Its flat terrain is cut by deep streams, most of which rise within the park, and temperatures range between 21 and 26 °C. Since 2018 a company has run visitor services for a fee, with visits along forest trails. The park makes a refreshing nature break from Porto Seguro's beaches; bring insect repellent and comfortable shoes.
Brazil's namesake.
Dense coastal woods.
Jaguar and harpy eagle.
Between the Frades and Buranhém rivers, Porto Seguro municipality, Bahia
After the red-wooded tree that gave Brazil its name.