The seven cities
Carved sandstone.
Mario Adriano Oliveira de Menezes — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michele Coronetti — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michele Coronetti — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michele Coronetti — CC BY-SA 4.0
Sete Cidades National Park, created in 1961 as Piauí's first national park, protects 7,700 hectares of savanna and babassu palm forest in Piracuruca and Brasileira, in the north of the state. Its main attraction is geological: groups of eroded sandstone rocks known as the 'seven cities', and it also has prehistoric rock paintings and inscriptions. A circuit of the seven cities by car along the park roads, with short walks at each stop, takes three to four hours, and between July and December a sunset circuit runs from 17:00 to 18:30. Entry is free and the park opens daily 7:00-17:00; visits are made with a tour guide accredited by the parks agency, listed on the park's official channels.
Carved sandstone.
Prehistoric art.
July to December.
Piracuruca and Brasileira, north Piauí
Three to four hours for the seven-cities circuit by car with short walks; entry is free.