Brazil

Serra da Capivara - 6 days / 5 nights

exotic scenery with archaeological sites and caverns decorated with rock paintings.

By itself, Parque Nacional da Serra da Capivara would already be a natural spectacle … but its underground and the interior of its caves and caverns which collaborate to turn the park into a sanctuary. Here 545 archeological sites are scattered in an area somewhat smaller than the city of São Paulo, divided among plateaus, bottoms of canyons, inside the caverns. In every corner, primitive paintings color the walls with scenes of the daily routine of our forefathers; hunting, community, animals, everything is portrayed on the lateral sides of the caverns and " burrows". Besides the paintings, bones, ceramics and remnants of campfires are constantly found in the excavations, revealing signs that human occupation of the region dates back to about 50 thousand years.

Any person (accompanied by professionals of the region) may participate of excavations, transforming himself temporally into an aspirant of Indiana Jones. Provided with brushes, tweezers and plastic bags, researchers and tourists let themselves be involved by the historical climate, transporting themselves back by thousands of years. Without any doubt, a unique and rare moment lived at the source of American civilization.

1st day: São Raimundo Nonato
From Petrolina, transfer of approximately 3h30 minutes until São Raimundo Nonato and moving into the hotel. Supper.

2nd day: Parque Nacional da Serra da Capivara
After breakfast, outing towards Parque Nacional da Serra da Capivara. Arrival at the Belvedere
a pause for being dazzled by the rich and exotic scenery of the region. We go on walking and reach the Capivara ravine, with its numerous archaeological sites rich in primitive paintings. Many of these pictures are, in fact, communication codes of these ancient peoples. We have our lunch right there, in the picnic areas of the park. We then walk on until the Boqueirão do Paraguaio with paintings of more than 1,50 m. In the late afternoon we return to São Raimundo Nonato. Supper at the hotel.

3rd day: Caldeirão do Rodrigues - Baixão do Perna - Baixão das Andorinhas
We have breakfast, and head for the excavation sites of the plateau, on a long walk, passing through very beautiful trails and getting to know new archaelogical sites. On the walls, hunting scenes, of community life and of animals from that time. We return to the town and have lunch at the hotel. In the afternoon we leave towards the Baixão do Perna and its important paintings sites. Arrival at Baixão das Andorinhas a humid clearing which holds portions of Forest. There we shall observe the spectacle presented by the birds, which, at this time, return to sleep in the canyon. Afterwards we return to supper at the hotel.

4th day: Trilha de Hombu - Arkeópolis
After breakfast, outing to the Hombu trail - which in the YÊ language means: " Come and see, come with me."
The trail leads us to a real journey in time, traveling all over various types of landscapes and vegetation which harbor a rich fauna besides endemic species like the small sierra lizard (dark lizard with bright red back). Many other species can be observed: monkeys as macacos - prego, red headed woodpeckers, long tailed rats, bush canaries and other birds. We find a great quantity of burrows and archaeological sites, which shall reveal to us information about the cultures and pre-historical people through anthropical manifestations with their primitive paintings.

5th day: Toca de Cima dos Pilões - Baixão das Mulheres - Boqueirão da Pedra Furada
Breakfast at the hotel. Visit to the region of Pedra Furada, starting our hike from Toca de Cima dos Pilões - a cavern in which were found traces of sabre tooth tigers. We walk through the Baixão das Mulheres and visit 3 more archaeological sites with primitive paintings. Pause for a snack in the visitors centers of the park and showing of a video about the work which the Museum of the American Man Foundation (Fumdham) carries out together with the local community. Later, we follow onto the support nucleus of the Barreirinho Community, a professional school where the Fumdham Ceramics Workshop is located. Visit to Sítio do Meio, a place of important discoveries made until now (currently being excavated) and to Boqueirão da Pedra Furada, the oldest archaeological site of the Americas, where a show of light at night makes the more than a thousand sets of primitive paintings stand out.
We return to the hotel for supper.

6th day: Museu do Homem Americano - São Raimundo Nonato
After breakfast, we make use of the last moments for enjoying the town and for a last visit to the Museum of the American Man. We return for lunch and we leave São Raimundo Nonato. Transfer to Petrolina.

Prices per person, in US Dollar - Ground only :

High season: The months: December, January,February and July and when the following holidays occur during your trip: Carnival, Easter, April 21st, May 1st, All Saints, September 7th, the week of October 12th, November 2nd, November 15th.