Information About Chapada dos Veadeiros
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Famously known as the Waters Cradle, the Chapada dos Veadeiros is known for its amount of crystal clear water springs, waterfalls, canyons, amazing landscapes, historic trails and its hospitable people. This cerrado region is protected by the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, which has been honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Goyas Biosphere Reserve.
Located on the highest part of the Brazilian Central Plateau, Chapada dos Veadeiros is a 4.492 square-kilometer mesa. It is formed by mountain ranges, hills, fields, flatlands, grasslands, tablelands, moorlands, meadows, pastures and valleys. It holds some of the last, and biggest, sources of unpolluted river waters on the planet. The beauty of its landscape, blessed with waterfalls, sparkling natural swimming pools, amazing canyons and fantastic gorges (some of them towering 700m high), make this site an ideal place for traveling, hiking, rappeling, camping, cascading and many other outdoor activities. The Chapada dos Veadeiros region, National Park included, is one of the oldest geomorphological facets of the Central Plateau. It is an important convergence area for the Supergroup Veadeiros – a set of huge geological formation plates. These groups range from 650 million years to 2.1 billion years old. All of which formed in the Precambrian Era, before life appeared on the Earth, the reason why we can’t find any fossils around the Chapada. The tectonic meeting of these groups is what makes the region’s geology so exceptional. Over time, its diverse landscape has been shaped by all kinds of severe weather conditions and natural effects, forming valleys, canyons and waterfalls, which is the basis for its singular biodiversity. HistoryThe first humans to cross this region were the nomadic indigenous tribes of the Avá Canoeiros and Crixás, who came to the mountains for hunting and used to build temporary shelters. Around 1730, the first Brazilian Colonial Explorers arrived. They mined gold from water streams and settled in the first local villages. Alongside them, African Natives were brought as slaves. But soon, they ran away from the mining camps to the valleys, where hidden communities were established and still remain quite isolated, forming the Kalunga Community.
The founding of Mr. Francisco de Almeida’s Veadeiros Farm, in 1750, became an important factor for the future of colonization, but nothing remarkable actually happened from the decline of the gold mining era (1780) until the end of the Nineteenth Century. Only in 1892, significant transformations in the geographic, political and social life of Brazil’s central region came about. The creation of the Comissão Exploradora do Planalto Central (Central Mesa Exploration Commission), constituted by scientists, technicians and military staff, focused on demarcating the area for the future Brazilian District Capital. Expeditions occurred and the limits of the Capital land were set, but the Capital remained the same up until 1960, when Brasilia was founded. A year after the Capital was founded – 1961 – President Juscelino Kubitschek created the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, first called Tocantins National Park, which encompassed a huge piece of Brazil’s central region and all its natural beauty. In 1980 two important projects changed the region to its current size: The Alto Paraiso and Rumo ao Sol Projects. The first was a government project looking to develop tourism in the region, by laying urban facilities such as hotels, airport, roads, and fruit production, creating a regional development pole in the State of Goias’ northeast. The second one, led by a group of enthusiasts, focused on developing alternative communities, based on holistic and mystic concepts. For the first time in history, a fairly large number of settlers were attracted to the region coming from all over the country. The development of eco-tourism as an economic activity came as a later event. So, from the time of first explorers to current days, Chapada dos Veadeiros and its Communities have since experimented with many political, social and economic changes. Flora and FaunaThe Cerrado houses a great variety of species in all of its environments, which have lots of ecological resources at their disposal. Abundant communities with lots of individuals, in many cases with special adaptations thrive in this habitat. For example, 50 of the 100 Brazilian mammal species live in the Cerrado. Another 830 birds of all sizes; 150 amphibians (45 endemic); 120 reptiles (45 endemic); 90 species of termites; 1000 butterfly types; and 500 bees and wasps. Due to man-made interventions, the Cerrado has gone through massive modifications in various habitats, causing lots of species to slide into the verge of extinction.
The Cerrado’s flora is also very rich. It is the second largest Brazilian vegetative type, covering 20% of the territory. From grassy fields to dense forests, it presents a well diverse vegetation overall. Recognized for being the most biodiverse savanna in the world with many ecosystems, it has more than 10,000 plant species, with more than 4,000 being exclusive to this biome. Grasslands cover most of this territory. It is essentially covered by different grass types and small trees and bushes, divided in two groups: Cerrado Fields and Clean Fields. They differ by its terrain, soil compositions and elevations. The tallest trees of the Cerrado may grow as high as 15m tall in irregular structures. Only in places close to water, they may reach up to 25m high and usually have small leaves. In the sandy plateaus and warm rocky fields we find the most exuberant and exotic cacti, bromeliads, and orchids, with hundreds of endemic species. Not to mention unknown species that, before even being discovered, may be destroyed by men. |
The National ParkCreated on January 11th, 1961, by President Juscelino Kubitschek, the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park first received the name of Tocantins National Park for its magnitude of State-like dimensions. Protecting an original area of 625 thousand hectares (approx. 1.55 million acres), it has suffered two drastic reductions in the 70’s and 80’s, now keeping only 10% of its original size.
Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park has in its protected area a large amount of what still lasts as the intact flora and native fauna, with endemic species only found in the Altitude Cerrado ecosystem. It also protects the Rio Preto influenced area. This river is the natural divisor of Alto Paraiso and Cavalcante counties and forms many canyons and waterfalls, such as: Canyons 1 and 2; Cariocas, Garimpão – also known as Saltos 1, and Saltos 2 Waterfalls. The Saltos complex forms one of the most amazing and photographed landscapes of Brazil’s natural beauty, holding impressive heights of 80m at Saltos 1, and 120m at Saltos 2. In the early 90’s, IBAMA (Brazilian Environment Institute) and the local community fixed a visitation system that became a national model. Local tour guides were trained and visitors could rely on local expertise while in the National Park. By doing that, resources are directly generated to the local community, who naturally cares for the maintenance of the conservation unity. Nowadays, two local guides associations, ACVCV and SERVITUR, organize the category and maintain the partnership with IBAMA in accordance with its guidelines, as well as the guides’ recycling and trainee programs. The largest portion of the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park is designated for preservation only. But its core, the spine of the Park, the Rio Preto's water source is available for visitation, as the river runs through 40km forming beautiful canyons and waterfalls. Surrounding the Park's boundaries, there is an enormous amount of natural attractions inside private properties that owners let visitors access by paying a conservation fee in order to have the means to maintain the attraction. Click to set custom HTML
Terra Ronca State ParkOutside of the national park is Terra Ronca State Park - one of the largest cave and grotto sites in Latin America, many of which are still unmapped. These geological formations attract speleologists, tourists, adventurers, and curious individuals from all over the world, eager to discover the natural beauty, the crystal-clear rivers that form underground lakes, and the enormous inner chambers of the caves.
The park's vegetation consists of Cerrado, Cerradão, gallery forests, and Veredas, providing an excellent habitat for a wide range of animal species. The biological diversity is enormous: more than 150 species of birds and almost 50 species of mammals have already been recorded in the region. The region is also very well served by rivers, five of which belong to the Paraná Basin. Besides the caves, Terra Ronca also has waterfalls and a formation of hills, sculpted by wind and water, that resembles a stone city. We can offer multi-day trips to this area alone, or combine some days here with days in Chapada dos Veadeiros to get the best of both places. Ask for itineraries and prices. Note: It's very unknown place so the infrastructure is very simple - no paved road, not any structure inside of the caves, and there´s just very simple accommodation, restaurant and services. Sample itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival – Terra Ronca
Day 2: Terra Ronca – Angélica Cave and Palmeira Waterfall
Day 3: Terra Ronca – Terra Ronca Cave
Day 4: Terra Ronca – São Bernardo Cave
Day 5: Return to Brasilia
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