Itinerary 2 - 4 nights, 5 days.

 

This itinerary has been designed to take in the key highlights of the Chapada dos Veadeiros at a level comfortable for individual visitors.

Crystal Waters is a tour for visitors wanting a more leisurely pace or less difficulty in walks and is suitable for children and older travellers or those not used to hiking.

Monkey Canyon is for visitors wanting a more challenging tour with longer walks and steeper trails and is suitable for more experienced hikers and fit travellers.

 

Crystal Waters

Day One

Both levels

Arrival at airport in Brasilia (up to 10 am).

Transfer from Brasilia to Alto Paraiso (3 hours).

Lunch in Alto Paraiso.

Guided tour to Vale da Lua, an extraordinary moon-scape of rock sculpted by the force of the SÃo Miguel river.

Transfer to SÃo Jorge, 25 miles (38 km) away, and to your chosen pousada.

Visit to view the sunset.

Dinner in  SÃo Jorge.

 

Day Two

Crystal Waters

Breakfast at your pousada in Sao Jorge.

Day hike of 5 miles (8km) in the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park. The circuit follows an old miners’ trail passing by the quartz crystal mines that gave rise to the settlement of SÃo Jorge. Along the way you will see a wide range of vegetation typical of the high altitude cerrado. We will stop for a swim and hydro-massage beneath the Pedreiras waterfall, one of the main attractions of the National Park, set in the rocky valley through which Rio Preto tumbles in a series of cascades and natural swimming pools. After a picnic lunch you will return along a small path shimmering with fragments of quartz crystal.

Visit to the relaxing hot springs at nearby Agua Quente.

Dinner in São Jorge.

 

Day Three

Crystal Waters

Breakfast at your pousada in SÃo Jorge.

Tour to two of the main attractions on the SÃo Miguel river, neighbouring the National Park. At Raizama, a private conservation reserve, we will walk 2 miles (3 km) on a circular trail taking in views of the 120 ft (40m) Raizama canyon and the gallery forest along its steep bank. At nearby Morada do Sol the 2 mile (3.5 km) trail follows the SÃo Miguel river and its lovely cascades and canyons. We will stop for a picnic lunch and a swim in the crystal waters of one of the many natural swimming pools.

Transfer to Alto Paraiso, 45 minutes away, to your chosen pousada.

Dinner in Alto Paraiso. 

 

Day Four

Crystal Waters

Breakfast at your pousada in Alto Paraiso.

Visit to Portal da Chapada, 5 miles (8 km) away. We will follow a trail decked in wood for some 1.5 miles (2.5 km) through typical cerrado landscapes and stop for a swim beneath the SÃo Bento waterfall. We will follow this with a visit to the neighbouring SÃo Bento farm, walking about1.5 miles (2.5. km) to the lovely Almeceges 1 waterfall with its 150 ft (50 m) drop and then on to the smaller Almeceges 2 waterfall for a refreshing dip in the large natural swimming pool.

Dinner in Alto Paraiso.

Optional: Abseiling down the middle of the Almeceges waterfall, a descent of 135 ft (45m) over rock and water and into a large natural swimming pool below.  Your safety throughout is carefully controlled by expert instructors so that this is an ideal baptism into the sport.

 

Day Five

Both levels

Breakfast at your pousada in Alto Paraiso.

Optional, depending on time of your flight, a trip by four-wheel drive to the magnificent Chapada viewpoint.  From the summit of Serra da Baliza, at an altitude of 4,500 ft (1,500 m), you will have a view over the whole Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park region.

Lunch in Alto Paraiso.

Transfer to Brasilia (3 hours, pm flight).

 

Monkey Canyon

Day One

Both levels

Arrival at airport in Brasilia (up to 10 am).

Transfer from Brasilia to Alto Paraiso (3 hours).

Lunch in Alto Paraiso.

Guided tour to Vale da Lua, an extraordinary moon-scape of rock sculpted by the force of the SÃo Miguel river.

Transfer to SÃo Jorge, 25 miles (38 km) away, and to your chosen pousada.

Visit to view the sunset.

Dinner in  SÃo Jorge.

 

Day Two

Monkey Canyon

Breakfast at your pousada in São Jorge.

Day hike of 7.5 miles (12km) in the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park through pristine cerrado to visit the Saltos do Rio Preto, a dramatic series of waterfalls cascading up to 360 ft (120m) into the lush green gallery forest and forming natural swimming pools. We will have a picnic lunch and on our return you will be able to enjoy a swim and a natural hydro-massage at the Pedreiras waterfall.

Visit to the relaxing hot springs at nearby Agua Quente.

Dinner in SÃo Jorge.

 

Day Three

Monkey Canyon

Day hike of 6 miles (10km) in the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park,visiting the spectacular rock gorges, Canion I & II, and the lovely Cariocas waterfalls on the Rio Preto river. We will stop for a picnic lunch and on the walk we will pass through a range of high-altitude cerrado landscapes with its distinct flora and fauna.

Transfer to Alto Paraiso, 45 minutes away, to your chosen pousada.

Dinner in Alto Paraiso.

Day Four

Monkey Canyon

Breakfast at your pousada in Alto Paraiso.

Transfer of 25 miles (38 km) to the Eastern border of the National Park. We will climb the ridge to the top of the Serra Geral do Parana, at an altitude of 3,500 ft (1,500 m), with fantastic views to the edge of the Chapada and into the VÃo do Parana valley far below. We will then drive to nearby Santuario das Pedras and walk for 2.5 miles (4 km) along the river valley in which the Rio Macaquinho has carved deep canyons of quartz rock and where great waterfalls of green plunge into natural swimming pools. You will stop for a picnic lunch, see the two waterfalls, Canion da Pedra Furada and Caverna, and then descend into the entrance of a 120 ft (40 m) canyon at which the Dois Saltos waterfall marks the merging of the Macaquinho and Fundao rivers. 

Early dinner, a tasty home-cooked meal at the Santuario das Pedras farm.

Return to Alto Paraiso.

Optional: Canyoning on the Macaquinho river covers about a mile (2 km), with four descents by abseiling. This adventure includes abseiling through a ring of rock, at the Pedra Furada waterfall, and over both rock and waterfall. You will also pass through deep canyons with narrow walls, great swimming pools and water slides, all the way to the Caverna waterfall at which you will abseil down 120 ft (40 m) into a natural pool of clear green waters below.

 

Day Five

Both levels

Breakfast at your pousada in Alto Paraiso.

Optional, depending on time of your flight, a trip by four-wheel drive to the magnificent Chapada viewpoint.  From the summit of Serra da Baliza, at an altitude of 4,500 ft (1,500 m), you will have a view over the whole Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park region.

Lunch in Alto Paraiso.

Transfer to Brasilia (3 hours, pm flight).

 

Terms

This itinerary of 5 days, 4 nights includes:

• Accommodation in São Jorge: 2 nights (both tours) at either Pousada Trilha Violeta or Casa das Flores;
• Accommodation in Alto Paraiso: 2 nights (both tours) at either Alfa & Omega or Pousada Recanto da Grande Paz;
• Meals on a full board equivalent basis (breakfast, lunch or picnic lunch and dinner);
• English-speaking guides, fully trained and accredited by ACV-CV and IBAMA on the basis of one guide per visitor group;
• Activities (including all entrance and service charges) as described in the itinerary, based on the visitor group as a whole selecting one of the two options, Crystal Waters or Monkey Canyon. 
• Return transfer by air-conditioned vehicle between Brasilia (hotel or airport) and the pousada (Alto Paraiso or SÃo Jorge).

 

Notes

• While visitor groups will be dealt with as individual bookings and their particular wishes accommodated wherever possible, visitor groups may be combined where necessary, at the discretion of the local operator, up to a maximum of eight persons per guide. Itineraries may also be adjusted at the discretion of the local operator due to climatic or safety considerations.
• Other languages can also be catered for (French, German, Spanish) at an additional cost, including native speakers if required;
• Itineraries can be tailored to individual requirements (e.g. extensions up to 8 day, 7 night hikes are available) on request;
• Special dietary requirements can often be accommodated if requested but extra costs may be involved;
• Prices are based on a minimum group size of 2 persons; rates given for children apply up to ten years of age.