Brazil's Chapada dos Veadeiros

Brazil is a vast country covering a range of habitats which one can’t hope to cover in one visit, but it’s always fascinating to discover hidden corners or finally visit areas one has only heard about. I felt like that when I was asked to participate in a travel event called, appropriately enough, ‘Remote’, which was to be held in the Chapada dos Veadeiros, about 200km north of Brasilia. This national park was created in 1961 and added to UNESCO’s World Heritage register in 2001. Today it covers 240 thousand hectares: cerrado savanna and rugged mountain outcrops punctuated by gallery forest with pretty waterfalls.

The national park has (at the moment) only one entrance, in the village of Vila de São Jorge. There are two main trails that are worth doing from here, both well signed but it is best to go with a guide who will make sure you take the loop walks in a sensible order and can explain the cerrado vegetation. There are waterfalls, and several pools where swimming is possible.

São Jorge is a charming village. It was originally called Baixas (in contrast to nearby Alto Paraíso) and was a mining centre, particularly important for the quartz crystals used for radio communication during the second world war. With synthetic crystal production mining was no longer viable and the construction of Brasilia in the 1950s meant most workers left. Tourism has provided the village with new life, and there are many small inns, shops and restaurants.

Alto Paraíso is the area’s largest town, with a good selection of hotels, restaurants and shops. Remnants of its hippy origin remain in the number of artisan shops, and inns with an extra-terrestrial theme. As most of the visitor sites are outside the national park, Alto Paraíso makes a convenient base.

The best time to visit is April to August, avoiding July because of local holidays, as there is still plenty of water in the rivers. December/January is peak rainy season, and although rainy days are still common the tendency in recent years has been for sharper showers followed by sun. There are hundreds of waterfalls to visit, only some of which are in the national park.