Discover the 10 best state parks in Brazil – 05/07/2023 – Tourism

In addition to the famous national parks, the Brazilian states also have dozens of reserves that also play a fundamental role in the conservation of the country’s ecosystems.

In the last chapter of the series of articles about one hundred unmissable places in Brazil, the Sheet presents a selection of ten of these state parks that offer adventure, breathtaking landscapes and, many times, contact with a nature still practically untouched. See below.

Poti River Canyons (PI)

Part of the 550 km of the Poti River passes through a geological crack in the Ibiapaba mountain range, formed 400 million years ago. Today, kayaks and even small boats take tourists between the walls that reach 60 meters in height and, in some spots, such as Poço da Bebidinha, keep rock engravings that only began to be studied in the last decade, when the creation of the park went on to protect this whole set.
The tours that lead to the canyons depart from Buriti dos Montes, 250 km from Teresina

Jalapão (TO)

In one of the least populated areas of the country, this park occupies an area slightly smaller than the state of Rio de Janeiro. For this very reason, the paths there and through the park are marked by a lot of dust and hours of bumping on dirt roads. But no one returns from this paradise without feeling rewarded by the fluctuations in the fervedouros (springs that form lagoons of crystalline water), the rafting in the waters of the Novo River and the sunset on the reddish dunes that reach 40 meters in height.
O main point of support for visiting the park is the city of Mateiros, 305 km from Palmas

Terra Ronca (GO)

Next to Chapada dos Veadeiros, this park is home to the largest complex of caves in Latin America, which can be kilometers long, 90 meters high and adorned with rock formations naturally sculpted by the waters. The name of the park comes from the echo caused by this movement, which makes the earth seem to be snoring. The best time to go is from April to October, when there is little rain. But, between May and July, a beam of light penetrates one of the caves, Terra Ronca 2, composing one of the most incredible scenes in the place.
The support point for visiting the park is São Domingos, 450 km from Brasília. Hiring a guide is mandatory.

Serra de Ricardo Franco (MT)

In the north of Mato Grosso, Alta Floresta is becoming more and more famous. But the greatest tourist potential is in the extreme west, close to Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade, its first capital, and on the border with Bolivia. Over there, where the cerrado and the Amazon forest meet, is the Jatobá canyon, where the highest waterfall in the state is located, at 248 meters. A few kilometers downstream, these waters form a crystalline well that yields a dip and great photos.
Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade is 520 km from Cuiabá, via BR-070 and BR-174

Sumidouro (MG)

A few kilometers from Confins airport, human fossils were discovered that helped reconstruct the history of human presence on the American continent. They were hidden in the numerous caves and caves that are now part of this park, such as the Lapinha cave, over 500 meters long and eight halls filled with formations designed by the river that flowed there 600 million years ago.
O park is located in Lagoa Santa, 50 km from Belo Horizonte and 15 km from Confins

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Big Island (RJ)

A real natural amusement park on the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro, Ilha Grande offers snorkeling in the shallow, crystalline waters of Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde, as well as beaches with little or no infrastructure, such as Cachadaço and Parnaioca, where a small river flows into the sea. There, it is worth visiting Pico do Papagaio, the highest point on the island, where a stunning sunrise rewards those who get up early to tackle the 6 km trail, and also the Acaia cave, a rock formation that makes the sea water fluorescent .
The ferries that take you to the island depart from the center of Angra dos Reis, 370 km from São Paulo, and from Mangaratiba, 120 km from Rio de Janeiro

Ilhabela (SP)

The island welcomes families in search of peace, who usually stay by the calm waters on the mainland side, and adventurers in search of unexplored nature. For the latter, there are attractions such as the Paquetá waterfall, which imitates an infinity pool, the isolated Bonete beach and the wild beach of Poço, accessible only by boat or along a long trail and which offers an enormous freshwater well at the back. of your strip of sand.
The ferry that gives access to the island departs from São Sebastião, 200 km from São Paulo

Alto Ribeira (SP)

Even close to São Paulo, it is possible to delve into caves and float in underground lakes. Halfway between São Paulo and Curitiba, Petar (Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park) offers all this within reach of a car trip. It is there that Casa da Pedra is located, a cave with the largest opening in the world, 215 meters high, and the Lago Suspenso cave, accessible only by rappelling, in addition to waterfalls surrounded by untouched Atlantic forest.
The cities of Iporanga and Apiaí, 315 km from São Paulo, are the main points of support for visiting the park

Ilha do Mel (PR)

Right at the entrance to the bay of Paranaguá, this island, where you can only walk or cycle, is home to some of the best beaches in Paraná. Among them are the wild and deserted beach of Miguel and the beach of Fora, next to Farol das Conchas, which has natural pools at low tide. Among the attractions is a fortress from 1679 and, closer to the center of the island, the huge grotto das Encantadas, which yields beautiful scenes at sunset.
The ferries that take you to the island depart from Paranaguá and Pontal do Sul, 97 km and 125 km, respectively, from Curitiba

Snail (RS)

When the Caracol River meets a cliff over 130 meters high, the Caracol waterfall is formed, one of the most iconic landscapes in the south of the country, which receives 350,000 visitors every year. It is possible to contemplate the waterfall from the homonymous park (where tickets cost between R$75 and R$90), but also from the neighboring park, the Bondinhos Aéreos Parques da Serra (with tickets from R$80).
Caracol Park is approximately 8.7 km from the center of Canela, in the Serra Gaúcha