The Chapada dos Veadeiros is one of the high points of the Brazilian cerrado — a landscape of high plateaus, deep canyons, and a few hundred waterfalls cutting through the rock. The national park covers about 240,000 hectares of the western part of the chapada and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2001.
Access is from the village of São Jorge, about three hours' drive from Cavalcante. Mandatory guides accompany visitors on the main trails to the Cariocas waterfalls, Carrossel waterfall, and the otherworldly Vale da Lua. A separate set of trails on the eastern side leads to the Salto do Rio Preto, two cascades plunging 80 and 120 metres into a green pool. Plan a minimum of two full days; better, three or four.