Itatiaia was the first national park in Brazil, created in 1937 in the Serra da Mantiqueira where Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and São Paulo meet. It rises from Atlantic forest at about six hundred metres to high rocky grassland at over two thousand seven hundred, and it protects two very different landscapes.
The lower part, reached from the town of Itatiaia on the Via Dutra highway between Rio and São Paulo, is forest: short trails lead to the Véu de Noiva and Itaporani waterfalls, with pools to swim in, and to viewpoints over the valley. Birdwatchers come for the Atlantic forest species, and toucans and capuchin monkeys are common near the visitor centre.
The upper part, reached by a separate road over the Garganta do Registro pass, is another world: open, windswept highland of boulders and grass, where the Pico das Agulhas Negras, at 2,791 metres one of the highest peaks in Brazil, and the Prateleiras rock formation are climbed with guides. Frost is common on winter nights up here.
The park works as a stop between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, or combined with Visconde de Mauá and Penedo nearby.