There are some incredibly famous landmarks in South America.
When we think of the most famous parks, we think Machu Picchu in Peru, or perhaps Patagonia in Chile/Argentina.
But there is nobody that talks about… wait, what is it called? Chapada Dos Veadeiros?
This is one of the most underrated places in Brazil. Everybody raves about the Amazon region or the hiking trails in Rio de Janeiro. I thoroughly enjoyed this national park so I decided to blog about this.
How I Got There
As usual whenever I travel, I either take a United flight or search for the cheapest flight on kayak.com. I wrote an article about how I stick to flying on United as much as possible to cash out big with my miles.
For this trip, I rented a car on kayak.com from Goiânia in the state of Goiás, and drove to Chapada. It was about a 5 hour one-way drive.
Here were my top 3 experiences in Chapada dos Veadeiros.
1. Vale da Lua
This is a really cool place, and our guide explained the geology behind how the rocks naturally formed. The levels of the water are different on a daily basis.
2. Cachoeira do Segredo
Cachoeira means waterfall. Segredo means secret.
I believe it was about $30R to enter the trail. It was about 10km roundtrip hike and took half of an afternoon.
3. Mirante da Janela
Mirante da Janela (the window view) was my favorite. Along the trail you can take some incredible pictures of gorgeous landmarks.
Just for everybody’s visibility, it is easier to get lost in your own home than it is to get lost on this trail. To arrive on this trail, you will need to arrive in the village of São Jorge and then ask around and look for signs.
This trail passes by Cacheoria do Abismo.
The whole hike was about 3km one-way to the very end where everybody takes the famous picture.
4. Catarata dos Couros
This one was a little risky, and we actually got stuck in the mud in the middle of nowhere on the trail. We were bailed out by people who lived in the farms and they helped us get our car out from the muds. This trail was about 35km on the dirt road.
It was one hour on the dirt road one-way to arrive at the trail that was about 5km long. As of February 2021, the way to visit Catarata dos Couros was still quite undeveloped and not ready for full tourism. But in the end the trip was worth it.
I would highly recommend getting a guide ($200R for the day) to help out with this trail because it could be dangerous (you could get lost).
Where I Stayed
I stayed at an Airbnb in Alto ParaÃso de Goiás. If I were to go back to Chapada, I would stay in Alto ParaÃso again.
If I had more time, I would have…
Hike Cacheoria da Santa Barbara. I went during the pandemic so the trail was closed.
In short, there are over 40 waterfalls in Chapada dos Veadeiros. It is impossible to know each one in a short period of time. We were here for 4 nights and you could easily make the argument that it was not enough time.
Closing Remarks
I fully admit that I was one of those who had never heard of Chapada dos Veadeiros before I arrived in Brazil. But because this is one of my favorite places that I have been to, overrated or underrated, and if this were to be a restaurant on Yelp, I’d give it a non-Karen 5-stars.
Final Grade: A
