While
the Cerrado spreads over a huge area – 780,000 square miles (2 million
sq km) or 22% of the total area of Brazil – only about 2% is protected.
Its exploitation has been widespread with fire used to clear the ground
to enable planting of cash crops (e.g. soya, charcoal) and pastures for
cattle ranching.
The Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park
in northern Goias is uniquely important in protecting high-altitude cerrado
landscape and flora. Now recognised as a World Natural Heritage site by
UNESCO, the region is a sanctuary for a precious natural environment (a
distinct biome) that is considered to be the richest of all the world’s
savannas, with an estimated 10,000 species of plants.
The dazzling biodiversity
of the Cerrado in spite of low-fertility soils is for ecologists an
unsolved puzzle. Certainly it is a most powerful testament to the force
of nature. This is literally a breeding ground for life, where pure
waters spring from a dry earth in a cascade of waterfalls and sparkling
natural swimming pools, sculpting the rock and quartz crust into fantastic
canyons and deep gorges, and ultimately feeding the three main river
basins in South America.
The Chapada dos
Veadeiros provides a rich habitat for wildlife too, including a deer
(veado) that gives the region its name; the maned wolf; giant ant-eater;
armadillos. It is also home to many hundreds of species of birds, including
a small ostrich and a kaleidoscope of macaws, tucans, falcons, woodpeckers
and humming-birds.
The Chapada dos
Veadeiros is noted for its strong earth energy, a luminosity that derives
from great concentrations of quartz crystal. The geology of this region
is estimated to be one of the planet’s most ancient, at 1.6 billion
years and this power of the essential elements has drawn a vibrant community
to the Chapada: natural healers and therapists; artists; ecologists;
spiritualists; and new-age mystics.
At altitudes of
between 2,400 and 5,000 ft
(800 – 1,650 m), the Chapada region is cooler than much of Brazil
with average annual temperatures of between 64 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit
(18 to 24 degrees Celsius). During the peak of the rainy season, however,
it can be dangerous to swim in the rivers and glorious waterfalls and
therefore the best times of year for visiting the Chapada dos Veadeiros
region are between early-March and late-October. Whilst there are two
distinct seasons, rainy and dry, the high Cerrado is exceptional in
providing all year around colour and interest with its abundant fruits
and flowers.
Location
A
rustic-style pousada with excellent facilities, including a swimming
pool and sauna, massage room and restaurant, all in a pretty garden
setting. Chalet-type bedrooms, with fans (a few with air-con) and outside
patios for breakfast. At night the pousada is lit only by romantic candle-light!
A
charming small hotel set in a lovely garden, colour-coordinated in every
shade of violet! Cosy and comfortable rooms, all with fans and some
with frigobar. All rooms face into the garden and have hammocks to relax
in at the end of the day.
A
comfortable pousada with a tennis court, swimming pool and massage room.
Individual chalet bedrooms with fans and frigobar, and patio areas with
hammocks. Spacious gardens with great views of sunset, or sunrise if
you like...
