trekking in the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park

 a magically cosmic journey to the chapadas~ 🌟👽🔮

On Tuesday, September 6th, my friend Juliana drove us to an area north of Brasília known as the Vale da Lua (Moon Valley). We hiked into the moon valley and were able to swim in the pools of water. It's called Vale da Lua because of the rock formations and it's known for being a mystical place.

After Vale da Lua we drove to a small town called São Jorge to have a late lunch and find a place to stay for the next two nights. I kept seeing the word cerrado, and that reminded me of Spanish which means closed, but for Portuguese and this specific area it is the type of landscape and is translated to English as "savannah." We found a restaurant that was open named Restuarante Sabor do Cerrado, and we are charged by the weight of the food by kilo. This is the first time that I weighed my plate of food in Brasil, and Juliana said it is common for lunch places to do this in busy places in the city too.

São Jorge is a small town located at the entrance of the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park. As I mentioned, this area is known for its cosmic energy, and they have lots of natural crystals. As we approached the town, we saw many green aliens. You can also find them all over the town and in gift shops. 

The next day [Wednesday, September 7th] we spent the whole day in the national park hiking 11km!! We did the Saltos do Rio Petro Trail, which consisted of seeing 4 main sights. Since it is the dry season (May to October), we can swim in the water for the last 3 locations.

Entry into the National Park~

Mirante dos Saltos (120m)

Garimpão Waterfall (80m)

Carrossel Waterfall 

Corredeiras Rapids

It definitely was a tiring hike!! Especially since it is the dry season. I had at least 2 liters of water, and I wish I had more!! 😰 I was so ready to get back to our chalé (cottage) to shower and then go eat dinner!!

Entrance to Chalés toa Rosa

On Thursday, we did another short hike to Cachoeira dos Cristais, which was a waterfall and pools. As we entered the main waterfall location, we were told there were 2 snakes. Luckily they were not poisonous, and no one bothered them so they left on their own.

Even though it is the dry season, and the temperatures were in the 90s (farenheit)... the water temps were very very cold in all the locations I mentioned above. It was very challenging to get in the water, but once you got in and swam a little you'll warm up... and then get out and warm up in the sun on the rocks too.

It was a beautiful experience to be out in nature outside of Brasília, and I am so grateful for Juliana for showing me this amazing nature. ☺❤