Serra da Canastra

Serra Da Canastra National Park, Created 1972, Protecting The Source Of The SãO Francisco River And The Casca D'Anta Waterfall · São Roque de Minas, Minas Gerais

Serra da Canastra is a national park in southwest Minas Gerais, created in 1972 to protect a high, flat-topped plateau whose shape reminded early travellers of a canastra, a large chest. On top lies an open landscape of grassland, rocks and streams, crossed by dirt roads and cold at night. The park holds the source of the São Francisco River, one of Brazil's great rivers, which starts here as a small spring and runs across the plateau before falling off its edge at the Casca d'Anta waterfall, often given as about 186 metres high - confirm. The grasslands are one of the best places in the country to see maned wolves, giant anteaters, pampas deer and rheas, and the rivers are a refuge for the rare Brazilian merganser. Around the park, farms make queijo Canastra, a raw-milk cheese recognised as national heritage. Much of the wider serra outside the park is private land with more waterfalls, reached from towns such as São Roque de Minas, Vargem Bonita and Delfinópolis. Roads are unpaved, distances are long and a sturdy car makes a difference.

Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, São Roque de Minas, MG, São Roque de Minas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The park opens in the daytime only, every day of the year under normal conditions, through several gates, the main one close to São Roque de Minas; entry closes in the afternoon and visitors must be out by the end of the day, so check the gate times on arrival - confirm. There is no overnight camping inside the national park itself, but campsites and farm lodges just outside it are common. The lower Casca d'Anta area is reached through its own gate on the lower side and does not connect by road with the plateau gate without a long detour. Heavy rain from roughly November to March can close trails and make dirt roads muddy or impassable, and parts of the park may close during the dry-season fire period or after fires - confirm. Weekends and holidays, especially in July and around Easter, bring more visitors and full lodgings in São Roque de Minas and Vargem Bonita. Cheese farms usually sell during the day and many welcome visitors without booking, but some take visits only by arrangement. Fuel and cash are limited near the park, so plan the day before driving in.

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