Serra da Capivara

Serra Da Capivara National Park, Created 1979, UNESCO World Heritage Site Inscribed 1991; One Of The Largest Concentrations Of Prehistoric Rock Art In The Americas · São Raimundo Nonato, Piauí

Serra da Capivara, in the dry interior of Piauí, holds one of the largest concentrations of prehistoric rock art in the Americas: hundreds of painted shelters in sandstone cliffs, with red figures of deer, jaguars, hunters, dancers and scenes of sex and ritual, painted over thousands of years. UNESCO listed the park in 1991. It is also at the centre of one of archaeology's great arguments: excavations here led by the archaeologist Niède Guidon produced dates suggesting people reached South America far earlier than the long-accepted models, claims that remain disputed. The park is unusually well run for its remoteness, with paved trails, walkways and ramps to many shelters, and the Museu do Homem Americano in São Raimundo Nonato explains the findings. The landscape is caatinga, dry thorn scrub, with canyons and viewpoints that turn red at sunset. It is far from everything, visited by few people, and all the more striking for it. A licensed guide is required inside the park.

Parque Nacional Serra da Capivara, Coronel José Dias, PI, São Raimundo Nonato, Piauí, Brazil

Open every day in daytime hours. Visits inside the park are made with a licensed local guide, hired in São Raimundo Nonato or Coronel José Dias, and this is the rule that catches people out: turning up at the gate without a guide means waiting or being turned away, and on holidays the guides may already be booked. Arrange one before you arrive. Some sites and circuits open at set times, and the main circuits are spread over long distances inside the park, so the guide plans a route by car between trailheads. Starting early matters, because midday heat in the canyons is severe for most of the year. Night visits to see the Pedra Furada arch lit up happen only on certain evenings and must be arranged in advance. The Museu do Homem Americano keeps its own hours and may close on some weekdays - confirm. Dirt roads within and around the park can be difficult after heavy rain in the wet season. Flights to São Raimundo Nonato are limited and change often, so check before planning.

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