11 Best things to do at Chapada dos Veadeiros in Brazil
Chapada dos Veadeiros is a stunning region in the Brazilian state of Goiás.
Located just a short drive away from Brasilia, Chapada dos Veadeiros is considered one of the best hiking destinations in Brazil and features over 100 waterfalls, mind-blowing quartz crystal trails, and incredible wildlife. I spent a week solo traveling there and fell in love with what the Chapada has to offer!
In this post, I’ll share my top picks for the best things to do at Chapada dos Veadeiros, from epic hikes like the Saltos Falls to swimming in the blue waters of Cachoeira Santa Bárbara.
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TLTR? Here are my awards for the best things to do at Chapada dos Veadeiros
🌄 Best views: Saltos do Rio Preto trail at Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park
✨ Most beautiful: Cachoeira Santa Bárbara
🌔 Otherworldly: Vale da Lua
Best hiking & waterfall tours at Chapada dos Veadeiros
Chapada dos Veadeiros is home to over 100 waterfalls, and there is a variety of hiking trails leading up to them. An amazing feature of the waterfalls at Chapada dos Veadeiros is that visitors can swim in many of them year-round!
A fun fact is that Chapada dos Veadeiros is not just a National Park, it is a huge region! In fact, most of the trails and waterfalls we are about to talk about are on private land.
Important to note: Although Chapada dos Veadeiros can be visited year-round, the sights significantly change depending on the season, so always make sure to ask local tour guides for timely recommendations.
During the dry season (May to August), expect clear water and thin waterfalls. During the rainy season (September to April), expect murkier waters and incredibly strong waterfalls!
1. Vale da Lua (and Cachoeira do Segredo)
Important visiting information
⏰ Visiting hours: 8 AM to 4 PM for Vale da Lua; entrance from 8 AM to 1 PM for Cachoeira do Segredo
💸 Entrance fee: R$40 (cash or Pix only) for Vale da Lua; R$60 (cash or pix only) for Cachoeira do Segredo
📍 Address: Vale da Lua ; Cachoeira do Segredo
🥾 Trail length & difficulty: 1.3 km (0.8 miles) roundtrip for Vale da Lua; 7 km roundtrip for Cachoeira do Segredo. Both trails are beginner-friendly!
Vale da Lua, or “Valley of the Moon,” is one of the most unique and popular attractions in Chapada dos Veadeiros. Named for its otherworldly landscape, this spot features smooth rock formations sculpted over thousands of years by the waters of the São Miguel River. The flowing water has created moon-like craters and natural pools, forming a surreal landscape.
During the dry season, visitors can swim in the crystal-clear pools. During the wet season, the Vale da Lua is often closed due to the dangerous conditions there!
Important to note: It is recommended to visit Vale da Lua with qualified tour guides because the area is prone to sudden flash floods. Unfortunately, at least one tourist death is registered each year.
Vale da Lua is a relatively small and quick attraction, so you can do another one of the nearby attractions on the same day! A popular attraction nearby is Cachoeira do Segredo, which is considered to have one of the most beautiful trails in the region due to its unusually tall trees!
2. Cataratas dos Couros (AKA Águas do Paraíso)
Important visiting information
⏰ Visiting hours: 8 AM to 5 PM
💸 Entrance fee: Free!
📍 Address: P6CR+JW – São Jorge, Alto Paraíso de Goiás – GO, 73770-000
🥾 Trail length & difficulty: 6 KM roundtrip, quite challenging for beginners due to the rocky landscape
Cataratas dos Couros, recently renamed Águas do Paraíso, is one of the most beautiful and famous falls at Chapada dos Veadeiros! Massive in size and with many different stops for bathing, Couros is absolutely worth a stop.
The trail goes through tons of rose quartz stones and is a bit challenging for newbies, but still doable especially given the many refreshing waterfall swimming stops available throughout the trail.
Pro tip: When visiting Couros, stop for lunch at Restaurante Dona Eleusa, an amazing home-style restaurant near the falls. There, you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet with a variety of local food!
3. Saltos do Rio Preto Trail inside the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park
Important visiting information:
⏰ Visiting hours: Entrance from 8 AM to 12 PM for those hiking, and from 9 AM to 3 PM for those taking the Park’s van service
💸 Entrance fee: R$47 (credit card is accepted and tickets can be purchased online in advance)
📍 Address: Rodovia GO 239, Km 36 – Vila de São Jorge, Alto Paraíso de Goiás – GO, 73770-000
🥾 Trail length & difficulty: 11 km round-trip. The trail is considered moderate, and is definitely challenging for beginners but still doable! If you want to access the falls without going through the full trail, the National Park offers van services for about R$40 each way which can make the hike more manageable.
Saltos Falls is the postcard image of Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park for a good reason! The giant and powerful falls are a sight worth hiking for.
I was particularly mesmerized to see birds flying around and drinking water in the giant falls!
Although the view of Saltos is the highlight of the trail, there is a lot more to see as you hike up! You can stop in many waterfalls, rose-quartz trails, and even abandoned quartz mines.
The Saltos do Rio Preto hike is quite long, so I recommend exploring all the sights on foot and then taking the Park’s van service (around R$40) for the return trip, instead of hiking back along the same trail.
4. Cachoeira Santa Bárbara & the nearby waterfalls
Important visiting information:
⏰ Visiting hours: Entrance from 7 AM to 3 PM, but the best time to see the falls is between 9 and 11 AM
💸 Entrance fee: R$55 (credit card is accepted) for Cachoeira Santa Bárbara, and “optional” transport to the waterfall costs an additional R$20. Capivara and Candaru cost an additional ~R$35 each. A local guide is required to access the falls (more on how to book a guide in a dedicated section of this post)!
📍 Address: Cachoeira Santa Bárbara trail
🥾 Trail length & difficulty: 1.7 km for Santa Barbara, very easy trail!
Cachoeira Santa Bárbara is considered by many the most beautiful waterfall in Brazil. Its blue waters are almost fluorescent when hit by sunlight, forming a truly impressive sight!
Important to note: Cachoeira Santa Barbara is a popular attraction and gets very crowded during the dry season. Try to arrive as early as possible to have a more paradisiac experience!
Swimming is allowed in the waterfall, which is a refreshing way to cool down after a short trail under the hot sun.
Because Cachoeira Santa Bárbara is such a popular attraction, visitors are limited to spending an hour there.
At the same site as Cachoeira Santa Bárbara, you’ll find trails to two other stunning waterfalls that are worth visiting: Capivara and Candaru. During my visit, Candaru was closed due to maintenance, but Capivara was a nice stop!
Pro tip: Grab lunch at the local community! The Santa Bárbara Waterfall is inside the territory of the Kalunga community, which is formed by the descendants of escaped enslaved Africans. There you can enjoy an authentic and unique meal made with locally sourced ingredients. They work in an all-you-can-eat buffet style and charge about R$50 per person.
5. Complexo do Prata & Canjica/Aguas Lindas
Important visiting information:
⏰ Visiting hours: Flexible. You can even camp there!
💸 Entrance fee: R$60 (cash or Pix only) for Complexo do Prata. Guides are required!
📍 Address: Complexo do Prata
🥾 Trail length & difficulty: The full trail is 14 km round-trip, but smaller ~3km trails are also available in the complex!
Complexo do Prata and Canjica (AKA Águas Lindas) are located quite far from the other sights at Chapada dos Veadeiros. In fact, these attractions are located at the border between the Brazilian states of Goiás and Tocantins!
This region is well known for its crystal clear waters, which are particularly incredible during the dry season. It is worth exploring Complexo do Prata and/or Canjica if you are visiting Chapada dos Veadeiros during a rain-free period.
During the rainy season, the waters tend to keep their blue or emerald colors, but the waters are quite murky.
Pro tip: for an immersive experience in nature, you can camp at Complexo do Prata!
6. Stargazing tours
During the dry season, the Chapada dos Veadeiros region is gifted with clear skies filled with stars! To stargaze, you can simply drive off the towns for a bit or join one of the stargazing tours available.
A stargazing highlight in the region is the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park Night Access, which allows visitors to simultaneously enjoy waterfalls and the starry sky!
During the wet season, stargazing is a rarity because the sky is mostly cloudy during the nights, so it is hard to plan around it.
Do I need a guide or tour to explore Chapada dos Veadeiros?
Most of the things to do at Chapada dos Veadeiros can be enjoyed independently, with only a few attractions requiring a guide, such as:
- Couros (although authorities are having trouble enforcing this rule)
- Complexo do Prata
- Dragão
- Macacão
- Caracol
Each year, a few uninformed visitors die or are seriously injured at attractions in Chapada dos Veadeiros, so it’s always best to hire a local guide or join a group tour to go on the amazing hikes and visit the waterfalls of the region.
The daily rate for a private tour guide is about R$250 (USD 50) for a group of up to four people, which is quite affordable for the value they bring to each hike.
If you are traveling solo or on a budget, there is always the option to join a group for just a day tour!
Important to note: Prices to enter the attraction are not included in the price of the tours. Entrance fees are paid directly in the attraction ticketing office upon arrival.
How to find a tour guide or group at Chapada dos Veadeiros
To find a private tour guide, you can simply ask for help at the official tourist center (Centro de Atendimento ao Turista, CAT). Registered tour guides stay in the CAT each morning waiting for tourists to hire them.
Each of the base cities in the Chapada has one of these tourist centers, and the staff there is beyond helpful!
Helpful links: Google Maps links to tourist centers in Alto Paraiso, São Jorge, and Cavalcante
When hiring a private guide, you’ll pay about R$250 and the guide will join you in your private vehicle. If you do not have a car with you, it is possible to “hitchhike” on someone else’s tour!
This “tour hitchhiking” is common practice in Chapada and what I did to explore Chapada dos Veadeiros on a budget. When “hitchhiking” in a private group, you’ll share the guide’s daily rate (~R$250) with the rest of the group! This is especially great for solo travelers without a car (like myself), as you can also join the group’s vehicle.
In the rare case you can’t find a private group to hitchhike in, you can always visit or contact one of the local tour agencies to check their scheduled tours. These agencies are very professional and often offer transportation in 4×4 vehicles, adventure insurance, and registered vehicles.
Tour agency recommendation: Among the many tour agencies I interacted with, my best experience by far was with Trilheiras na Estrada Ecotour. They were very welcoming to me and are experienced hosting solo female travelers!
Best cultural & spiritual experiences at Chapadas dos Veadeiros
Chapada dos Veadeiros is home to many spiritual retreats, as the area is widely regarded as a mystical destination. This belief is rooted in the region’s unique characteristics: it has one of the world’s largest concentrations of quartz crystals, lies along the imaginary 14th parallel (the same line that crosses Machu Picchu), and has waters believed to possess healing powers.
Many visitors come to Chapada dos Veadeiros in search of a spiritual experience, with some even joining local retreats that last from 3 to 7 days.
Let’s dive into the unique cultural and spiritual experiences in each of the base cities of Chapada dos Veadeiros!
In Alto Paraíso
7. Espaço Cultural Lotus for spiritual events
Espaço Cultural Lotus hosts a series of spiritual activities, from the yoga class we all know to intense ayahuasca ceremonies. This is one of the most classic places in Alto Paraiso for hippies to stay and hang out in, as they also offer accommodations and camping.
Important to note: If you are looking to relax, do not stay overnight at Espaço Cultural Lotus. Their facilities have terrible acoustics, and many of their night events are loud and last till late at night. When I was staying there, their loud new moon ritual went on till 3 AM, which was unpleasant for me since I had a hike scheduled for 7 AM.
8. Rede Multietnica for native art
Although there are no indigenous peoples living in Chapada dos Veadeiros, you can still interact with their culture and purchase their art at Rede Multiétnica.
Rede Multiétnica supports various indigenous communities by enhancing their craft, art, and food production to create sustainable income.
Shopping for Indigenous art at their store at Chapada dos Veadeiros is a great opportunity to support this incredible project and bring home an authentic piece.
In São Jorge
9. Enjoy Chapada’s best sunset at Bar do Mirante
Bar do Mirante hosts the most hyped sunset at Chapada dos Veadeiros. There, on top of a killer sunset, you can enjoy the Brazilian party culture that young local tourists seek!
After sunset, the party goes on and you can enjoy the music and vibes while stargazing!
In Cavalcante
10. Explore the Kalunga Community
The Kalunga community in Cavalcante, Goiás, is the largest of Brazil’s reminiscent quilombola communities, which are formed by the descendants of escaped enslaved people.
Visitors can immerse themselves in Kalunga traditions by exploring the community’s unique crafts, local music, and seasonal festivals that honor their African ancestry.
The Kalunga territory in Cavalcante also offers incredible ecotourism, with guided hikes to beautiful waterfalls, such as Santa Bárbara and Capivara Falls.
Guests can also enjoy traditional Kalunga cuisine, often prepared with fresh, local ingredients, and learn about sustainable farming and craft practices passed down through generations. I absolutely loved the food there!
For a deeper immersion in the Kalunga community, visitors also have the option to camp there! Contact the local community for more information on campsites!
11. Taste artisanal ice cream at Sorveteria da Messias
Throughout the Brazilian state of Goiás, one can find industrialized ice cream made from cerrado fruits in a chain named “Frutos de Goiás”.
In Cavalcante, however, you can also find artisanal ice cream! Sorveteria da Messias is an ice cream shop downtown that serves a variety of flavors from locally sourced fruits.
I highly recommend heading there to refresh from the cerrado heat in the most authentic way possible!
Chapada dos Veadeiros logistics and FAQ
What to pack for Chapada dos Veadeiros tours?
There is no need to overthink packing, as Alto Paraiso has all kinds of stores. Anyway, below are some of the essential items that I would pack for my next trip to Chapada dos Veadeiros!
- Rain jacket (a must-have during the rainy season)
- Bug spray & stuff to keep your room bug-free
- Microfiber towel (light carry and dries naturally during the hike!)
- Hat, Sunscreen, & UV clothing (the cerrado sun is unforgiving!)
- Swimwear (do not go anywhere at Chapada dos Veadeiros without packing a swimsuit just in case! You might come across waterfalls and unexpected little beaches)
- Sneakers with good grip (the quartz trails can get quite slippery, and my Allbirds sneakers did not perform very well in them)
Where to stay at Chapada dos Veadeiros?
All attractions are accessible no matter which base city you choose to stay in. Pick a base city based on your personal preferences!
- Alto Paraiso: a more developed city with lots of tour agencies. I believe that Alto Paraíso is the best option for solo travelers, as there you are most likely to find a tour group to join. A unique fact about Alto Paraiso is that the town is a major spiritual tourism destination!
- São Jorge: A small charming town that attracts lots of young folks seeking parties!
- Cavalcante: The most conservative and affordable base city to Chapada dos Veadeiros, making it the best fit for families or those seeking a quiet stay.
How to get around Chapada dos Veadeiros?
Having a car is the best way to get around Chapada dos Veadeiros. A 4×4 is nice for driving through the many dirt roads, but not necessary for accessing most of the hikes!
If, like me, you do not have a car, there is always the option to join a group tour or hitchhike on someone else’s private tour!
There is no Uber or official taxi service in town. If you need some kind of private transportation, your accommodation can connect you with a local driver who does this kind of service.
How to see wildlife at Chapada dos Veadeiros?
Nature at Chapada dos Veadeiros is amazing, and you do not need a dedicated tour to spot some of the incredible animals that call this region home. You can spot birds like macaws and toucans all over the base towns and trails.
At Alto Paraíso, the Praça do Bambu is a popular spot for spotting these birds throughout the day, although I’ve seen just as many birds walking around town!
Is Chapada dos Veadeiros safe to visit?
All three base cities to visit Chapada dos Veadeiros have relatively low crime rates and are safe to visit. As a solo female traveler, I abided by the safety best practices when traveling Brazil and felt safe at all times.
The real risk at Chapada dos Veadeiros lies in the hikes and waterfalls. Flash floods are common and tourists die each year due to them. To stay safe, always visit the waterfalls with a qualified tour guide.
The wrap-up: Best Things To Do At Chapada dos Veadeiros
With its diverse landscapes, rich local culture, and countless opportunities for adventure, Chapada dos Veadeiros is a destination that leaves a lasting impact. From exploring the beauty of Saltos and Santa Bárbara to immersing in the vibrant Kalunga community, every experience here offers a connection to nature and history that is hard to find elsewhere.
Want to continue exploring the best Brazil has to offer? Check out my guides to other incredible destinations in Brazil!
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