Chapada dos Veadeiros
Brazil
Cerrado plateau, quartzite canyons and waterfalls, three and a half hours from the capital
Photo by João Gabriel on Unsplash
Photos by Joao Tzanno, Caio Arbulu and Jaume Galofré on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Brazil
May to September (the dry winter; the falls are fullest at the start of it and lowest at the end)
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 360mm in Dec
Where it is
14.13°S, 47.51°W Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Stay at least four nights: the park, Vale da Lua, the private falls and Cavalcante are each a day
- Be at the park gate in São Jorge when it opens at eight: the long trails need the whole day, and walkers are only let in until midday
- Do the Saltos trail first, then the Cânions and Cariocas trail on another day
- Go to Cachoeira Santa Bárbara early: entry is only with a Kalunga guide, the daily numbers are capped, and the cap is often reached by early afternoon
- Stop at the Jardim de Maytrea viewpoint on the road to São Jorge, best in the late afternoon
- Check the river level and the forecast every morning in the rains, and change plan rather than push on
Chapada dos Veadeiros travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Brazil
Mid-rangeCards work in pousadas and most restaurants, but this is rural Goiás: the private waterfalls charge entry at a gate, guides and small places often want cash or Pix, and Pix needs a Brazilian account. Bring a good stock of notes from Brasília.
ATMs & cards
Take cash in Brasília before you drive up. Alto Paraíso has Banco do Brasil and Itaú branches, and São Jorge, by the park gate, has next to none, and a machine that refuses a foreign card leaves you with nothing nearby to try.
Avoid these
- relying on machines in São Jorge
- leaving Brasília without cash
Use these instead
- Banco do Brasil
- Itaú
- the airport machines in Brasília
Private waterfalls, guides and small restaurants often take cash or Pix only, and Pix needs a Brazilian account.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Brazil
SafeThe risks are all in the landscape. In the rainy season the rivers can rise in minutes with a flash flood from rain falling upstream that you cannot see — get out of the water and off the rocks when the river changes colour or rises, and obey the closures. On the trails there is little shade and the sun at altitude is strong: start early and carry two litres. Do not jump into pools you have not checked. The dirt roads at night have cattle and no lights.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (7 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
- Alto Paraíso de Goiás — the town, including at night
- São Jorge
- the park’s marked trails — in the dry season, with water and an early start
Worth more attention
- Vale da Lua — a narrow river channel where a flash flood from rain upstream can arrive with no warning; leave the water if it changes colour or rises
- river crossings and pools in the rains — the rivers rise in minutes, and trails close for that reason
- The dirt roads after dark or after heavy rain, with cattle on them and no lighting
- Long trails in the midday sun, with little shade and nothing to buy inside the park
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Brazil visa rules
No visa neededup to 90 days
Other passports
e-Visa requiredup to 90 days$80
Brazil reintroduced visas for these three nationalities. It is an e-visa applied for online.
Visa required in advance
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Brazil
Good but costlyRequired to enter
- Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Yellow fever — recommended for most of Brazil including the area around Rio
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Tetanus up to date
Getting treated
Public emergency care (SUS) is free to everyone including foreigners, but is crowded and slow. Private hospitals in Rio and São Paulo are excellent and expect insurance or payment up front.
Dengue, zika and chikungunya are all present and mosquito-borne — repellent matters. Yellow fever vaccination should be given at least 10 days before arrival.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
GoodAlto Paraíso has more vegetarian and wholefood restaurants than a town its size should, a legacy of the alternative communities who settled here. The local cooking is Goiás food — galinhada, rice with chicken and saffron, and pequi in everything, which you nibble and never bite, because the stone is full of spines. Carry food and water on the trails; there is nothing inside the park.
Travel tipsGetting around
Car needed- UberWorks here
- 99Works here
- inDriveWorks here
- BoltNot here
99 the Brazilian one, often cheaper
- Against a taxi
- Cheaper than a taxi and, in the big cities, the default for everybody.
Some favela and periphery addresses will not be accepted by drivers at night; that is a driver safety decision, not a fare one.
Time zone and your working day
America/Sao Paulo — 1 hour ahead of you
7 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–16:00 your time, 10:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 08:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 08:00–16:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for Brazil, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
Portuguese (Brazilian)
- HelloOi / Oláoy / o-LA
- PleasePor favorpor fa-VOR
- Thank youObrigado / Obrigadao-bree-GA-doo / -da
- Yes / NoSim / Nãoseeng / nowng
4 more phrases
- Excuse meCom licençakong lee-SEN-sa
- How much is it?Quanto custa?KWAN-too KOOS-ta
- The bill, pleaseA conta, por favora KON-ta
- Cheers!Saúde!sa-OO-djee
Softer and more open than European Portuguese, and the de sounds like "dje".
Travel tipsReligion
Catholic and Evangelical
The largest Catholic population in the world, with a fast-growing Evangelical share and Afro-Brazilian traditions such as Candomblé and Umbanda practised alongside.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Greet with a kiss on each cheek between women, or a woman and a man; a handshake between men
- Expect physical closeness in conversation — standing back reads as cold
- Arrive late to social invitations; on time is genuinely early
- Learn a few words of Portuguese, and never open in Spanish
Don't
- Do not make the OK sign with finger and thumb — it is obscene here
- Do not walk with a phone visible in the street
- Do not wear obvious jewellery or watches on the beach or in the city
- Do not call Brazilians Hispanic or assume they speak Spanish
Where to stay in Chapada dos Veadeiros
No Holistay rentals in Chapada dos Veadeiros yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Chapada dos Veadeiros on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Brasília Juscelino Kubitschek BSB
3h 30mfrom the airport· 198 km as the crow flies
About 3h 30m by road to Alto Paraíso; the coach from the Rodoviária in Brasília takes longer, and the airport to the Rodoviária adds half an hour.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
