Serra Furada State Park, Natural reserve in Orleans, Brazil
Parque Estadual da Serra Furada is a protected forest area with steep hillsides, deep valleys, and elevations ranging from 400 to 1,480 meters. The landscape supports diverse vegetation and is home to nearly 200 bird species across its varied terrain.
The park was created by state decree 11.233 of 20 June 1980 as a fully protected conservation unit, managed by the Santa Catarina environmental foundation (FATMA). Its management plan, published in 2010, was drawn up with resources from the German KfW development bank and the environmental police under the Atlantic Forest Protection Project. The plan set objectives of preserving ecosystems and scenery while allowing research, education and ecotourism.
The park's name comes from the Serra Furada, a cleft in a sandstone rock about 45 metres high and 8 metres wide, visible from several kilometres away. It is often confused with the Janela Furada, another rock with a large opening usually seen from Morro da Igreja in the neighbouring São Joaquim National Park.
There is no tourist infrastructure in the park, and no marked visitor trails; the dirt track crossing it exists only to reach three private properties. The Serra Furada cleft is most often seen from the Morro da Igreja, outside the park in São Joaquim National Park. Air humidity is around 85% and annual rainfall about 1,500 mm, so plan for wet ground.
The Serra Furada is a cleft in sandstone about 45 m high and 8 m wide, not an arch, visible from kilometers away. It is often confused with the Janela Furada, another rock with a large opening usually seen from Morro da Igreja, which belongs to the neighboring São Joaquim National Park.
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