Serra da Canastra National Park, National park in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Serra da Canastra National Park is a protected area in Minas Gerais, Brazil, spanning six municipalities and characterized by high plateaus covered in dense grassland. The terrain drops into deep valleys where streams run through gorges and tumble over rock ledges in several locations.

Serra da Canastra National Park was created by Decree 70.355 on 3 April 1972, originally planned at about 200,000 hectares, to protect the headwaters of the São Francisco, Araguari and Grande tributaries. The 71,525-hectare Chapadão da Canastra was demarcated in 1977, while the southern Chapadão da Babilônia stayed in private hands; by October 2022 only about 47% of the park was under ICMBio control. A revised management plan replaced the 2005 version in October 2023.

The region takes its name from the basket weave that Portuguese settlers recognized in the mountain shapes, a pattern still echoed in local handicrafts. Farms outside the protected boundaries produce the mild aged Canastra cheese using traditional methods passed down through generations and sold across the province.

A dirt road crosses the highest part of the park from east to west for more than 60 km, and lookout points can be reached by car on dirt roads in good weather. The dry season runs from April to September, with the sharpest water deficit between June and August. Altitude ranges from 750 to 1,490 m, and temperatures can fall to about 1 °C.

The protected area shelters rare species such as the Brazilian merganser, which breeds only in clear streams and is critically endangered worldwide. Birdwatchers often travel long distances to see this shy waterfowl in its natural habitat.