Serra da Capivara National Park
Serra da Capivara National Park, Archaeological nature reserve in Piauí, Brazil
Serra da Capivara National Park is a nature reserve in northeastern Brazil covering 129,140 hectares of dry terrain with sandstone cliffs, valleys, and plains in the caatinga region. The landscape consists of red and beige rock formations rising above flat valley floors, connected by narrow canyons and stone pathways.
Archaeological discoveries at Boqueirão da Pedra Furada point to human settlements dating back around 50,000 years, challenging theories about the first inhabitants of the Americas. The park was established in 1979 to protect the prehistoric sites and declared a World Heritage Site in 1991.
The sandstone walls display more than 39,000 rock paintings in red ochre, documenting hunting scenes, animals, and ritual practices of early inhabitants. Visitors follow trails to sheltered rock overhangs where people found protection for thousands of years.
Access to the park is through São Raimundo Nonato municipality, where guides lead tours to the archaeological sites and geological formations. The best time to visit is between June and December, when temperatures are slightly cooler and trails remain drier.
Local capuchin monkeys demonstrate advanced tool usage by cracking nuts with stones, displaying complex foraging strategies passed down through generations. The monkeys carefully select flat stones as anvils and heavy pebbles as hammers to open the hard shells.
Location: São Raimundo Nonato
Location: Canto do Buriti
Location: Coronel José Dias
Location: São João da Varjota
Location: Piauí
Inception: 1979
Operator: Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade
GPS coordinates: -8.66670,-42.55000
Latest update: December 4, 2025 19:02
Brazil's Northeast region extends from the coast to the interior, connecting national parks, colonial towns and natural areas. The landscape shifts between coastal stretches, tablelands, river deltas and protected ecosystems. Geological formations, waterfalls and historic settlements mark the territory, which covers several Brazilian states. Places in this collection include the white dunes and lagoons of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in Maranhão, the Delta do Parnaíba along the Piauí coast, and the cliffs of Morro Branco in Ceará. Jericoacoara National Park protects coastal habitats and formations such as Pedra Furada. Inland, Chapada Diamantina National Park and Chapada das Mesas National Park in Bahia and Maranhão feature tablelands, caves and waterfalls including Cachoeira do Buracão. Serra da Capivara National Park in Piauí preserves prehistoric rock paintings, while Vale do Catimbau National Park in Pernambuco is marked by rock formations. The coastal zone offers the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago off Pernambuco, marine parks at Areia Vermelha and Praia de Calhetas, and the canyons of the São Francisco River between Alagoas and Sergipe. Colonial centers such as Olinda and the historic center of João Pessoa preserve architecture from earlier centuries.
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