Serra do Aracá State Park, State park in Barcelos, Brazil
Serra do Aracá State Park is a protected area in northern Amazonas covering around 1.8 million hectares. The land consists of thick rainforest, mountains rising to 2000 meters, and multiple river systems winding through it.
The park was established in 1990 and now overlaps by about 82 percent with Yanomami Indigenous Territory that received official recognition shortly after. This overlap continues to shape how the land is managed and protected today.
The park lies mostly within the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, where the Yanomami hold exclusive rights of use according to their customs and traditions. The name Aracá comes from the river of the same name, a tributary where the Cachoeira do Aracá (also called Cachoeira do El Dorado) drops nearly 400 metres. In 2011 the Instituto Socioambiental argued that the overlapping Amazonas National Forest should be repealed to respect these indigenous rights.
The base of the Serra do Aracá lies about 200 km from Barcelos on the south shore of the Rio Negro, reached by boat up the Cuieiras River or by chartered float plane. From the base to the top is a 4–5 day trek on foot or a short helicopter ride. The park overlaps the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, so respect local customs.
The park takes its name from the Serra do Aracá, a sandstone tepui formed at the same time as Mount Roraima. The Aracá River, a tributary within the park, plunges over Cachoeira do Aracá, also called Cachoeira do El Dorado, with a drop of almost 400 metres.
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