RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park (PNCV) will start a new visitation stage on March 31. Between Thursday and Saturday, tourists will be allowed to enter the park at night, accompanied by accredited guides.
The novelty announced by SociParques, the concessionary company responsible for visitor support and infrastructure services at the PNCV, aims to diversify the possibilities of experiences offered to the thousands of tourists who visit the region every year.
It is the first time that the park’s trails and waterfalls are open to this type of visitation. Until then, there was only the possibility of camping, but only on one of the trails (Orange Trail – Sete Quedas).
In the current initiative, camping will not be allowed, only visitation after 8 PM, returning by 6 PM the next day. The idea is that visitors can experience the evening, night, and dawn on the park’s trails, with rules already applied to daytime visits.
Entry will only be allowed from the Vila de São Jorge in Alto Paraíso de Goiás (Goiás State), where the park’s headquarters are located. Tickets are already on sale on SociParques’ website, and customer service is available through the following contacts:
WhatsApp: +55 62 99642-9828
E-Mail: [email protected].
RULES FOR NIGHT VISITS
Tourists should pay attention to some details before visiting the park at night, as provided in the Operational Protocol of Visitation.
- Groups of a maximum of six visitors each will be allowed, accompanied by an accredited driver in the Chapada dos Veadeiros Park (it is good to contact and close the guided tour before buying the ticket);
- The night tour will be on Thursday and Saturday nights, starting at 8 PM, and will have a route that includes the following routes: Saltos, Carrossel, Corredeiras, and Seriema;
- It is not recommended to bathe in the river during the visit, but it is not forbidden since part of the tour may take place during the day, with a mandatory return by 6 PM the next day;
- The driver and visitors are responsible for their own flashlights to access the park, preferably head flashlights. The use of cell phone flashlights is not allowed;
- The night visit will not have a camping area;
- Tickets must be purchased in advance because the box office services at the entrance of the park in Vila de São Jorge will not be available at night (options: park box office until 4 PM or one day in advance via the SociParques website);
- Both the entrance and the exit from the park must be duly registered and informed by the driver of each group to the security guard in charge.
THE PARK
The Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park (PNCV) was created in 1961 and today covers an area of over 240,000 hectares, including the territories of Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Cavalcante, Teresina de Goiás, Nova Roma, and São João d’Aliança (all in Goiás State).
It is a belt of native Cerrado, with trails and waterfalls, in a region that has suffered, over time, from the pressure of advancing agricultural activity. The park was declared Natural Patrimony of Humanity by Unesco in 2001.
Night visits start right at the beginning of the dry season in the region, with reduced rainfall and the risk of a significant increase of water in the rivers and waterfalls. The park can be visited all year round, but the less risky dry season is from May to October.
From the state capital Goiânia, the park entrance in São Jorge is 460 km away. From the federal capital Brasília, the distance is 260 km. More details and directions can be seen on the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) website.