Well, Jalapão, or rather Jalapão State Park, is located in eastern Tocantins and has a total area of 34,000 square kilometers – it is land that never ends.
With incomparable natural beauty, Jalapão is located in the heart of Tocantins. Here’s how to get to this destination that is conquering the most adventurous travelers.
A hot land, where the cerrado (savannah) can be lost from sight, the sun sets in an intense red, and the crystal-clear waters seem like a mirage.
Jalapão is one of the most beautiful nature destinations in Brazil! With waterfalls, dunes, trails, and fervedouros, tourism in the region has grown a lot!
The natural wealth of this region is breathtaking, mainly because of the grandiosity of the landscapes.
The dunes, waterfalls, and rocky formations form simply wonderful sceneries. The crystalline waters and the fervedouros are two other characteristics that will make you fall in love with the place. The rusticity and simplicity are what make the experience enjoyable.
- How to get to Jalapao?
Jalapão is approximately 300 km from Palmas, in the east of the state of Tocantins. The region is quite extensive, so it is important to choose your stopping points before you go. Since it is a remote area, the only way to get there is by car. In this case you can rent a vehicle in Palmas heading to Ponte Alta or Mateiros. Ah, remembering that this depends on your choice of initial destination!
The roads in Jalapão are difficult, so be sure to rent a 4×4 car. Otherwise you will have a lot of problems during the whole trip (even running the risk of getting stuck).
- When to go to jalapao?
Jalapão is the kind of place that can be visited any time of the year. The region is very hot and the temperature usually stays around 30ºC. Even so, if you want to escape the rain, avoid the months of October through April.
Another advantage of traveling during the dry season is that the roads are less slippery and the sunsets are even more beautiful!
To know the region probably you will need more than a month! Tocantins in huge and has so many amazing things to see. But I’ll concentrate this post in the main activities and must do and see’s.
For this reason, 4 days I believe it’s enough for check the must places and activities!
- Day 1 – Pedra Furada, Lagoa do Japonês and more!
On the first day you leave your hotel in Palmas early, heading for Taquaruçu, a town near the capital of Tocantins. Here is one of the first attractions of the trip: the Roncadeira and Escorrega Macaco waterfalls.
They are two beautiful waterfalls, the first of which is about 80m high and you can even rappel down! It’s a great experience for those who want to add a little adventure to their basic itinerary!
Still on the first day, it is also common to visit the Lagoa do Japonês (Japanese Lagoon), with its emerald green waters. It is a beautiful place and a relatively new attraction to visit in the region.
Then it’s on to Ponte Alta, the base city for the day, to visit the beautiful and surprising Sussuapara Canyon and Waterfall.
The day ends with an unforgettable sunset at Pedra Furada, a formation more than 2 and a half million years old, and for us, one of the TOP 5 attractions to see in Jalapão!
- Day 2 – Velha Waterfall and Sunset Dune
This is the most traveled day by car in Jalapão, so a good 4×4 is essential! Even more so because the road to Cachoeira da Velha is one of the most complicated in the region, due to its bad state of conservation.
It is a waterfall for appreciation only, and it is not possible to bathe. If you take a longer trip of 5 or more days, you can go rafting in its waters, whose rapids are level 3 and 4 (on a scale of up to 6!)
After the Cachoeira da Velha waterfall, there is a well deserved rest and swim at Prainha do Rio Novo, where a picnic style lunch is served.
As the roads are very precarious, the time in the car will be long and the last attraction of the day will be the Sunset Dunes. They are already inside the National Park area, being one of the most beautiful attractions in Jalapão for many people.
The night is spent in Mateiros, one of the 3 biggest cities in Jalapão, being the second base of the trip.
- Day 3 – Fervedouro do Ceiça and Cachoeira da Formiga
Get ready, because today is the day to visit some of the biggest attractions of Jalapão: its famous “fervedouros” (waterfalls)!
Besides the Ceiça Fervedouro, on this day we also visited the Buritis Fervedouro and managed to add the Rio Sono Fervedouro to our itinerary! All wonderful!
Then you got to know one of the biggest jewels of Jalapão: the Capim Dourado and the beautiful handcrafts made by the local community, like in the village of Mumbuca. It is worth buying some pieces!
Finally we arrive at the beautiful Cachoeira da Formiga waterfall, also one of the TOP 5 attractions in Jalapão, with its emerald waters!
On this day we will spend the night in São Felix, the last overnight stay in Jalapão, before returning to Palmas.
- Day 4 – Fervedouro Bela Vista and Morro Catedral
On this last day of the trip you get to visit one more beautiful fervedouro: the Bela Vista! One of the biggest and most beautiful in the whole region!
Then you get to see another beautiful waterfall, Araras, before returning to Palmas. On the way, wonderful landscapes, such as the Catedral Hill and the Morro dos Macacos (also known as Serra do Gorgulho).
If you have a longer itinerary, of 5 or more days, there is the option of hiking up to Mount Catedral and watching the sunrise from up there! We couldn’t do it, but everyone says it’s spectacular!
It is important to point out that when you do the tour with an agency, all the lodging, food, travel insurance, car, fuel, guide and visitation fees of the attractions are included (when on private property, as is the case of the fervedouros, for example).
