3-day Serra da Canastra Waterfalls Trek (TEST)

Our local partner picks you up in Palmas at 7:15 AM and heads for São Félix do Tocantins. The drive itself is part of the Jalapão itinerary: you stop for a swim at the Peixinho River spring and then have lunch at Dona Irani’s kitchen in the Taboca community.

In the late afternoon, climb Morro da Catedral, a 200-meter peak and one of Jalapão's signature viewpoints. The 1.6 km trail takes about `2 hours and puts you at the top for sunset over the savanna before you settle into your pousada in São Félix.

Meals included: Lunch / Dinner

Day 2 follows one of two routes, matched to the season. Both are built around walking and water, and both end back at your pousada for the night.

Rainy season (November–April)

A morning hike of about 9.5 km reaches the Boa Esperança community, passing Cerrado vegetation and fervedouros along the way. After lunch near the Jatobá fervedouro, choose between a relaxed visit to the Araras Waterfall or a 10 km rafting run down the Soninho River.

Dinner is in the Prata community before the drive back to São Félix (47 km on a dirt road, ~1.5 hrs).

Dry season (May–October)

The Travessia da Velha runs about 12 km across open fields and trails to the Cachoeira da Velha, seen from a rare angle inside the park, with a picnic on a Novo River beach. The afternoon brings the Jalapão rafting highlight: a 4-hour Class IV trip on the Novo River, Brazil's largest river of clean, drinkable water.

At sunset, a final 3.5 km trail leads to the ecolodge for the night (80 km on dirt road, ~2 hrs).

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

This is the fervedouro day, the part of any Jalapão trip travelers talk about afterward. Float in the blue-green water of Buritizinho, where the current holds you up, then hike 4 km to Encontro das Águas, the point where the Formiga and Soninho rivers meet and the water shifts color and temperature.

After a typical lunch in the Mumbuca community, reach the Cachoeira da Formiga, whose emerald pool is built for a long swim. You arrive in Mateiros in the late afternoon to rest (95 km on dirt road, ~3 hrs).

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

The last day of your Jalapão trip starts in the dark. At 4 AM, climb the Serra do Espírito Santo, a 200-meter sandstone plateau, to watch the sun come up over the park. On the way down, reach the breathtaking golden dunes and cool off at a Novo River beach.

Lunch is the last shared meal of the tour, in the Rio Novo community, before the 4×4 turns back toward Palmas. You should arrive around 7:30 PM.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch