Caparaó National Park

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The National Park Caparaó ( Portuguese Parque Nacional do Caparaó ) is located in the Serra do Caparaó , a mountain range in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo . It is located between 20 ° 19 'and 20 ° 37' South and between 41 ° 43 'and 41 ° 53' West.

The Pico da Bandeira with 2892 meters is the third highest mountain in Brazil. Other important mountains are Pico do Cristal (2770 m), Pico do Calçado (2766 m), Pico do Cruzeiro and Pico dos Cabritos , which are very popular with mountaineers and hikers.

The mountains are located about 300 km from the capitals Vitória and Belo Horizonte . The national park can be reached via Dores do Rio Preto or via Alto Caparaó , which has a bus connection with Manhumirim .

history

In 1859 , the Emperor Dom Pedro II commissioned the erection of a flag on what is believed to be the highest mountain in the country, hence the name.

The Caparaó National Park with 318.53 km², 79% of which is in Espírito Santo, was founded on May 24, 1961 under the then President Jânio Quadros .

The Serra do Caparaó was the scene of fighting in 1966/1967 between the guerrilla troops of Caparaó , members of the military who did not support the coup leading to the long-term military dictatorship, and the regular armed forces. The guerrilla troops supported by Leonel Brizola hid in the national park and the military pursued them from the surrounding villages.

On the way to Pico da Bandeira, on the right the Pico do Calçado

National park

The national park is home to an important part of the original Brazilian coastal forest of the Mata Atlântica .

It extends over the area of ​​the municipalities Ibitirama , Iúna , Divino de São Lourenço , Dores do Rio Preto and Irupi in Espírito Santo and Alto Caparaó , Espera Feliz , Alto Jequitibá and Caparaó in Minas Gerais.

In addition to the alpine mountains and forests, there are many waterfalls. They can be reached by hiking trails from the visitor centers and campsites. Beautiful valleys are Vale Encantado and Vale Verde .

climate

The area is rather cool with temperatures around 20 degrees. In June and July there can be frost at higher altitudes. Most of the rain falls between November and January. Between May and September it is relatively dry and therefore best for visits.

Web links

Coordinates: 20 ° 27 ′ 1 ″  S , 41 ° 47 ′ 2 ″  W.