National park in Minas Gerais holds the largest stalactite in the world

O Peruaçu Caves National Park is a 56 thousand hectare complex of limpets, caves and waterfalls that covers three cities in the north of Minas Gerais: Januária, Itacarambi and São João das Missões. The scenery is grand, with huge caves that reach hundreds of meters high.

The main one is the Janelão Cave, which holds the Dancer’s Leg – nothing less than the largest stalactite in the world. The trail to get there takes around five and a half hours (round trip), with moderate difficulty.

Another highlight of the park are the cave paintings, with impressive drawings dating back to the prehistoric period. At Lapa dos Drawingsit is possible to witness the human presence in the region through the huge art panels at the mouth of the cave.

Already the André’s Arch it has 110 meter high walls that form a vault. With around 8 km and moderate difficulty, the trail that takes you there takes around seven hours round trip over very steep terrain. It is important to be in good physical shape to face it.

Service

It is only permitted to take trails in the park accompanied by a guide accredited by the ICMBio, which must be hired in advance. On the institute’s official website, there is a list of all qualified drivers and contact details for scheduling. The amounts charged vary, it is worth researching.

The closest airport to the Park is Montes Claros, 200 km away. From there, you can take a bus or rent a car to Januária or Itacarambithe cities closest to the complex.