Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park Voyage Tips and guide

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Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park (Portuguese: Parque Nacional Cavernas do Peruaçu) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Minas Gerais of Brazil, known for its limestone caves. It was inscribed as such in 2025.

The origins of this landscape date back millions of years, when parts of Brazil were still submerged beneath an inland sea. As global sea levels rose and later receded, the waters gradually disappeared, leaving behind vast limestone massifs. Today, these formations are home to thousands of caves scattered across Brazil; they are also what make the park known for what it is today.

One such massif blocked the natural course of the Peruaçu River, a tributary of the São Francisco River. Over time, the river’s erosive force carved through the limestone in search of an outlet, giving rise to a remarkable network of caves.

Many of these caves remain untouched and continue to draw speleologists eager to explore previously undocumented grottoes.

Public access to the caves is carefully regulated to protect the delicate speleothems – the mineral formations that took millions of years to form – from damage.

15°5′20″S 44°13′26″W

Map of Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park

The core of the park is a 45-minute drive from Itacarambi or about 30 km (19 mi). Head 15-km south onto BR-135 and the turnoff to the park will be to the right. Continue for about another 15 km.

The road to the entrance of the park is sealed; the roads within the park, however, are not.

• -15.116707-44.2414281 Gruta do Janelão. (updated Jul 2025)