Peruaçu River Canyon Nature Reserve

Address: Peruaçu River valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil (Serra do Peruaçu area)

Peruaçu River Canyon is a natural and cultural landscape in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil, characterised by deep limestone canyons, cave systems and related archaeological features. The area is notable for its geomorphology and the cultural traces preserved in caves.

The canyon network offers dramatic rock walls, caves with rock art and sheltered archaeological deposits, and a mosaic of dry forest and savanna vegetation. Trails and viewpoints provide access to canyon rims and cave entrances where archaeological and palaeontological evidence is concentrated.

Cave shelters contain traces of past human occupation and rock paintings, and the river corridor supports a range of riparian habitats. The setting is valued for both its geological formations and its records of human-environment interaction.

People have used the caves and rock shelters in the canyon for millennia, leaving archaeological deposits and painted panels. Scientific investigations have documented cultural sequences within the sheltered sites and the role of the river corridor in human settlement.

The canyon lies in the northern part of Minas Gerais state in Brazil, within a rural, largely protected landscape of limestone outcrops and river valleys.

• Landscape and geology: The canyon system contains limestone escarpments and caves with archaeological and palaeontological traces, set within the Caatinga and Cerrado transition zone of Minas Gerais.

• Book guided visits through the park authorities or reputable local operators before you go-many trails, viewpoints and cave systems in the Peruaçu area are managed and guides will organize safe access.
• Plan your trip for the region's drier months (the austral autumn/winter shoulder season) when trails and cave visits are most reliable; heavy rains can affect access to canyon viewpoints and some caves.
• Set aside time for the main canyon viewpoints and the mapped cave systems rather than treating the area as a single short stop-the best viewpoints and rock‑art caves are spread out and require local knowledge to reach.