TripsBrazilJalapão

4-day Jalapão Tour in Tocantins, Brazil

Brazil
3 Nights·4 Days

Overview

This 4-day Jalapão tour is a 4×4 circuit through Jalapão State Park, one of Brazil’s most preserved Cerrado wildernesses. Starting from Palmas, the capital of Tocantins, it crosses the park’s three gateway towns (Ponte Alta do Tocantins, Mateiros, and São Félix do Tocantins) with one overnight stay in each for a restful, well-paced trip.

Hike to the Jalapão waterfalls (the Formiga among them), float in the fervedouros (natural springs where you cannot sink), climb rock formations like Pedra Furada, and cross jaw-dropping golden dunes. The route also opens the door to the region’s quilombola communities in Rio Novo, Mumbuca, and Prata, with meals shared in their family kitchens.

We call this circuit Vivências: full days of nature and a real connection with the local communities of Jalapão. Reachable only by 4×4, this trip trades hours in the car for time on the ground.

  • Full itinerary: hiking, fervedouros, waterfalls, rafting, and river beaches.
  • A deep dive into the less-visited side of Jalapão State Park in Brazil, reachable only by 4x4.
  • Iconic Jalapão sights: Pedra Furada, the Sussuapara Canyon, the Formiga Waterfall, the golden dunes, and multiple fervedouros.
  • Cultural immersion with the quilombola communities of Rio Novo, Mumbuca, and Prata.
  • Comfortable pousada stays in Ponte Alta do Tocantins, Mateiros, and São Félix do Tocantins.
  • Activities led by experienced local guides, with English-speaking guides available on request.
  • All-inclusive experience: round-trip 4x4 transfer, accommodation, meals, and local guides.
  • Please note: This is an active 4×4-based circuit (the Vivências program), with full days of hiking, fervedouros, waterfalls, and rock formations. Some activities are optional and carry an extra cost (the Morro do Sereno sunrise hike and the Class II rafting). Breakfast on Day 1 and dinner on the last day are not included. The itinerary below is a guide and may shift with weather, water levels, and the season.

Itinerary

Day 1

Japanese Lagoon / Pedra Furada / Ponte Alta do Tocantins

  • DeparturePalmas · 7 AM (airport or hotel)
  • Japanese Lagoonswim, caves, boat ride & zip line
  • Pedra Furadaancient rock formation · sunset

Our local partner picks you up in Palmas at 7 AM and heads for Jalapão State Park. The first stop is the Japanese Lagoon, its blue-green water framed by cliffs, where you can swim, explore caves, take a boat ride, and try the zip line. Lunch is at Dona Almerinda’s kitchen.

In the late afternoon, reach Pedra Furada, an ancient sandstone formation whose natural hole frames the sunset and one of the signature sights on this Jalapão itinerary. From there, drive on to Ponte Alta do Tocantins to settle into your pousada for dinner and rest.

Meals included: Lunch / Dinner

Crystal-clear turquoise water filling a natural limestone cave pool on the 4-day Jalapão tour, with long trailing vines hanging from the rocky overhang and a small wooden platform at the water's edge
Warm orange sunset framed by the natural stone arch of Pedra Furada, a striped sandstone formation in Jalapão, with green treetops visible below on the 4-day Jalapão tour

Day 2

Sussuapara Canyon / Pixico Beach / Jalapão Dunes / Mateiros

  • Sussuapara Canyon15 m crevice · trail with small waterfalls
  • Pixico BeachNovo River swim
  • Jalapão dunessunset over the golden sand

The morning takes you into the Sussuapara Canyon, a 15-meter crevice in reddish sandstone with a shaded trail through dense vegetation and small waterfalls. After a relaxed break, lunch is at Dona Cleuza’s restaurant in the Rio Novo community.

In the afternoon, cool off at Praia do Pixico on the Novo River, then head to the golden dunes to watch the sun drop behind the sand. Dinner and the night are in Mateiros, the town at the heart of the park.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Rippled golden sand dunes stretching toward a green tree line and a flat-topped sandstone mesa under a partly cloudy sky, a signature landscape of this 4-day Jalapão tour
A vivid red tanager and a golden-yellow tanager perched side by side on a bare branch, spotted on a 4-day Jalapão tour in the Brazilian cerrado

Day 3

Morro do Sereno / Formiga Waterfall / Fervedouros / São Félix do Tocantins

  • Morro do Sereno4 AM · ~2 hrs · sunrise (optional, extra cost)
  • Formiga Waterfallswim & photos
  • FervedourosCeiça, Beija-Flor & Por Enquanto

Early risers can leave at 4 AM for a 2-hour hike up Morro do Sereno, a 500-meter cliff with a wide sunrise over the park (optional, at extra cost).

After breakfast, reach the Cachoeira da Formiga, whose emerald pool is built for a long swim, and then break for lunch in the Mumbuca community, known as the home of golden-grass handicraft.

The afternoon is all about the fervedouros: float in Ceiça and Beija-Flor, spend time with the Prata community, and finish with an evening dip at Fervedouro Por Enquanto before reaching São Félix do Tocantins for the night.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

A small cascade tumbles into a vivid turquoise natural pool surrounded by dense green forest on the 4-day Jalapão tour
A woman in a red swimsuit wading through the calm, milky-green waters of a fervedouro on a 4-day Jalapão tour, surrounded by lush tropical vegetation
A turquoise natural spring pool surrounded by dense tropical vegetation on the 4-day Jalapão tour, with crystal-clear water revealing the sandy bottom below
Aerial drone view of four travellers floating in a circular turquoise fervedouro spring on a 4-day Jalapão tour, surrounded by dense tropical vegetation and broad-leafed plants

Day 4

Fervedouros / Rafting or Araras Waterfall / Morro da Catedral / Back to Palmas

  • FervedourosBela Vista & Alecrim
  • Your choiceClass II rafting · Soninho River (optional, extra cost) or Araras Waterfall
  • Transfer→ Palmas · arrive ~6 PM

Start the morning in the water, with a float in the Bela Vista and Alecrim fervedouros. From there, choose your pace: an optional Class II rafting run down the Soninho River (at extra cost) or a calmer visit to the Araras Waterfall with lunch nearby. Please note: rafters skip Fervedouro Alecrim, so check the day’s plan with your guide.

Before returning, stop at Morro da Catedral, one of the park’s most striking rock formations, for photos. The 4×4 then turns back toward Palmas, arriving around 6 PM and closing your 4-day Jalapão tour.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch

A sandy dirt trail leads toward a blazing sunset through open savanna grassland with tall palm silhouettes on this 4-day Jalapão tour
A massive vertical sandstone monolith rises above lush cerrado vegetation on a 4-day Jalapão tour, with a Catedral do Jalapão park sign visible on a boulder in the foreground

What is Included

  • Round-trip 4x4 transfer (Palmas ⇌ Jalapão)
  • 3-night stay in comfortable pousadas: Ponte Alta do Tocantins, Mateiros, and São Félix do Tocantins (1 night each)
  • Meals (full board), plus mineral water during all activities
  • Entrance fees for all included activities
  • Guided tours (hiking, fervedouros, waterfalls, river beaches, and rafting)
  • Expert local guides and interaction with the quilombola communities

Not included

  • Flight tickets
  • Breakfast on the first day and dinner on the last day
  • Drinks other than the mineral water included during activities
  • Travel insurance
  • English-speaking (or other-language) guides, on request and at additional cost, subject to availability
  • Optional tours (Morro do Sereno sunrise hike, Class II rafting), accommodation in Palmas, laundry, phone calls, tips, and other personal expenses

FAQ

Reviews

“Incredible experience. Both the guide who accompanied us from the start and the locals were excellent, taking us to places of indescribable beauty with safety, patience, dedication and care. We visited special places, which contributed a lot to a unique and exclusive experience.”

— Loretta A

“Excellent trip, very well organized by the agency and with lots of information about the place. We loved it!”

— Natércia R

“Living this adventure with Cerrado is a unique experience! This wasn't my first and certainly won't be my last. Their care with the itinerary and with the way they bring us into the community makes this experience amazing! Our guide, Zé, besides taking immense care of our safety and well-being, shares with us not only his knowledge of every meter we traveled, but also his life story and the stories of the people who make life in Jalapão so vibrant! I have no doubt that this is the best and most responsible way to get to know Jalapão and the Serras Gerais. Long live the Cerrado ❤️”

— Vanessa R

“These are exclusive tours that prioritize restaurants run by local people, adventure routes that go through places other agencies don't take you. It was wonderful to discover the charms of Jalapão. Not to mention the experience of being guided by "Zé", a spectacular local person who knows the region and taught us a lot. Thank you so much.”

— Elis L

“Jalapão is truly an incredible place with a unique beauty. I personally enjoyed especially the Sussuarana Canyon, the Macaúbas fervedouro, the Formiga waterfall, the trip to the Dunes and the visit to Pedra Furada. Special thanks to our guide Evandro Bôdo, who knew how to take us to the places with great safety, hospitality and detailed information; the service provided is truly outstanding, we felt like VIP tourists :-D Oh, Bôdo also took us on the trail to watch the sunrise from Morro do Espírito Santo (so 🔝) and to some practically private waterfalls. Jalapão has only one "little problem": long distances between the attractions and most of the roads are dirt roads in somewhat poor condition.”

— Bruno B

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$ 500/ per person