Cascades, Chapada

Cascades of the chapada

Protected as a Brazilian national park in 1961 and made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, this high plateau known as a chapada boasts a beauty that's far more ancient. It wouldn't be too surprising to see a dinosaur stomping by as we behold the tall and thundering waterfalls of Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park. Indeed, giant creatures of prehistory may have been familiar with these cliffs and valleys. The forested chapada dates back about 1.8 billion years, and the Cerrado that encompasses it is one of the oldest tropical ecosystems on the planet.