Serra da Capivara National Park is one of the most amazing parks in Brazil. Rock art, archaeology, breathtaking views and wildlife. A secret gem in the northeast of Brazil.

1. Serra da Capivara National Park
State of Piaui, Brazil

2. Serra da Capivara National Park
State of Piaui, Brazil

4. Black dot: the State capital Teresina
in the northeast of Brazil
Red dot: Serra da Capivara National Park

5. The oldest inhabited site in the Americas is barely
visited by tourists.

6. The Capivara National Park is not just a major
concentration of archaeological sites but a spectacular
national park with a reception center for visitors.
Few prehistoric archaeological sites in the world can
offer anything remotely like it.

7. The earliest known evidence of people in the Americas
is here in the south-east of Piaui, Brazil. The park has
more rock art than anywhere else in the world, over
30,000 examples have been catalogued so far.

8. Rock art

9. Map of the park

10. The oldest rock art here may date from 26,000BC,
which is around six time older than Stonehenge
and the Egyptian pyramids.
Most of the rock art dates from 10,000-4,000BC.

11. Research at the site is led by Dr. Niède Guidon, one of
Brazil's leading archeologists. Her work challenges the
conventional wisdom that people only arrived in
North America 15,000 years ago.

12. Dr. Niède Guidon is well-known and respected
for her championing of the preservation of
archeological sites in a society where their value is
not well understood.
In a state where some politicians seem to
become wealthy overnight and have endless funds
for their own projects, she appears to struggle to
get money to keep a project of international
significance functioning.

13. Serra da Capivara has been declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO

14. There are thirteen trails through the park,
ranging from easy to strenuous trails.

18. The views are breathtaking

24. There’s wildlife everywhere, all the time

29. Over 700 rock art sites.

32. Serra da Capivara - Brazil
Serra da Capivara National Park was created to
preserve one of the world’s largest archeological
treasures: thousands of pre-historic inscriptions from
six to 12 thousand years old, engraved on steep rock
walls.
The pictures portray the everyday aspects, the
dances, the region’s ancient inhabitants’ rites and
ceremonies, as well as pictures of animals, some of
which are extinct.
The relief seen today was formed about 240
million years ago.

33. Researchers found tools, pieces of ceramic
utensils and burial sites at the Serra da Capivara
excavations.
The cave pictures and the objects found can be
seen at some of the sites open for visitation, among the
744 existing sites in the Park.

37. Today, Serra da Capivara National park is
administered by FUMDHAM – Museum of the
American Man Foundation, a private center, in
partnership with IBAMA – Brazilian Institute for the
Environment and Renewable Natural Resources.
It offers an excellent structure for visitation, with
delimited trails and specialized guides. The American
Man Museum is located in the city of São Raimundo
Nonato, a few kilometers from there. It has a collection
that consists of pieces found in the archeological digs in
the Park.

38. The fauna and flora are very rich and typical
representations of the region’s stunted
vegetation, where the climate is semi-arid (the
“caatinga”). During the rainy months – between
December and May – the vegetation, that seems
poor during the dry season, flourishes.
Spotted leopards, armadillos, guinea
pigs, crested
seriemas, wildcats, margays, serpents, and bats live
harmoniously with cereus, cacti, jujubes, and
pepper trees. More than 200 species of birds have
already been catalogued.

39. You can visit the Park throughout the year, from
6 AM to 6 PM. The biggest concentration of visitors is
during the dry season months – between June and
December – when visiting conditions and local fauna
observation are better.
It is mandatory to hire a certified guide, and it is
advisable to take caps, solar protection and water.

41. Refer to Trilhas da Capivara Travel Agency.
They can pick you up at Petrolina airport.

42. Basic information
• Climate: The region’s climate is semi-arid. It
rains between December and May. The dry
season lasts from June to December.
• Distances
• To the city of São Raimundo Nonato, state of
Piaui: 30 km
• To the city of Petrolina (State of Pernambuco,
nearest airport): 270 km
• To the state capital Teresina: 510 km

43. How to get there
• By Air. Petrolina airport in the state of Pernambuco,
270 km from the Park, receives regular flights from
many cities in Brazil.
• By Highway: Take BR-343 to the city of Floriano, then
PI-140 to São Raimundo Nonato. Another option for
those coming from the South of the country is
through Petrolina/PE, which is 300 km from São
Raimundo Nonato.

44. Useful Addresses:
• Parque Nacional da Serra da Capivara
Centro Cultural Sérgio Motta, S/N Bairro Campestre
São Raimundo Nonato – PI Brazil CEP : 64770-000
Phone / Fax : (55 89) 3582-1612
e-mail : contato@fumdham.org.br
• Fundação Museu do Homem Americano
Rua Abdias Neves, 551 — Centro
São Raimundo Nonato, PI, BR
Tel: (55 86) 582-1612
• Trilhas da Capivara Travel Agency
Tel: (55 89) 582-1294
Email: trilhascapivara@uol.com.br
Contact: Rosa Trakalo

45. Where to stay:
• Hotel Serra da Capivara
Rodovia PI-140, s/nº - Santa Luzia
Tel: (55 89) 3582-1389/1760
• Camping Pedra Furada
Coronel José Dias - PI - Serra da Capivara
Tel: (55 89) 9409 1569 / 9405 1907
Email: isailtoncampos@hotmail.com
http://campingpedrafurada.com/

46. References and further information
In English
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serra_da_Capivara_National_Park
http://www.andaman.org/BOOK/chapter54/text-PedraFurada/text-
PedraFurada.htm
http://sites.google.com/site/piauibrazil/serra-da-capivara
http://www.brasilcontact.com/travel/brazil_serraDaCapivara.html
http://www.globalrockart2009.com/principal_eng.html
In Portuguese
http://www.fumdham.org.br/index.html
http://www.saoraimundononato.pi.gov.br
http://www.ambiental.tur.br/index.asp

47. Enjoy your trip!